Mainsheet Modifications

[paulrae]

I'm in the 'fortunate' position that I, my wife and teenage daughter enjoy sailing on our Sun Odyssey 32.2. When conditions get a bit lively my wife prefers that I helm, leaving her and my daughter to handle the sheets. This presents a problem when sheeting in the main, as there's very little purchase from the 3:1 system so I'd like to make things a little easier.

The traveller is fitted to the coach roof, so the main sheet passes from the coach-roof winch, along the coach roof, up the mast, along the under-side of the boom to a block which is mounted around half-way along the boom. It then goes over the sheave to a block on the traveller and back to a block on the underside of teh boom and back to the traveller, where it's made off. The system is shown on this website, www.wichard-usa.com/Boat%20pages/Mainsheet%20Page.pdf described as the 3:1 system.

I've had various bits of advice, including changing the single blocks to doubles, or going for the 4:1 system shown the website above, using 2 single blocks and one double, or a 5:1 system, which would need a third block on the boom.

Does anyone have experience of the above modifications with positive or negative outcomes?

Cheers

Paul

[MartyB]

have you also looked at the www.harkencompuspec.com/ site? I was trying to see if they had for mid boom sheeting the ability for fine tune like on end boom sheeting systems. Where you have the 3-1 system as an example shown on the wichard pdf, the back line would then have a smaller 4-1 system in that area, making it a 12-1. While you would use the 4-1 to get the main pull of the main done, your wife and daughter could/should be able to make the final adjust with the micro.

harken had a 5-1 in there spec setup with a winch also. That in reality, may be the best way ie a 5-1. I thought about on my end boom 30'r, going with a 6-1 and 4-1 micro, but will stick to the 4-1 along with adding a micro 4-1 to get the fine tune while racing. I will probably wish i went with a 6-1 for spouses initial pullin.

Marty

[ChrisH]

I changed my SO34.2 by doubling the lines to an effective continual loop. Two double blocks on the boom and a triple above the hatch cover. this leads back on the boom, to the masst foot via two blocks and to the cockpit coachroof. There, and thuis is that best bit, I've installed two Spinlock Powercleats which means that the winch is nolonger needed as it can be hand controlled with both in light winds and a single line in heavy winds. When sailing on my own in the cockpit, you can control the main from the wheel...great.

I should have done this years ago. A similar setup is shown in the modefications part of this site somewhere on and SO 36 I think with pics.

[MalcolmP]

May 2, 2008 7:36:23 GMT ChrisH said:

A similar setup is shown in the modefications part of this site somewhere on and SO 36 I think with pics.

www.jeanneau-owners.com/hintsandtips/easymaticmainsheet.html

Agree works very well, slight downside is a lot of rope, plus some extra friction in light winds - makes the boom slightly sticky - suggest use as good quality blocks as you can afford

Malcolm