mainsheet set up for solo sailing with a wheel

[BobM]

removehtml]While I certainly appreciate company, I am not willing to forgoe sailing for lack of another pair of hands. That isn't a problem on my boat, a Lancer 25 with a tiller, because I can easily reach the mainsheet if it is a windy day and I need to dump some air. However, I am considering moving up in the future to a boat in the 28-33 foot range. What I can't figure out is that, while a cabin top traveler is desirable to free up the cockpit...how the heck am I going to control the mainsheet if I am standing behind a wheel six feet away? Is it just less of a problem on an 7-12,000 pound sailboat versus my 3,500 pound 25 footer with a shoal keel and 1200 lbs of ballast? I haven't been able to find any details on how to route the mainsheet back to a location within reach of the wheel, although it certainly is possible...some cheek blocks to route the mainsheet back to the mast, down, to one side and back to the cockpit seems likely.Barring some sort of solution like that I have been leaning towards boats with the traveler in the cockpit, like the Ericsons with their unique split cockpit which puts the traveler immediately in front of the wheel. I have also been thinking about mounting a second set of winches near the wheel. Yes I know I should probably just ditch the wheel idea and buy a boat with a tiller, but in general it is a PITA to deal with guests in the cockpit when you have a tiller. The damn things (guest) keep getting in the way!Thanks in advance for your contributions...this should (hopefully) get a fair number of responses.BobMError: Error: expected [/URL], but found [/removehtml] instead[/removehtml]

 

[Stu Jackson]

Mainsheet adjustments from cabintop

The translation from a smaller tiller steered boat to a larger one with a wheel requires some, shall I call it, "retraining." There is a great dependence on the mainsheet with a smaller boat, hence, the easy handing of the tiller and sheet, regardless of how the parts are arranged.Once you move to a larger boat, in my experience, there is a greatly reduced need to "play the mainsheet" than there is on a smaller boat. This is true for both crewed and singlehanded boats.I've read stories of sailors who lengthen their traveler control lines and devise all sorts of rigs to lengthen their mainsheets so they can "run them" from behind the wheel.In 25 years of sailing on San Francisco Bay, the first 15 in a C22 and a C25, and the last 10 in our C34, I have seen the differences up close and personal.I rarely need to or choose to play the mainsheet on our current boat, because the easiest thing, if over powered, is to simply head up a bit into the wind. The next step is to drop the traveler, rather than dumping the mainsheet. On bigger boats getting the mainsheet back in is more work than on a smaller boat and is usually left till last. Oh, there's also that idea about reefing.Of course, many of you sail in conditions that are significantly different than we have here - we get strong winds but they're relatively consistent. With fluky and varying winds, yes you'd want some control, but I suggest using the traveler first because once you let that mainsheet out the first time and have to grind it back in again, you'll wonder why you ever let it out.There's also that great helper - the autopilot. You can learn, very easily, to get out from behind the wheel altogether, it's much more fun, and safer when you're alone.I've sailed on those split cockpit Ericson's - and found them to be hazardous. You have to hop over the split to get out from behind the wheel. The older ones had travelers without sheaves, just pins, which made them useless. And when you're in port, they make the cockpit seems tiny. The 29s and early 32s had them, as I recall.

 

[Warren Milberg]

I have a Hunter 28.5

with a mainsheet traveler on a bridge deck running athwartship at the forward end of the cockpit. I also have wheel steering and sail alone a lot. I've found that the location of self-tailing headsail winches much more important to single handling than the location of the mainsheet. I will often sail with the tail end of the mainsheet draped over the cockpit lazarette in fairly easy reach if I need to trim the main or dump the sail. The only thing I really need to leave the wheel and go forward in the cockpit is to set or adjust the traveler. I can often do that without locking the wheel brake, but sometimes the wheel brake makes it easier. I think you'll find similar arrangements on a number of boats in 28-33 ft category easy to deal with and ones that do not make single handling difficult at all.

 

[Mike B]

Lead it back to the wheel

I had a 31 where I just brought back enough of the mainsheet lead to the wheel. It was easy to trim from there. The proper way is to trim the main and then play the traveller, something a bigger boat will force you to do. As already mentioned, once you step up to a bigger boat you have to retrain yourself on how to handle it. For a boat in the range you're looking at you should be able to keep her on her feet with the mainsheet at the helm. Good luck and have fun tinkering.Mike

 

[sailaway78]

Mainsheet Wheel

I sail a S37, and frequently single hand it. The answer to all your prayers when single handing a larger boat, tiller or wheel, is the auto pilot. Not only does it allow you the ease to get to the traveler, it also allows you to get yourself a cup of coffee, and to drain the coffee out. And many other functions, that make a journey more comfortable and pleasurable. I can't imagine going for six or eight hours trapped behind the wheel of any boat.

