Gordon wrote:
* looking at some used racing ST winches to replace my old standards.
Are racing winches a good idea to use on a cruiser? Why or why not.

What are "racing winches"? AFAIK winches are winches.

2nd-hand winches can be a good deal if they have good bearings &
gears. Easy enough to check 'em out.

Just don't put self-tailing winches on the aft cockpit coaming for
genoa or spinnaker sheets. They're handy for cranking in, but have a
tendency to catch the line & grab when you don't want it to, like
stripping the sheet off for a tack or a spinnaker take-down.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King