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| Home >> Technical >> The Clam Cleats for Out / Down haul |
Thank you both for your answers. Alex, the decision process must've been fun to carry out. I've just come from a boat where we had cams with angled feeder bars which worked really well but with a financial cost. Simon, do you know when any rules will be released as I can imagine owners will want to tweak.
I'll given them a go when mine arrives and get used I suppose.
Thanks again.
Matt
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07/11/2014 21:09:06
Matt Thursfield
Posts: 33
Matt
Currently the change to cam cleats are not permitted within the class rules, as simplicity is one of the main ethos of the aero.
To be honest while we prototyped the boat over the past three years we had various combinations and configurations of the control line layout. From all being in the middle and all cleats on the side using cam and clam cleats.
The feed back in the end, was to go for a split configuration. As having all three cleats on the side was fine but the front cleat was to a far forward to use in all conditions.
So what we did was keep the outhaul and the downhaul control lines lead to both sides, but positioned as far aft on the deck as possible but not to affect the hiking position. Then we added the vang cleat on a swivel as this can be used in all positions in all conditions as this will be the main primary control.
We found that the clam cleat was more reliable than the cam cleat as you where often pulling and letting off the control line not in line of the cleat. The rope would always fall in the jaws of the clam cleat, where on the cam cleat as you pulling off line the rope would not always re-cleat unless you positively added them into the cleat, then sometimes you will find that the cleat, un cleated on the leeward side a really pain!
Clam cleats are always perceived to be not as good as the cam cleats, but they are simple, work very well, never fail and is a main reason why they are used as control line cleats on all sorts of boats from 49er, 14's, Rs100, Int moths etc etc.
Give it some time, but I'm confident you will understand why we decided to go down this route as actually for the job they are un-comprimesed in actually how they work.
Alex
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06/11/2014 22:10:03
Posts: 0
I think they tried a number of options. If you had any form of captive hoop or cleat, you wouldn't be able to let off enough in one go. As it is, you can dump a lot and reach forward and pull on a couple of feet in one go. I'd suggest you keep them as they are for a while. I also wouldn't start changing things until the class rules are formed.
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06/11/2014 21:47:50
Posts: 0
Chelmarsh had the delivery of their first six Aeros at the weekend. We all questioned the control line cleats. Can they be replaced by Cam cleats or are class rules prescriptive that they have to be as fitted?
Thanks
Matt
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05/11/2014 20:37:48
Matt Thursfield
Posts: 33
