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February 15, 2022 2 min read
The Laser has had many different configurations during its life, in recent years alongside the 8 to 1 downhaul system we have also seen more people switching out their 57mm ratchet block for a 40mm ratchet block.
The main reason is the thickness of the main sheet. Most Lasers have had in the past 8mm main sheets. The 8mm rope sat inside the sheave of a 57mm block and gives more friction therefore more grip. But in recent years around the boat park, you may have seen people using 6mm main sheet rope.
6mm lines like Kingfisher Evolution Sheet and Marlow Marstron are lighter and smaller creating less friction through your blocks, making your sailing easier. Therefore having more control over the main sheet in lighter winds and the sheet going out easier and quicker when gybing and starting the downwind leg.
The 57mm block is designed to work with lines up to 10mm and by having a 6mm line running through the block it will work fine but the block is not working at its peak performance.
The 40mm can also take up to 10mm rope but being narrower and shallower the sheave works very effectively with 6mm and 7mm ropes.
Another big advantage to having the 40mm ratchet block is, on a winder day when you have all your control lines pulled hard on and excess rope in the boats cockpit you are less likely to have your controls getting caught and tangled in the larger opening of the 57mm block.
Here are the links to the two blocks for you to compare. Which do you use?
Harken 2608 40mm Ratchet Block With Swivel
The top cover was delivered on time as expected. The cover fits perfectly and hopefully it will last forever … Thank you
Bought this for my son so can’t personally comment as I’ve not used it. However he was very pleased with the purchase and said it’s great quality.
Always happy with my orders from Sailing Chandlery. They are quick to post and very helpful when I have had a question.
Jason delivered the boat on time at Hayling Island Sailing Club. The boat was new and all the spars were in perfect condition. Jason came to pick up the boat and return the deposit which I gave at the time of the delivery. Every interaction with Andrew and Jason were handled very professionally. I will recommend to any sailor Sailing Chandlery in the future. I really appreciated how easy it was to charter this boat. Thank you very much. Jacques Kerrest
This was a birthday present for a sailing daughter (i don't sail!) She was delighted, it hasn't been out on the water yet but she's looking forward to trying it out and says it's just what she wanted... so looks like a good choice by me after helpful advice from Sailing Chandlery staff!
I bought the 2.5mm dyneema for a special winch/pulley project which needs to pull two sides of a cradle exactly simultaneously for about a meter. Originally I was going to create loops on both the LHS and the RHS, then loop them together onto a 3mm dyneema rope. This gave me two issues : firstly the "knot" would be large and may rub on the cradle (not much room available), secondly there was no redundancy if the 3mm dyneema was to fail. So I then looked at splitting the drum on the winch into 2 halves so I could wind on both the RHS and LHS 2.5mm ropes on together. This would give redundancy if one leg was to fail but it would not guarantee simultaneous pulling.
Then I had a brainwave. I spliced the 2 x 2.5mm together and then fed a 1.5meter tail through the middle creating a combined rope of approx 3.5mm diameter. I then wound this onto the drum of the winch as a single rope. This would ensure simultaneous pulling, and also provide redundancy if say the outer sheath was abraded and failed - also there was no significant "knot" so it fitted in neatly in the space available.
It was a bit of a fiddle pulling the tail through but not really difficult with the D-splicing tool.
All in all, I am very impressed with the dyneema and I am glad I did not choose a wire rope for this application.
Quick and easy to fit on to the end of the sail and work perfectly.
Thank you 'Sailing Chandlery' for your quick service and easy website which helped me pick the correct part I needed. I am back sailing when the weather allows.
Prompt delivery, with helpful updates and time slot spot on. Perfect new sail at a great price and the number fixing service is well worth it. It even won its first race! Thank you.
This was an easy thing to sort out for my Wanderer. It's a common part for a wide range of boats. The whole thing comes complete that's the Rudder pivot bolt, wing nut and 'socket washer' for the bolt head. The whole process took just a couple of days for my order to be picked dispatched and shipped and I was ready to go sailing again.
I needed GBR letters for the ILCA Europeans and they arrived by the next post.
I bought four of these blocks to deal with Control line take away Perfect.
Great product. Very good quality and price!
Quick delivery, great item
New jib sheets are good to hold, do not twist up and hold well in the cam cleats.
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