Slipping Sheets

[hoppy]

I recently bought new jib sheet lines (dynema) and find that sometimes they slip on the winch under load both in the self tailor and out of it.

My gut feeling is that it will be solved by giving them a soaking, perhaps in salt water. Is that usual first solution ?

[daddle]

Maybe the cover is lightweight polypropylene? Pretty slippery stuff, but make a nice light line.

If they have dacron covers the slippery finish will wear off soon enough. Salt water may help, too.

[John A]

It depends. How many wraps do you do around the winch? Perhaps one more turn is required. What's the size of the winch vs the size of the jib sheet?

[MarkJ]

Your new sheets are crap. Give them to me and go buy some double braid.

Mark

[beetle]

Originally Posted by hoppy

I recently bought new jib sheet lines (dynema) and find that sometimes they slip on the winch under load both in the self tailor and out of it.

My gut feeling is that it will be solved by giving them a soaking, perhaps in salt water. Is that usual first solution ?

Nope. Which line did you purchase, and what's the cover made of? I'm assuming you purchased doublebraid dyneema? If you purchased singlebraid then that's particularly slippery.

If the line is slipping in the selftailer than the line diameter is too small for the winch and/or you need to place more wraps on the winch drum. The typical fix is to add a cover over the existing line to increase it's diameter at the point the line will be on the winch selftailing mechanism (also done where lines need to be bumped in diameter where a clutch needs to hang onto the line).

- rob/beetle

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Your new sheets are crap. Give them to me and go buy some double braid.

Mark

Ok, what is your address, I'll post them tonight

[hoppy]

The ropes are 14mm which are what jeanneau specifies, so I think that they should be ok. But thinking about it I am not 100% certain they are dynema. The reef lines I bought at the same time were dynema as I had a choice but when I chose the jib sheet I had to take the only ones they had. :s

[hoppy]

I tried 4 wraps around the winch when it slipped with 3, but it still slipped. Even without the self tailor it still slipped which makes me think it is not a diameter problem.

[beetle]

Originally Posted by hoppy

I tried 4 wraps around the winch when it slipped with 3, but it still slipped. Even without the self tailor it still slipped which makes me think it is not a diameter problem.

OK, if the line is slipping on the drum, then how smooth or worn is the winch drum, and is the (possibly dyneema) line singlebraid or doublebraid? If covered, is the cover super-slippery? There are lines with a fuzzy cover available that make it easier to hold by hand than lines that are super slippery - and that would translate to easier to grip on a winch.

- rob/beetle

[witzgall]

Something like Samson trophy braid is great for sheets because the come "pre-fuzzed" to make them easier to handle.

If the line you have is single braid (no core, look sort of like a 3-strand anchor rope, but with more strands) then it will slip no matter what you do - they just don't cleat clutch or winch well without adding a cover.

Chris

[hoppy]

The rope does have a separate core, so it must be double braided.

The winch drum does feel like it has been smoothed off as it is not particularly abrasive to touch, but the old sheets did not seem to have a problem.