Peter, I use a tiny, stainless shackle mounted on the stem fitting of our Potter to run our downhaul through, from Lowe's no less! The shackle is more reliable than a block, I found, and the effort involved in its use is negligible.
Like Tod, I don't have any fairleads, and haven't found the need for any. You may want to try doing without first, since you can always add them later and will have a better idea of where to put them. A tiny horn cleat belays the end of the downhaul, mounted on the cabin top near the companionway. A figure 8 at the bitter end keeps it from getting away. If you have solid fiberglass there, drilling is straightforward. If it's cored, you'll have to protect the coring from water intrusion and rot. There's a couple of ways to do this, but I've never needed to do it myself, so will leave it to others to advise you. I can tell you that you shouldn't use department store epoxy for sealing it because the stuff isn't truly waterproof. Personally, I've had very good success with epoxy products from RAKA (do a search to find out all about this fine little company). Good Luck! Steve Tyree, P-15 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
