I thought I'd start a post to hopefully stimulate a bit of thinking on how we could improve our gear since it appears that manufacturers don't seem to be interested in inventing different devices to tackle what should be an upward spiral of our gears sophistication at the basic level.
For instance how many of us have spewed out expletives at the the old broken downhaul rope syndrome ,you know ,just when the wind is cranking and all the guys are ripping it and you get there 5 minutes late ,and now this!!!! a broken rope! 
So whats wrong ? It's the old CLEAT that cheats us of time on the water ,gradually fraying our precious rope that should last for yonks .......but that apparently practicle cleat has just broke the rope and your heart again. Surely theres another way to do this especially since modern sails ,and especially larger racing ones that need a crank to downhaul them.
I think that North approached this and I have one of their mast extensions but it still has a cleat and the lever is too small for serious downhauling.
Any brilliant inventors out there?
It's called a cam cleat. But they're more expensive, have moving parts, and are a bit wider.
I did see a variation on the idea on an old windsurfing Hawaii mast base once.. had a single lever cam that didn't take up much space.
How will they make any money if they don't have to keep selling us new downhaul rope??
I just keep a spare length of cord in my kit bag.
Thanks for that 555 what a nice bit of gear but as you pointed out it's size is a problem and it is still a cleat that may cause wear if the rope is downhauled through it . I was thinking though ,since some use a downhaul tool maybe a device that grabs the rope tight after downhaul is applied ,without actually doing damage to the rope could be found to fit a mast base at the manufacturing stage.
Maybe I'm just pissing in the lack of wind
The spring closing force on a good cam cleat is hardly anything, which leaves the rope free to be downhauled with minimal friction from the cleat, but locks it solid if it tries to go back the other way.
They do make smaller, and single sided ones (I wish I had that old extension around to take a picture...) but I suspect that the manufacturers aren't going to be interested at a price that is attractive. How often do we buy new extensions anyway?
Wear from a jam cleat can be minimised by taking up all of the tension in the downhaul before pulling the rope sideways out of the teeth.
I have a variation on this problem with my HPL boom head - I tend to snug the rope too tight in the cleat, and then force the clamp closed. Which tears the outer sleeve of the rope..
We did come up with a 'Grinchstender' last year which was a new variation on the mast extension - still used a rope though. You can probably find it by searching the forum.
No issues. I change rope at the start of each season (it still looks new) at a cost of NIL as I have gone to the same shop for 15 years and buy lots of gear from them. If you pay it is like $5 so why not just buy a length every spring?
And keep a spare piece in the car.
really stingy people can buy a standard downhaul length (1m??? I reckon it is waaay too long but that is what they cut it at) and after one season cut 500mm off the worn end and away you go again.
I cant believe i'm hearing this.Grizzling about a piece of ROPE worth $6 max.What about an $800 sail or a $800 mast not to mention a $2000 board.The spectra rope is a consumable and considering the loads and abuse from twisting and incorrect release from the jam cleat jaws it is probabley one of the best performing bits of tackle.Buy a few meters and change as soon as it looks shabby.
Tip Superglue the core to the sheath of the spectra after you melt them together as it can help. Just a tiny bit at the end so the rope feeds through the mast base pulleys.
Not a brilliant inventor just a grumpy old b@*$#%^d.
trying to remember the name of the boom which it's clew had a spring loaded cleat..to tighten outhaul pull and the cleat opens up and let go at tension and the cam shuts to hold the rope, which it had a variation for the downhaul...i like the old but still reliable f2
mastfoots the clew is on the side so you never fray lines as you pull..i pack always in sets of 2pcs. of lines, screws, washers,mastbase, little things that matter the most and break easily
mechanical mast base that telescopes rather than using a rope down haul???
I agree with the $5 rope hing though, for the cost if you don't have a bit spare in your kit bag well you deserve not to be sailing that day. Hell many of us probably have a spare extension or ones of varying size, too easy to swap ropes between them if it comes to that.
always carry 2 spare 2m lengths of downhaul rope .... wrap em tightly round the end of the boom and put some duct tape over them...
you'll never be caught out and miss a saill due to snappage.....but more importantly 4m of spare string could SAVE your bacon one day.....very very cheap insurance policy
I agree with Brick, gear is getting more expensive, but there doesnt seem to be a lot of clever practical changes. We go around in circles with board shapes, eg we're back to twin fins again, but nothing really clever for a while. I'd like to see a complete fold up kit that fits under your seat, weighs 2.5kgs, semi solid sail that goes both ways, variable volume boards, variable size sails, (
and a breast or 2.)
anyone who has to pay for downhaul rope is not buying enough sails and boards
speaking of that if anyone buys my 6.1m Simmer or one of my EVO's on the buy n sell, I'll throw in a length of downhaul rope.
Jeez at least someone saw my point
It's not the cheap rope that's the problem ,it's the lack of innovation.
555's picture means a bit more now considering it has a spring.
A telescopic mast base - well that's a great idea if the weight could be kept to a minimum
How many times have we been told at a shop that this rope is the real deal......and then it snaps again. I reckon we ask alot from a thin rope with the massive forces put upon it ,and the only way I've found to save wear a bit is to make my own downhaul tool which keeps the rope away from the cleat ,it looks a bit crude but it works.
Simple is best. You don't want mechanical complication if you can help it. I like the simple jam cleats - small, light, no moving bits. As long as the teeth aren't sharp they work fine. My dh ropes last quite a while.
It seems I'm beat by the logic of the simplicity of what we currently have ,Ill try our local shop and see iff they have this FORMULINE or maybe one of the boat shops stock it.
I have to admit that I've seen more breakages of booms and masts than I have of downhaul ropes but when looking down at full speed I sometimes feel uncomfortable that a puny bit of thin rope is keeping the whole thing together.
Well Paul I can't believe I'd forgotten about the old Tyronsea base and that simple cleat. I used them years ago and I now remember the local wave sailors still used them for years after that. But it's true that it worked well with soft sails and one piece masts that did not require much down haul.
That brings back memories of trying to use the Tyronsea base to downhaul a stiff aluminium mast and the struggle that ensued. But for sure that simple flick of the cleat held the rope!
It would'nt have a hope of pulling down one of todays race sails especially with those plastic pulleys.
