J120 clutches

[T sailor 47]

My boat needs to upgrade all the clutches as they are all slipping.  clutches there are a mix of XAS and XTS spinlocks.  I am debating doing constrictors for the halyards and reef lines.  I have done a search and seen both positives and negatives for these?  Anyone have feedback here on what works for a 120?  I also noticed that just about every 120 I have seen has two clutches for the main halyard?  That is what I have now and it works OK (it actually seems to slip the least amount) but seems like a bandaid solution.  

 

 

[ctutmark 233]

Spinlock clutches can have their internals replaced (cams and base plates). Is a bit of work but less $$ than an all new clutch. The new parts can be sized to the the lines going through them which helps. Going with the ceramic parts will slow down the wear. 

However, on a 120, if you have low stretch halyards and lines you will probably need to keep the halyards on a winch going upwind.

[ptnick@gmail.com 0]

I have constrictors on my J120. They work. No slip if milked.  Easy on the line. Lightweight.

I find them, though, to be less instantly obvious in their function than clutches. You can see at a glance when a clutch is open.

New crew require some adjustment time to react quickly to the constrictors. 

[T sailor 47]

Thanks for responding.  We are going with constrictors for the Main, Jib and reef lines and traditional spinlocks for the kite halyards.  

Was looking for some feedback on the constrictors specifically on a boat like a 120, so thanks for replying.

T

[kristian 0]

The best solution for this is to use the Spinlock XX clutch on anything you want to stay put.  No other clutch comes close.  Best results are with a higher grip cover (soemthing that has cordura, technora, kevlar or soemt other sticky fiber) and a bulk to bring the line up to 12mm. 

Boat builders put XTS clutches on everything for cost.  For example the J/111 was specced with XX clutches, but J put XTS on there instead. Now it seems like msot boats have added an XX for the main and primary jib. 

Constrictors are far kinder to the line than the XTS, but not much more grip than if you have the right internals (ie, 10mm halyard with their 0610 cam) If you can, swing a single XX to see the difference. Then quit drinking for a while as you're going to need to save your bucks to do the rest.