Single Sheet Winch ??

[boden36]

At present we have two self tailing sheet winches, placed conventionally on the cockpit coamings.
Rebuilding the cockpit with a solid dodger, it will be much easier to place a single winch centrally on the aft cockpit coaming, and lead the sheets through turning blocks.
Would be interested in the experience of anyone who has used that system.
Regards,
Richard.

[psk125]

We sailed a Pearson 43 with a single (huge) winch located aft of the cockpit. Nasty to tack, because you couldn't pre-load the winch. The sail luffed a lot because it couldn't start to be pulled in until the old sheet had been totally released. This probably led to premature wear & tear on the sail, and its costly replacement. If you're building a custom solid dodger, you should be able to arrange for openings big enough to allow access and leads for conventionally located winches.

[tager]

Stick with the popular arrangement. It's popular because it works great!

[daddle]

Two makes for a handy spare. They sometimes fail at inopportune moments.

But a single winch with proper clutches works. It's not unheard of. Tacking a large headsail in strong conditions may take some practice, and the clutches may be hard on the sheets during the release. Freeing an override will require a knife, perhaps.

[boden36]

Thanks PSK and Daddle for your comments - you hit on the one thing that worried me, but hopefully will be able to work around it with ratchet blocks and camcleats.
Tager, like anything else, there is a cost/benefit equation - I have had the two winches for 25 yrs now but will win more than lose if we can make do with one.

Regards,
Richard.