Some solutions just work better than others. After two years of trial, error, and the occasional bout of swearing, I’ve finally sorted out a recurring issue that’s been bothering us on the J/80. A proper deck organizer.
If you’ve been following along, you might remember that we led the jib halyard and reef line back to the cockpit on the port side. The idea was to be able to tension them properly using the winch on the cabin top. Since the mast is keel-stepped on the J/80, but there’s no collar at the cabin pass-through, we routed the lines using low-friction rings mounted to a stainless steel eye on the mast, that comes as standard.
Now, here’s where the fun began. That eye? It just wouldn’t stay put. It bent, it wiggled loose, and it always decided to fail at the worst possible moment.
So I finally committed to a proper fix. One that won’t flex, shift, or leave me improvising mid-regatta.
The new setup starts with a Barton mast base deck organiser, bolted down just port of the mast pass-through using three solid bolts. But — and this is key — the organiser needs a tie-rod to prevent the deck laminate from bending under upward and outward loads. Without it, the risk of damage is very real.
We made a tie-rod then: a turnbuckle tied directly to the mast base using one of the step holes. A 3mm wire with a fork fastened to an eye bolt on the underside of the cabin top does the trick. It’s clean, direct, and solid.
The result? A stable, reliable organiser setup with no reliance on the mast itself, and room for more blocks than I’ll ever reasonably use.