 

[David10790]

Things Happen More Slowly

I moved to keel boats after fifteen years in dinks. It took me two years to convince myself that the boat would not capsize every time the wind gusted. I am now in a Bene 373 with a wheel and the main controls on the coach roof. No problem. There's lots of time to adjust things. Even with just a wheel lock instead of an autopilot, you can get out from behind the wheel and tune to your heart's content. That being said I agree that the auto pilot is the greatest thing since sliced bread for solo sailors. Don't leave port without one.

 

[RichH]

Several options

Run the mainsheet to a winch on the cabin top then to a trigger cleat at the edge of the cabin top then back to the helm or cockpit coaming/cleat. Whats probably more important for 'dumping' is having the traveller controls back to or convenient to the helm - same arrangement as above (but no winch), usually can be run back to the helm justs outboard/under the cap rail to a cheek block under the coaming then 'over the edge' of the coaming to a cam cleat. Ditto, genoa fairlead controls -- strongly consider if you employ furler-reefing of the jib/genoa. Auto pilot or steering vane is the true answer. On a keelboat you rarely have to totally dump the mainsheet, for adverse gusts you wind up with better control (going up wind) if you 'play' the traveller.

 

[Stillraining]

I personally like

water over the rail...;D ..something my power boats were never very good at.

 

[BobM]

Thanks for all the responses

I had a feeling that the answer was going to be that in a larger boat I wouldn't be experiencing the kinds of knockdown gusts I do now. The Lancer 25 was built to be a maxi-trailerable and only draws 3 feet with an unusually broad keel...about two feet thick running about 1/2 the length of the hull. Not exactly performance plus as it puts the ballast up high and makes her tender for a keelboat.I am still learning the rudiments of sail trim and by tweaking the traveler I assume you are all refering to slipping the traveler down wind to spill wind. My traveler car is a bit dicey so I haven't played with it. I will replace the lines this year, but the car seems to be missing any sort of wheels or bearings it should be using to ride on the track smoothly. There are just four projecting pins and it doesn't move well.Thanks very much for the input on the split cockpit Ericson's. I suspected as much and that is a major reason for this posting. I knew there was something I didn't know that was perhaps so obvious once you bought a larger boat that nobody bothered to discuss it! I do really like the cabin layout of the E29, although I haven't boarded one yet. At this juncture just being able to walk around the cabin would be novel. The standing headroom in the Lancer 25 is obtained via a trench in the cabin. You literally walk in the aforementioned wide keel. I can't knock my boat too much though...I only paid a grand for it with an outboard and funtional sails and its a 1982. There is a big difference between my boat and a 30 footer, but there is a big difference between it and most 22-23 footers, which was what I was shopping for at the time (Hunter 23, Catalina 22, Chrysler 22...etc...).Thanks very much for the prompt and informative replies. I have been mulling this over for a while and only thought today to get off my fundament and post something.Bob

 

[rardiH36]

A Newbie's Solution ...

Dear Bob:I'm quite new to bigger boat sailing. Actually, before only sailed center-board 14'-17' boats as a teenager. My first boat is a 1980 Hunter Cherubini 36' which I have had in the water now only since October. So I could sail solo, I pondered for a good while about the same issue you have posted about. If you can check back tomorrow evening, I will a picture of the mainsheet arrangement I've configured, which I'm finding to be quite workable for me. To describe:- My traveller is on the cabin top located forward of the companionway hatch. -From the 7:1 block-and-tackle system between the traveler and the boom, the mainsheet leads forward along the boom, down along the mast and then is routed through the deck organizer back towards the cockpit. - From there, the first piece of equipment the mainsheet passes through is a rope clutch which is within easy reach from the cockpit, but about 1.5 feet forward of the deck drop-off to the cockpit's forward bulkhead.- On the deck, to just an inch or so forward of where the deck drops off into the cockpit, I re-positioned the dedicated mainsheet self-tailing winch. And right next to it, I have mounted a high load cam-cleat, which is open from the top (i.e. no cam-cleat fairlead). From the rope clutch location, its only a very slight angle deviation to route the mainsheet to either the cam-cleat or to the winch. The line-of-site between the rope clutch and the cam-cleat leads directly to the steering wheel.- With light to moderate winds and the 7:1 purchase, I am able to control the sheet from behind the wheel by hauling/easing and locking/releasing with the cam cleat.- In heavier winds, (and/or in any wind condition if I want to haul in the sheet very tight), I first engage the auto pilot to keep the boat on its heading for a moment or two without human control. Then I can go forward of the wheel. I first make sure that the rope clutch is engaged - clamping the mainsheet. Then I can release the bitter end side of the mainsheet from the cam-cleat, and wrap the sheet around the dedicated winch to haul in tightly. With the rope clutch still engaged, I then remove the wraps from the winch and put the mainsheet back into the cam-cleat jaws. Then the rope clutch is released and I can go back behind the wheel and resume normal sailing. -The bitter end side of the sheet, I drape over the pedestal. When I need to ease out the mainsail or need to spill wind quickly, then I snap the mainsheet out from the cam cleat to ease the sheet. Then lock it into the cam-cleat again.Note that this a solution I have adopted on my own. The rope clutch and dedicated winch system I know is quite standard on bigger boats. But I haven't yet seen the addition of a cam-cleat right next to the winch for the added flexibility. With this arrangement, I think it might be possible for a really coordinated and experienced person to be forward of the wheel and use only one hand to wrap the mainsheet around the winch and to haul in, while the other hand could still be steering the boat -- without an auto-pilot. But for me, for now, the auto-pilot works well for the 30 seconds to a minute needed to tend the mainsheet.Also the auto-tack feature of the auto-pilot works great when soloing!I'll post a picture or two tomorrow. regards,rardi

