Boom, sheet line attachments

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Chuck R

I wonder which is best for my O'Day ?? When I look at Pix of other 222 OD's they have the sheet line blocks attached on aft of the boom and the triangle SS plate that is attached to the back stay. Our boat has all the attachments more towards the center of the boom with a padeye at the step at the cabin entrance. ( I have the triangle plate to change it back to the stern ). Se Pix. this is morw auckward when changing positions when tacking . Sheet block are in the way . Thoughts please?
 

Attachments

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Lee

Concerns re: your modified rigging

Chuck, Two things come to mind when looking at your rig. Fore stay tension and mast bend are controlled by the main sheet tension. I can't help but thing that that these are thrown off by moving the sheet attachment so far forward. Also, the aft chainplate is designed to take the load generated by the original rig design. I would check the mounting of the padeye for sufficient reinforcement. You may want to convert back to the original setup and consider mounting the block as a vang. Just my 2$ Lee
 
Jun 2, 2004
1,438
Oday 25 pittsburgh
Chuck, You could probably do it either way

My preference is having the main sheet infront of me. It is much easier to handle and faster to deal with. I think that many people like Catalina and some of the 222's put it behind is it is easier, with more people aboard, to deal with the main while at the tiller and it also frees up the bimini to cover more. If you don't deal with a lot of visitors and don't mind a short bimini, I think I would stick with your set up. r.w.landau
 
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Dave K.

Does the boom bow?

Chuck, Next time you are closed-hauled on a breezy day, check and see if the relocated mainsheet is cause the boom to deflect. Using a center purchase instead of the end-boom arrangement puts more stress on the extrusion. The center position has less "leverage" and then those forces have to be transfered along the spar from the center back to the clew. Boats that are built from the get-go to have cabin-top or center sheeting usually have a pretty beefy boom section.
 
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Chuck R

Hummmm Dave K

The off set is not that much. I am currently reading " Sail Smart " by Buddy Melges. He sorta Kinda does things to keep yours and the competition syked out. Have you seen anyone rig a traveler? Chuck
 

RobG

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Jun 2, 2004
337
Ericson 28 Noank, Ct
I thought about a traveler but...

the price was prohibitive for me. I went with a rigid vang (Boom Kicker sold on this site). With that you can get a similar affect as using a traveler. The boom can be "held" in a vertical position and the main sheet will adjust the angle of the boom/sail to the wind. The vang is used to adjust the height of the boom to add or flatten twist in the main and of course is great for a broad reach or running to keep the boom down. I ended up buying two triple blocks, one with a cam cleat and the other with a beckett from the close-out bins at defender and spliced 3/8th line to make a six times purchase vang tackle for $30. That along with the Boom Kicker (a great quality product)really worked out well on my 222. Have fun with yours! Rob
 
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Dave K.

Traveler

One of the other local 192s has been fitted with a traveler. It is attached across the cockpit seats, just ahead of the hatches, and the mainsheet attaches to the boom close to the end. As you can imagine it looks like it creates quite an obstruction in the cockpit, but I've never sailed on his boat and can't say for sure what the tradeoffs are. I have also fitted a Boomkicker to my 192 and am pleased with the extra range in sail shape you can get. In light air it basically makes the boom "weightless" so you can add twist and open the leech. As mentioned in the previous message, between the boom kicker and the vang, you can set the boom height where you want and use the mainsheet to control the angle of attack. The boomkicker also eliminates any need for a topping lift.
 

chuckd

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Sep 1, 2006
33
Oday 222 Sale Creek Marina
Add a traveler

Chuck, I just moved my mainsheet from the attachment on the backstay to a traveler that I mounted on the box between the cabin seats. The traveler is mounted just in front of the centerboard pull (between the centerboard pull and the companionway). I've gotta say that this set up is hands down better than having it on the backstay. A couple of things. 1) With the traveler, I can now get the boom on the centerline of the boat when sailing close hauled. This was inpossible with the original set up, worse it wasn't the same on opposite tacks (offset backstay). 2) I can let out the mainsheet to raise the boom (deeper sail shape), and still keep the boom on center (great for light air days). 3) My backstay tension it not influenced by the mainsheet. 4) It is much easier to operate the mainsheet when it is in front of you (having it behind me was always a bit awkward and I would often veer off coarse while l adjusting the main). 5) I can dump the traveler in a gust. This lets the boat stand back up a bit, but does not change the sail shape, so you keep moving better than if you let out the mainsheet to depower. Sorry this got so long winded, but after sailing the boat both ways, I believe having it up front (whether on a traveler or not) is better than having it on the backstay. I have not seen any evidence that the boom cannot handle the new connection point either. I'll post a picture of my set up, I'll have to take one next time I'm at the boat (In TN we sail all winter, so that will be this week sometime). Hope this helps. - Chuck D
 
Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
Concerns

Chuck, I have to be honest with you. My old brain works slower than yours, and I could never explain it as well as Dave K just did. I just set my traveler up so that the car is in the middle when the winds are about 10 to 15 while beating into the wind. As the winds increase to say, 18 to 20 or more, I set the stops a little wider apart. This gets my boom out a little more, but it also enables me to keep my Leech at the same tension, while at the same time preventing my boat from heeling over excessively. If I just kept the car in the middle and let the sail out to prevent excessive heeling, the downward tension on the boom is lost. You need this downward tension to keep your sail tight, or else the sail bellies out, wind spills out, and speed is lost. It's all in the angle of the dangle. Now when the winds are ultra light, I want that belly in my sail. I want to let off a little on clew outhaul and the tack downhaul because I want to catch that light breath of air to make her sail. My 222 doesn't have a tack downhaul, so I'll let the Main Halyard off a little. I may take up on my topping lift a little. That's that do-Hickey that holds my boom up when I let my sail down, and prevents me from getting conked on the head. If I'm beating to windward on a long Port tack (the wind on the Port side of the Mainsail) for example, I'll set my car on the Port side. This looks kind of strange when you look at from where you are sitting at the tiller. The boom is on one side of the boat, and the mainsheet on the car is on the other side but in essence, the Mainsheet isn't acting as a sail tensioner. It's more of a boom/sail positioner. If you don't have a topping lift to take the weight of the boom, then the car in this position will keep that sail nice and baggy. This is the best way that I can explain it because I'm not too technically minded, and since my wife quit sailing with me years ago, I get all my orders from Penelope when I'm on my boat.
 

chuckd

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Sep 1, 2006
33
Oday 222 Sale Creek Marina
chuck r

I thought about putting it aft of the pull, but I still wanted to be able to raise the centerboard and cleat it off, while still being able to move the traveler. The arrangement I went with, seemed to be the easiest way to do this. It also still let's you use the box as a step to get in and out of the cabin. The hardware is all Harken. Cost me about $180 total. It only took about 2 hours to install. It is possible to make this work with a single line. You just have to have enough to let there be some to grab onto to move the traveler across, but I wanted to be able to move it while still sitting at the tiller. If you used the car with no cleats and the track end-caps with the cam cleats, it would be easier to operate, however it would also cost a bit more. Let us know what you decide to do, and as always, post some pics. - Chuck D
 
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