moveablejibcars

It has always seemed to me that the jib fairleads on the N-16 are not in the right spot. It may be less critical with the working jib but when using the 135 genoa the fairlead seems too far forward. The shape of the jib when close hauled is not as good as it can be. When hauled in tight there is too much downward pull on the the luff of the jib and not enough tension on the foot. You tend to get flutter on the foot which obvoiusly reduces the effectiveness of the sail. I though about adding a second set of fairleads or simply moving the fairleads back. With the former solution there was too much interference with the jib sheets and with the latter there was the problem of finding just the right place which might not work for all jibs or for all wind conditions. With the need to keep the genoa outside of the forward stays and inboard of the rear stays there is very little room for movement which would prevent chafing of the sail on the stays.

The solution was to mount moveable cars which would allow me to fiddle around and find the best location and move it if I was flying a different jib or if wind conditions and course shifted.

Luckily Harken makes a very nice little mini-car which will take a small block. The track is low profile. I used a 12 inch run of track but would suggest that a little longer might be better. It was relatively simple to remove the old eye and to fill the bolt holes. Be sure and scrape out any core material that may be present before filling the holes with epoxy. The track is simply bolted in place (do not use screws), The underside is easily accessible through the cabin.