 

[rardiH36]

Re Newbie's Mainsheet Control Setup -- Photo 2

Bob:Following up on my post yesterday, here is Photo 2.

 

[Brian M H23]

Here's an idea

End-boom sheeting. You'll need more rope, but theres no question that mid-boom sheeting is more stress on the rig etc, so you can let out a sheave or two and keep the same ratio of mechanical advantage. Then the mainsheet is close to the wheel!

 

[Doug Burton]

What?

End boom sheeting is easier on the rig? I would have thought it the other way around spreading the stress throughout the boom.

 

[Brian M H23]

While I'm here..

Think about the boom as being flexible (they are, and the boom will flex before it breaks). With mid boom sheeting, you pull at the midpoint, but the sail is hanging out and has more mechanical advantage than you do. In a hard blow, the boom aft of the sheet will want to curl to windwardSince I'm in class, I did a silly little experiment with some software. The wind pressure is downward, and greater near the front of the boom than the rear. The front (left) is fixed, and the sheeting position is fixed, while the rest of the boom is slightly flexibile. The numbers don't actually mean anything, but I didn't change the force acting on the boom - just the point where i was keeping the boom in position. Note the relative maximum stress goes up by about 3 - with end-boom sheeting the forces are a lot more disributed, while with mid-boom theyre focused at the sheet attachment.

 

[Mike B]

Better leverage as well

It'll be easier on the rig as you'll have better leverage. When you use a claw hammer to pull a nail where do you grip the hammer? Hopefully the end of the hammer. It's just basic physics. Just use the same logic you use around the house when prying, lifting, etc. then apply it to the boom.

 

[Ross]

This is extreme end boom sheeting

This boom doesn't flex very much. It is larger in cross section than the masts of 20 footers.

 

[Doug Burton]

Sorry

I admit to being an idiot so help me understand. I grasp the hammer concept but pretend for a moment the handle is cracked. Where would you grab it, as close to the head as possible as to not break it off. Yes end boom would have more leverage but how does it mean less stress and if that's true why would anybody go through all the nonscence of a cabin mounted traveler.  By the way, I've always liked the Hunter traveler system on the roll bar or whatever you call it, not a big fan of the missing backstay though. But back to the point, if 80% of the sail is in the first 60% of the boom you'll certainly get more leverage by the end of the boom but certainly stress the boom more, eh? I should have taken physics to understand this stuff.I can't imagine breaking a boom in half with mid boom sheeting but it's easy to see it with end boom. Make me smarter.

 

[Ross]

Doug ,the hammer analogy is not the best . Try this

two people need to carry a long load for some distance on a long pole. They bundle the load up and tie it to the pole in several places. then each person lifts his end of the pole and they set out. The person in front has grasped the very end of the pole but the person in the rear grasped the pole 4 feet from the end. Which person is carrying the greatest portion of the weight?

 

[Mike B]

Cabin top mainsheet

Doug, a cabintop mounted traveller and mainsheet keeps it out of the way. Check out a racing boat and where do you find the traveller? Generally in front of the helm where it's most effecient. Do that on a cruising boat and either you'll kill yourself tripping on it or your wife will once she does.As for the physics part of it. You have to assume the builder sized the boom correctly and it's failure is unlikely. You can use the hammer example, the image Ross painted or yet another. Ever try to open or close a car door with a stiff breeze blowing against it? If you're inside the car you're gripping the arm rest which is about mid door and it's harder to hold it against the wind. If your outside the car you grip it on the handle which is on the edge of the door and also much easier to manage. Yes you're physically in a different position and have better leverage when standing but the principle is the same. The farther out you are from the pivot point the more leverage you have and the easier it will be to move the object. With all the hardware sized properly everything should be relatively easy to move. Failures should be rare in all but extreme conditions. Hope this helps.Mike

 

[Brian M H23]

cracked hammer

if your boom is already broken, and your mainsheet goes to the broken off end, you're no longer worried about how much machnical advtage you have