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Spinlock clutch on mast?

McGinnis

Member II
I did a search with no luck and hopefully posted in the correct section.

I'm looking to put a Spinlock clutch on my mast above the mast mounted winch for my spin halyard and jib halyard. Right now it's set up with a single horn cleat below the winch which makes it near impossible to use the winch for anything else. All halyards are run internally.

SAM_0187.jpg

I've read on other forums of people tapping the mast, putting a healthy amount of Lanocote on the fasteners and bolting it in but I'm not sure how well this would stand up to the loads. There's a little bit of thought into running the spin halyard back to the cockpit as I'll be single handing and running an asym in light winds. The jib halyard rarely needs to move.

Has anyone here done this on a larger Ericson? :confused:

Two singles? A single double? Any other thoughts/ideas/suggestions/snide comments?
 

mggrave

Junior Member
I'm not sure how my winches are mounted to my mast, but I have 4 of them mounted on the mast and can run 6 halyards with 2 being ran to the cockpit. I will be at the boat tonight and will try to remember to take some pictures of the setup. It is somewhat complicated to determine what is going on, what line goes where.

Mike Grave
Havoc
Ericson 32-2
 

jsnaulty

Member II
sheet/reefline/bag on your mast

not sure why spin lock on the mast wouldn't work - we have one even though our halyards are run back to the cockpit because it's easier/faster/less friction to do the initial hoist of the main at the mast and reefing is a cinch with the spin lock at head level on the mast. what I want to know is where did you get that bag to hold the outhaul/reefing lines, etc. at the base of your mast? that looks like a great idea.

steve naulty
E35-3 anodyne
shadyside, md
 

dwigle

Member III
I've had three on my mast for about 5 years, including the jib with no problems. While the mast is relatively thin, there is enough thickness to drill and tap. I used Loctite instead of Lanacote as a barrier between the metals, plus the extra holding power. Since stress is pulling along the mast rather than out from it, the thickness hopefully isn't as much of an issue.

Don Wigle
Wiggle Room
E 38 #8
Pt Richmond, CA
 

McGinnis

Member II
Sounds like a go!

Sounds like it shouldn't be a problem putting them on. Glad to see others have done the same thing without incident!

The bag is from Blue Performance. It's super handy! The reefing lines and out-haul are only in there to keep them off the deck. Putting on a second layer of paint today, then rebedding hardware tomorrow, then everything is getting run aft.

Halyard Bag

I had the Robship line holder on there but it quickly faded and still subjected the lines to UV damage/dirt/getting tangled.
 

mggrave

Junior Member
Below are pictures of the winches attached to my mast. As you can see I also have halyards (1/3, and 2/3 up the mast) running back to the cockpit. The winches on the mast are used to run the 4 halyards off the top of the mast. Hope this helps.
2012-07-11 18.42.17.jpg2012-07-11 18.42.27.jpg

Mike Grave
Havoc 32-2
Yankton, SD
 

McGinnis

Member II
A boat full of winches

Below are pictures of the winches attached to my mast. As you can see I also have halyards (1/3, and 2/3 up the mast) running back to the cockpit. The winches on the mast are used to run the 4 halyards off the top of the mast. Hope this helps.
View attachment 11528View attachment 11529

Mike Grave
Havoc 32-2
Yankton, SD

How many winches do you have all together?

I think a rope clutch is going to be a cheaper option for me. Perhaps a little less windage too.
 

mggrave

Junior Member
Winches winches and more winches!

How many winches do you have all together?

I think a rope clutch is going to be a cheaper option for me. Perhaps a little less windage too.

I have 4 winches on the mast, 2 on top of the cockpit, 4 for sheet lines in the cockpit. I can have 6 halyards excluding the rolling furler. The boat is set up to run as a cutter, I have a stay sail that can run between my head sail and main really helps point into the wind. ≈135% on the furler, then 1 of the 2 front halyards is steel cable that i run to the bow behind the furler to use as a "forestay" so i can run up hank sails of different sizes based on wind. I will say it is pretty cool seeing a 32' boat rolling down the lake with 3 sails up!!
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Ah. One of the boats on the introduction slide show is doing something like that. I was trying to figure it out.
 

Mindscape

Member III
Lewmar clutch on the mast

I've have a lewmar rope clutch on my mast for 3 years now, tapped into the mast, no issues. I use it for my head sail (roller furler) halyard.
 

nquigley

Sustaining Member
I did a search with no luck and hopefully posted in the correct section.
I'm looking to put a Spinlock clutch on my mast above the mast mounted winch for my spin halyard and jib halyard. Right now it's set up with a single horn cleat below the winch which makes it near impossible to use the winch for anything else. All halyards are run internally.
//Has anyone here done this on a larger Ericson? :confused:
Two singles? A single double? Any other thoughts/ideas/suggestions/snide comments?
I know this is an old thread, but I'm adding two SpinLock XAS clutches this weekend - for my new (5/16") staysail stay and halyard. I decided to get two singles for better side-by-side mounting to the curved mast surface - shouldn't need any support wedges underneath. I'll post pics after they're in.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Side by side? What's wrong with staggering them by a foot or so? Might keep both lines aimed more closely toward the winch and better access to the handles? At least that's how I see other people do it...
 

