Some boats use a double-ended vang with cams on both sides of the deck. These consist of three 168 blocks at the mast base and a 127 double attached to the cascading tackle. 150 cams on each side allow adjustment from the rail. I'd like these cleats fitted with a 328 fairlead so it's easy to recleat the line even when you're not in line with the cam. They're still new, but I think the 328 will replace a lot of swivel cams - or at least improve performance where you didn't want the weight or expense of a swivel cam. The other arrangement is to build the 4:1 tackle using a 053 little fiddle and a 060 little fiddle with cam. In really heavy air a crew often sits on the boom and then we pull as hard as we can to achieve maximum tension.
The spinnaker sheet barber hauler is very simple. It only requires a 125 block floating on the sheet and a 237 bullseye on the rail. The line from the 125 leads through the 237 to a cam with fairlead on the deck. The placement of these parts is determined by how many crew you sail with and where they sit - nobody likes sitting on hardware.
The best spinnaker sheet arrangements use four little Hexaratchet blocks. (See picture- two ratchet blocks on pulpit and stanchion base. Note cleat on riser for snugging lines, but also permits trimmer to cleat momentarily when necessary. Also, note ratchet block for genoa sheet.) Two are shackled to the stern rail and two are shackled to the first stanchion bases. In heavy air you turn on all of the ratchets for more holding power. In medium air you can turn off one on each side. Sometimes we see the forward block on a car on the back of the genoa track and sometimes it's on a padeye near the companionway. It doesn't matter too much - all of those placements allow the trimmer to move around and all are better than the cheek mounted ratchet blocks you saw on the original boats. We also like to place a 150 on a 295 riser next to the forward block so you can cleat the guy.
Two other points. First, make sure you get port and starboard ratchet blocks so the switches face up, and then be sure you turn off all of the ratchets in light air so that you can feel the sail better and ease the sheet more effectively.
Many boats use ratchet blocks for the genoa sheets as well. The crew can pull in the sail by hand in most conditions and hold it until they can take a wrap on the winch which is used for fine tuning. We secure the sheet in a 150 cam on the starboard cockpit side so that we can set up for mark roundings, but otherwise we hold the sheet all of the time.
The standard J/24 is fitted with a 159 small boat car which provides a 2:1 adjustment tackle leading to a 150 on the deck on each side of the boat. A better alternative is a 212 windward sheeting car which can be pulled above the centerline without releasing the leeward control line. This is really important as you never have to lean to leeward to release the line and you can tack without first cleating the leeward line. It's heavier than a standard car, but very handy.
The class rules allow a 4:1 mainsheet, but we see a lot of sailors going to 3:1 for better speed during jibes and mark roundings. This consists of a 144 swivel base with 019 ratchet mounted on a bracket on the aft side of the track, a 011 on the car and a 002 becket block on the boom. Having the sheet lead to a swivel base means that you can trim very hard without pulling the car to windward in the process.
Backstay tension is also a very important control on the 24. The rules allow a 4:1 purchase but most of the boats today use a 2:1 tackle pulling down the pincher blocks which squeeze the two lower legs of the backstay. Hot boats use three 098 wire bullet blocks shackled together. Two ride on the backstay as the pincher blocks and the other is the top block for the adjuster line. 304 wire blocks would be better, but this is the lightest arrangement so we prefer it. The tackle is double-ended and in addition to the 098 at the top, there are 092's on each side of the cockpit near the floor at the transom. The lines lead forward to a 166 mounted on a 073 eyestrap on the floor just aft of the traveler then run up under the traveler and across to the opposite side to a 150 mounted ahead of the traveler on a 296 angled riser base. This puts the backstay right at the skipper's hand so he can make adjustments without distraction, but a crew can pull it too.
Everything on a J/24 is simple and it doesn't take much effort to make a very good boat. Be sum that you involve the crew so you know where people will be sitting or standing when they need to make adjustments. A good layout, a good boat, good sails, good tuning, good crew, and good skipper should give a good result, but if not, remember you are sailing against the best and if you work hard, your time will come.
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