self tailers

[downeast450]

My old boat has winches without self tailers. Do the rubber add on self tailers work?

[brak]

no. they do not.

[downeast450]

They don't look like they do. Thanks,

[patrickrea]

They work for me. I have them on my old Barient 22 genny winches. They DON'T work for holding after trimming, you still need to cleat.

[zz4gta]

They work great on my boat, just put an extra wrap or 2 on the drum and it holds tight. Then cram the end into the groove at the top when you're done trimming.

[sailingdog]

They do help, but they're not a replacement for a real self-tailing winch... good stop gap measure.

[JT1019]

I have heard the key to performance for the “rubber self-tailer” is to not allow the rubber to dry out. My friend uses them and keeps them covered and out of the sun whenever not in use.

[Brucerobs2]

They worked pretty well and will hold the sheet with a couple of extra wraps. I put some on my undersized Lewmars this year, used them all spring/summer with good results, but am actually putting new larger ST primary winches on right now. We have small kids so I essentially sail the boat short handed with them and need the extra hand.

I think the mixed opinions are due to the fact that they wont work well on some boats if the approach angle of the sheet isn't right (ie: block too low and close relative to winch). They are not really self tailing as you do have to strip the line off the winch, but they do hold the sheet fairly well as you grind, and it gives you an extra hand. The groove in the top holds well in moderate winds. Bigger winds, I still cleated.

They were worth the money, and I recommend them...but they also validated my opinion on ST winches, make the boat easier to sail, and I made the major purchase. They work much better than the plain winch but, but not as well as ST winches.

[imiloa]

The most recent issue of Practical Sailor has a brief article about the WinchMate self-tailing add on (not the rubber sleeve). You might want to check that out if you have Barient or Barlow winches. (I don't know if they have conversion kits for other makes.) Self-Tailing Winch Conversion fits Barient, Barlow, Cathay, Universal and others: Winchmate

[CLucas]

The OP is referring to Winchers. I have them on my Pearson 30 and they work quite well. As SD has said, they are not true self-tailers but they DO work. I find I need to put an extra wrap around the winch for it to really take hold. They can be tricky to put on over the top of your winch -- best suggestion... soak them in hot water to soften them up and lube them with a little dishwashing liquid. Here's the important part... tie a light line as a leash so that if it squirts away from you while you're trying to stretch it on, it doesn't fly overboard and become part of the man-made shoal of winch handles, keys, tools and sunglasses

Winchers can be purchased from Defender at Winchers Self Tailers.