I have a C-27 with Lewmar 40 st/ winches. The jib sheets are very large in diameter and the former owner used hitches which hang in the shrouds when tacking. I plan to replace the sheets with one long sheet and secure it with a larks knot. I would like to know if anyone knows the best diameter for the new sheets and my size winches? Thanks
Jib Sheets
- Thread starter SS-Aquilon
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There's some personal choice here, but 3/8" is a good dimension. Dimension has more to do with friction and handling than strength and stretch, when it comes to sheets. Some prefer 7/16" because it is easier on the hands. A good compromise is 3/8" fuzzy soft-braided Dacron. It is easier to handle than even 7/16", in my opinion, but with friction more like a 3/8".
I actually prefer to handle the fuzzy 3/8", but I don't like it on my boat purely for aesthetic reasons. It just has a worn out look to it that, in my opinion, doesn't go well on a 1972 boat which is difficult to keep looking sharp anyway. It has NOTHING to do with performance.
Hope this helps somewhat.
I actually prefer to handle the fuzzy 3/8", but I don't like it on my boat purely for aesthetic reasons. It just has a worn out look to it that, in my opinion, doesn't go well on a 1972 boat which is difficult to keep looking sharp anyway. It has NOTHING to do with performance.
Hope this helps somewhat.
Ditto on the 3/8 in. size. 5/16 is strong enough for any line on the C27, but 3/8 is much easier to handle when used for sheets.
It happens on our boat worse in lighter air as well. I might try both the single line and rollers. Thanks
I saw a guy recently who used a single line, but whipped in a short length (about 8") of rope in the "crotch" where the knot is in middle of the sheet. He then had a bit of what looked like rigging tape to create a smooth taper.
I inferred that the purpose of this was to help keep the sheet from hanging up on the shrouds right there at that knot. It looked pretty slick, but I wondered if it was too heavy.
I inferred that the purpose of this was to help keep the sheet from hanging up on the shrouds right there at that knot. It looked pretty slick, but I wondered if it was too heavy.
I just bought two 2" x 48" dowel rods. I plan to cut them in two, route a groove and screw them on around my shrouds using counter sunk brass screws. Should make a nice shroud roller, and at about $5 a piece from home depot, it beats the heck out of $50+ for ready made rollers. I will have them on the boat and try them this weekend and report back. Thanks for all the input!
I thought about adding rollers on my shrouds but then I realized how much I hold on to 'em when forward. Even just throwing the fenders over, requires something to grab! I wouldn't want to make the mistake of grabbing the forward shroud and have my whole upper body spin around with the roller!
Instead, I''ve worked on my tacking skills; releasing the sheets at just the right time for the wind to do the work. Even in light winds and with my 150 genoa, I find it is all about the timing and maintaining the momentum of the bow of the boat through the tack. And most of the time I'm single handed or with a crew that is "on strike". So, when I'm not using my autopilot to tack, I have one hand on the wheel and the other throwing off the last turn of the sheet on the winch. By doing this, I found that it became more important to focus on throwing off the old sheet than to worry about how fast I could haul the new one in. I realized that often I was trying to "pull" the sail across the bow resulting in the bowlines getting caught in the shrouds instead of letting the wind and the boat do the work for me. But, as long as the boat and the genoa transferred over to the new tack with enough gusto, I found I had all the time in the world to haul in the new leeward sheet.
Disclaimer: I'm just a newbie, so take what I say with a grain of sea salt, please.
Instead, I''ve worked on my tacking skills; releasing the sheets at just the right time for the wind to do the work. Even in light winds and with my 150 genoa, I find it is all about the timing and maintaining the momentum of the bow of the boat through the tack. And most of the time I'm single handed or with a crew that is "on strike". So, when I'm not using my autopilot to tack, I have one hand on the wheel and the other throwing off the last turn of the sheet on the winch. By doing this, I found that it became more important to focus on throwing off the old sheet than to worry about how fast I could haul the new one in. I realized that often I was trying to "pull" the sail across the bow resulting in the bowlines getting caught in the shrouds instead of letting the wind and the boat do the work for me. But, as long as the boat and the genoa transferred over to the new tack with enough gusto, I found I had all the time in the world to haul in the new leeward sheet.
Disclaimer: I'm just a newbie, so take what I say with a grain of sea salt, please.
Me, I can't stand rollers. I have them on my new boat and am removing them this weekend. Just don't like the looks of them and have never found a need for them. Purely my opinion.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.ph...26541035657.2112475.1009831872&type=1&theater
Raced the boat twice this past weekend and came in 3rd in both races. The shroud rollers worked great after a slight upward adjustment (higher on the shroud) and they look good on the boat too. I still plan to replace the sheets with longer and smaller diameter line but it will do for now. Thanks for all the advice.
Raced the boat twice this past weekend and came in 3rd in both races. The shroud rollers worked great after a slight upward adjustment (higher on the shroud) and they look good on the boat too. I still plan to replace the sheets with longer and smaller diameter line but it will do for now. Thanks for all the advice.
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