I've got self tailers and I've sailed on a 92 that does not. I'd just as
soon go without the tailers. To the uninitiated, the self tailers can be
awkward. I'm continuously reminding the crew that they MUST make sure the
sheet is tailed completely around the self-tailer, and pressed in at the
exit, or it will blow all by itself at the most inopportune time. And if
you prefer minimum diameter sheets/halyards, their holding capability is
compromised. Also, in at least a couple situations the sheet got bound into
the tailer exit mechanism when it became loose. On the plus side, if you've
taken all the necessary precautions to insure the sheet is run through the
tailer properly, then you can grind with both hands without the assistance
of another crew member. Concerning gybing, I'm not using the cabin top
tailers at all when trimming the spin sheets. We simply wrap the sheet
around the winch and assign a grinder in the heavy breeze. The cabin top
tailers do, however, aid the pit when hoisting jib/spin shorthanded
Andy Oeftering
Computer Troubleshooters/Red Bank, NJ
732-212-1001
-----Original Message-----
From: Ragtime! [mailto:
bobsa...@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 12:35 PM
To: J/92 Owners