Let me preface this by saying that I am a rigger and I am not looking to gain
financially from this response. Just my effort to avoid getting flamed later.
For an Olson, the Spinlock XTs with the small cam (part # CAM0608) are the
best available right now. I believe the clutch with this cam is the XT/R.
The Lewmar Superlocks are nice looking but the holding capacity isn't that
great. My experience is that you need to size the Lewmar clutches so the line
in right at the maximum that the clutch will handle and only then do they
hold adequately well, but still not as well as the Spinlocks or the Antals
I also would seriously consider staying with the Spinlock XAs if these have
been working well for you. It also means you don't have to fill old holes and
drill new ones. I'm sure it would be a special order but you can also get
replacement side plates for your existing clutches if the internals are still
in good order
The Antals are very good but the opening mechanism is pretty stiff and they
aren't cheap and they are heavy. Also they cannot be rebuilt
If your boat is set up so you can leave jib halyards on a winch then the
Lewmars would be a good alternative to what you have. My experience here in
Seattle is that most of the fleet has gone on a serious winch diet and many
of the boats only have 2 winches so the stoppers need to hold the full
halyard load. If this is the case, then stay with either of the Spinlocks.
Hope this helps.
Chris Tutmark
In a message dated 10/28/99 8:17:10 AM Pacific Daylight Time, yhtlines@surfari.net writes:
<< Been nursing our 8 year old spinlock automatic clutches for a while, but they must be replaced this winter. (Severely Cracked cases). What to folks recommend?
The Spinlock XC/R's look nice, don't know about that big hook handle, and they are really pricey (yeah, I know, its sailboat hardware).
The Lewmar Superlocks are moderately priced, but are fairly new? Any experience on these?
The only other catalog clutches I see are the Antals.
>>
Received on Thu Oct 28 08:37:56 1999