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Towable Genoa cars vs a Barberhauler


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By towable do you mean adjustable on the fly using strings from the cockpit?  Or just the usual car on a track?

 

Surely for single handed cruising on a raven 31 you'd just use the regular car/track system it probably came with?  Barberhaulers/adjustable on the fly car/track systems are more than what most cruisers would bother with, they'd just set the car roughly to the right spot for the sail on the day and leave it there.

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Nice to be able to adjust the cars from the cockpit, especially if you have roller furling. I modified my own - took out the pin, added a shackled on double block on the fwd end. and use a continuous line that the tail goes back to the rear of the car to help it move aft when required.

 

Barberhaulers  are normally used to adjust the sheet angle sideways, and the track fore/aft - or at least the one's I have seen. Pretty rare on a cruiser!

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Thanks for the replies...

 

Yes, I do mean adjustable on the fly using strings from the cockpit.  As I mentioned I don't want to leave the cockpit when out there.  And while I have made do with setting the car position on the day for the day my sailmaker demonstrated with the new working jib how moving the car forward when off the wind and when the headsail is partially furled improves efficiency.  Yes, I could make do, as I have done, with one position come what may but while perfection is not my goal continuous improvement keeps me off the streets,

 

My marine bits and pieces supplier, who races sailboats in his spare time, said a simple barberhauler set up to pull the Genoa sheet down in lieu of moving the car forward is a cheap and not nasty solution.  My pal, who zips by in his Farr 7.5 trailer sailor, tells me towable (that's what Barton UK calls them) cars is the way to go. 

 

I think the towable car is the way to go, tidier perhaps, but seek opinions of those who know.

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If you use it partially rolled , then having the lead in the wrong place is bad, will lead to flapping bits on the sail which will eventually destroy it. 

Either system will work, barber haulers may be an easier retrofit (move existing car forward, add a block and a piece of string  and you are done.

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If your existing cars have the sprung down pin arrangement you can lift the pin and tighten a cable-tie around the shaft to stop it popping down. Then go for the double block arrangement on the front as described by IT above.

 

Then if you have an 'issue' you can quickly cut the cable-tie and return to manual mode, no need to remove the pins...

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On the S34, I used a small loop of spectra around the car to hold the double block to the car.

The advantages were it was cheap, easy to replace but more importantly it transferred the "PULLING LOAD" point to the REAR of the whole car, avoiding the need to drill holes or fit saddles etc that could "Pull Out", wear or simply break.

 

Effectively I was "pushing" the car forward as the loop transferred the load to the aft side of the car..

 

I like the idea of the continuous loop and the cable tie to keep the "Drop down" pin in the UP position. 

 

Our spectra loop has lasted over 6 years now without replacement.

 

When reaching, we often (nearly always) pull the car forward for better leech trimming but we do not need to bother with adjusting the now slack tail through aft swivel block with a cam cleat, mounted on our toe rail beside the primary winch. This allows us to let the genoa load pull the car aft if we come back on the wind or tack. Saves remembering yet another item to check / reset. Our BIG genoas will do it automatically for us. Dry lube helps the cars slide but also the supertankers have very BIG headsails!!

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Again, many thanks for the inputs; much appreciated.

 

So I installed the so-called Barber-hauler kindly recommended by Aaron Blakemore, chief cook and bottle washer at Oddies Marine, Waikawa who also just happens to be one of the hottest serious large sailboat racing nutters in these waters. 

 

Here are a couple of photographs taken before leaving the marina and before experimenting and placing the cars in the correct position on the track.  The line that tensions the block at right angles to the Genoa sheet cleats off in the cockpit as required.

 

While I still like the 'towable car' solution I must admit that this is quick, inexpensive and easy.

 

It should do the trick.  We shall see.  Comments most welcome.

 

Cheers.

 

Seems I screwed up adding the photographs.  I shall resize them and try again.

 

No, not having success therefore I have uploaded them to the front page of my web site. Dbl-click on the image to improve the view.

 

johnmccully.com

Barberhauler 01.jpg

Barberhauler 02.jpg

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Simplicity is good, but everything depends upon the loads involved on nice days and the abuse expected in stormy weather. Yours looks fine.

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Good solution.

Unless you have ball bearing tracks it's very difficult to get the cars to move under load if you modify them to make them towed.

You might even consider the alloy thimbles at the sheet end and attach the blocks to the car for easy adjustment. Very simple, usually cheaper but not by as much as you would think and less weight bouncing around the deck when the sheet is flogging a bit whilst tacking or furling the sail.

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Thanks guys, much appreciated.

 

Willow, I liked your suggestions a lot.  I picked up a couple of plastic thimbles, $1.50 a piece, and relocated the block and attached it directly to the car as you suggested.  Huge improvement.  Many thank for your suggestion.

 

Now if it stops raining and the wind picks up...

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Another consideration would be to use a snatch block or snap shackle so that the sheet / barber hauler can be led from OUTSIDE the lifelines by using your alloy toe rail.

 

This would be a better solution when reaching as it would open the slot between mainsail and headsail wider.

 

Perhaps using two barber haulers would make move the sheet outboard a lot easier and safer for solo sailors.

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Willow's suggestion implemented (photograph attached),  Nothing but a small plastic thimble flapping about on the foredeck now.  When the rain takes a break and the wind gets up again I shall test the system.

 

PaulR, when I get this barber hauler up and working to my satisfaction I shall look at your suggestion, many thanks.

 

Cheers...

3767.jpg

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