nquigley

Sustaining Member
Side by side? What's wrong with staggering them by a foot or so? Might keep both lines aimed more closely toward the winch and better access to the handles? At least that's how I see other people do it...
Yup - that's what I've decided to do. I have about 3ft between the mast exit for the halyard and where I've located the winch, but I can stagger the 2 single clutches over about a 1-foot span, and still have good angles to the winch. Also, I think staggering them like that will let them fit better under the mainsail cover.
The double-clutch is a little cheaper, but I think that multi-clutch unit are mostly for cabin-top applications. The double-clutch unit would definitely need wedge supports if mounted on the mast.
 
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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
That makes sense to me.

Earlier in the thread mention is made of putting a spinnaker halyard through a clutch. I'd never do that, given the personality of spinnakers.

Any halyard through a clutch is going to foul frequently, and the douse cannot be as uninhibited as it would be off a simple cleat. Just a factor to consider and plan for.

And for temporary use on the mast, nothing beats a a simple cam cleat.
 
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nquigley

Sustaining Member
I know this is an old thread, but I'm adding two SpinLock XAS clutches this weekend - for my new (5/16") staysail stay and halyard. I decided to get two singles for better side-by-side mounting to the curved mast surface - shouldn't need any support wedges underneath. I'll post pics after they're in.

I learned a trick today for mounting these clutches.
A drill bit cannot fit straight down the forward hole, but can fit straight into the aft hole - this creates a potential problem getting both holes in the mast right under the holes in the clutch base ... and, neither unit came with a mounting/drilling template.
The holes in the base are exactly the size of a 1/4" (6mm) bolt. As we know, the drill bit used in concert with a thread tap is slightly narrower than the final bolt.
Here's what I did:
After deciding exactly where I wanted a clutch to go, I used the next size bigger bit than the one I would be using with the tap to slightly pre-start the aft hole in the mast, using the clutch as a guide. Then I turned the clutch around, and, using a penlight to see clearly, I precisely centered the first pre-started 'hole' on the forward hole of the clutch's base, and then pre-drilled the other hole as before (through the aft hole of the inverted clutch). Then I used the bit that matches the tap to drilled the holes right through. Then, I tapped threads in the holes and used LockTite Blue on the threads.
The holes ended up right under the holes in the clutch base, for both clutches!
Pre-start the holes.jpgView1.jpgView2.jpg
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
Good job!

Another approach is to drill and tap the bottom (rear) hole, then turn the clutch around, mount it with a fastener through the front hole (now at the bottom), and use the rear hole (now at the top) to drill the second hole.

The installation instructions for the XAS, including a drilling template, are on the spinlock website, if you ever have occasion to do this again.

https://www.spinlock.co.uk/uploads/...original/2152-XAS_Instructions.pdf?1470735104

(from this page: https://www.spinlock.co.uk/en/categories/clutches-1/product_groups/xas)

IIRC, when I mounted mine, I also found that if I put the handle at just the right angle I was able to drill through the upper (forward) hole.

$.02
Bruce
 

nquigley

Sustaining Member
Good job!

Another approach is to drill and tap the bottom (rear) hole, then turn the clutch around, mount it with a fastener through the front hole (now at the bottom), and use the rear hole (now at the top) to drill the second hole.

The installation instructions for the XAS, including a drilling template, are on the spinlock website, if you ever have occasion to do this again.

https://www.spinlock.co.uk/uploads/...original/2152-XAS_Instructions.pdf?1470735104
(from this page: https://www.spinlock.co.uk/en/categories/clutches-1/product_groups/xas)

IIRC, when I mounted mine, I also found that if I put the handle at just the right angle I was able to drill through the upper (forward) hole.

$.02
Bruce
Thanks!
That link is slightly useful - but I don't think there was any redirection to it on/with the packaging for the units I received.
A potential problem with downloaded templates is slight size-shifting when the image is printed out. (they 'Note' this warning in the on-line instructions)
Here is the key installation instruction at that link for the hole-drilling part:
• Insert stainless steel M6 (1/4") csk fasteners using full nuts and washers.
... not very helpful, really.
Try as I might, it was definitely not possible to get a drill bit to go down through the body of this clutch model at its forward hole - the handle/lever mechanism was always just a little in the way.

Your idea of installing the first (forward) fastener before drilling the other hole (aft) in the clutch body (initially upside down) is a good one - not sure why I didn't think about that (apart from the distraction caused by the biting cold wind and my inadequate clothing).
Actually, a little simpler than your method is: decide where the forward hole will be on the mast (maybe by poking a Sharpie pen through the hole) - drill and tap it - don't need the clutch body to guide the drilling. Then mount the clutch loosely by the forward hole fastener (with your preferred mounting gel or fluid) and then drill the aft hole, through the body of the clutch. Swing the clutch aside to tap the thread, then insert the aft fastener (with thread goop), and tighten both fasteners up.
 
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