What i do is use the same continuous line for the halyard and the downhaul, led back to the cockpit. This eliminates all the excess line on the floor. Simple yet elegant.

Tuscon Sailing Club.
They do an annual run down Sea of Cortez. A lot of boats our size.

And another advantage is that you can leave the spinnaker hoisted up and dowsed with the sock...just wrap it up a couple times near the bottom (because the sock does not go all the way down) and it will behave itself until you are ready to deploy it again. How are you wrapping the bottom of the spi...

I don't see how you can adapt a sheet winch handle to work with the keel winch. The keel winch is a "brake" winch and the flat face of the handle becomes an integral part of the system that engages the clutch mechanism that allows the winch to "brake." You can't use any handle o...

Yep, you've got the stock setup. That's a Dutton-Lainson 800# brake winch. You can reverse the winch using the same bolt holes as I recall. The handle has to be extended to reach thru to the cockpit. The end of the handle when placed on the outside will just clear the cockpit sole. IMPORTANT-- The b...

My M25 had the winch handle inside behind the ladder. I moved the handle outside into the cockpit. Simply reversed the winch, bored a hole, extended the handle. Much much better when sailing, esp. running downwind or aground. One of my best mods. Really doesn't ever seem to be in the way, but perhap...

Doug W,
Thanks for the info. We'll be heading down for a sailing trip sometime. Probably in the fall after the crowd thins out a little. We stayed at Big Bear Lodge near the 1 mi marker a couple of Octobers ago. Had the place to ourselves. Skinnydipping in hot tub. Full moon. Great place.

Doug W, very interesting post. We live about 7 hrs. from Lake Ozark. We've enjoyed powerboating late in the season when it's quieter, but always wondered why we didn't see sailboats in that area. Are you referring to Bagnall Dam? Do you sail Lake of the Ozarks regularly? I always thought the bluffs ...

Those trailer bumps do look a little more severe than usual, although my 85 m25 has em anytime she's on the trailer. Can you view the boat in person? If so, one thing you could do with consigner's permission is jack the stern up off the trailer. If you haven't done it before, just drop the trailer j...

what's a FIB?

1/4" Plexiglass isn't really very hard to work with. http://www.bcae1.com/plexi.htm You can use a router with a guide bearing to round 'em over. A jig saw actually works pretty well to cut em. Trick is to find exactly the right blade and go the right speed. You don't have to buy a large piece o...

81venture, you're on the right track. baby stays are easy to install. I simply installed a mast bail (like a bucket bail) facing forward on the mast about eight feet up. Then installed a folding mast step about a foot up, so I could reach the bail. Then installed a bullseye fairlead on the cabin top...

behr, you have to search a little to find the correct rake angle. Most people think 3 to 5 degrees about right, but only sailing experience will tell you what works best for your boat. I don't know of any universal method for gauging the angle. I build for a living and believe I know what a right an...

Getting rid of the handle would be a great idea. I have thought a 3/4 inch socket w/ratchet would work well. But remember the winch is a brake winch, not a trailer winch, so you need the little spring on the shaft beneath the handle. If that 700# keel ever gets loose, there'll be a lot more than a l...

Hi, Finally Sailing,
Isn't that CDI FF2 guaranteed more or less forever?