Newbie needing advice re. rigging mainsheet

[jmcguinness]

I recently acquired a Neptune 16/Newport 16. I believe that some modifications were made to the main sheet rigging (ie. the layout doesn't quite match what I can find in online owners manuals) and I am unsure how it is supposed to be rigged.

The set up has a cockpit pulley with cam cleat, on the boom there are two pulleys about mid boom and a single pulley at the after end, on the port side transom there is a single pulley and on the starboard transom is a hook which I assume is used to tie off a line.

Any suggestions on how to rig this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jssailem]

Not sure why two boom blocks, one is expected.

Mainsheet runs from the transom to the block at the stern end of the boom. Then along the boom to a block mid boom. Then down to the cockpit block and cam cleat.

I would get a length of 3/16’s or 1/8th dyneema or even same size polyester (Dacron) yacht braid line and run it between the two pad eye’s you have on the transom. This will give you a nice traveler. You tied the main sheet to one of the pad-eyes. Then take the snap shackle and put it on the traveler line. Snap it to a loop on your mainsheet and you’ll have a nice compact traveler.

Not sure about the second block mid boom. Perhaps to give you a better purchase (cleaner run) to the cockpit block. You might fix your outhaul to the second block and put a small cleat or cam cleat on the boom to be able to adjust your outhaul.

Looks to me like the diameter of the mainsheet is a bit big for your 16ft boat. Not a problem if it feels good. I’d be inclined to run 1/4” or 5/16th main sheet. The main sail is only 87.75 ft² / 8.15 m².


I suspect you could use 1/4 or 3/16’s line for the mainsail outhaul.

Good luck. Hope that helps. Have a fun season.

 

[Don Guillette]

Do a google search - "mainsheet rigging for a Neptune 16" and look for University of Tenn brochure. They show the diagram you need.

 

[shemandr]

I think the two blocks are meant to reduce point loading on the boom. Mid-boom sheeting puts more load on the boom then end of the boom sheeting. I don't think that end of the boom sheeting is desirable in a small light boat because the helms person would sit further back in the cockpit and upset the fore/aft trim of the boat. And probably have more difficult access to the jib sheets.

 

[PaulK]

It looks like you need another block attached to the padeye where you tied off the end of the sheet in the photo. (Like the one that is already on the port transom padeye.) The mainsheet would be tied to the end of the boom, (Is there an eye or fitting for it to tie to there?) then go down to one of the two blocks on the transom, then across to the other block on the transom, then up to the block on the boom and forward to the after block of the two mid-boom blocks. Then it goes down to the barney post block and cleat. This provides an even pull down on the end of the boom while allowing it to shift to leeward to keep the sail from being in too tight on either tack. The tiller goes through the triangle this creates without any tangling with the sheet. Could the forward of the two mid-boom blocks be for a boom vang? The diagram on Sailboatdata NEPTUNE 16 - sailboatdata shows the two blocks on the boom but it is not clear what the second one is for.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I would be aiming for a 3:1 ratio for the mainsheet for that boat personally

 

[jssailem]

Here is the image shown for the Neptune.

The boat hardware are not consistent with the image provided by the OP. Perhaps a previous owner altered the rigging.

 

[higgs]

I like most of jssailem's suggestions, but I would mount a block with a becket center transom. Tie the bowline at the becket and run it up to a fiddle block (a block with two pulleys one on top of the other) run that back down to the transom block and up again to the second block on the fiddle and then do the mid boom thing with the cam cleat.

 

[jmcguinness]

Thanks for all this information (and sorry for the delayed response, my wife was out of town and I was trying to conceptualize all this with three crazy kids running around). Jssailem, thanks for the advice regarding line sizing, that's actually an old line I had laying around and I was going to ask what the appropriate diameter might be.

I am with you until you start talking about the traveller. So essentially I would add a line between the two padeyes and one of these would connect to the end of the mainsheet. To connect the other end of the traveler I would add an attachment point (loop?) to the mainsheet somewhere up by the end of the boom?

Again, thanks for all this input.

 

[jssailem]

I am with you until you start talking about the traveller. So essentially I would add a line between the two padeyes and one of these would connect to the end of the mainsheet. To connect the other end of the traveler I would add an attachment point (loop?) to the mainsheet somewhere up by the end of the boom?

Many small daysailers use a line that runs along the end of the transom (see the image), which is called a traveler. This one runs across the whole of the transom. On your boat the traveler line can run between the two padeye's. This does a couple of things to improve the trim of your mainsail. The gear shown here ("Traveler Rig") is a two-part block that runs back and forth between the tie-down spots. You can also move the padeyes to the stern and have them run fully across the transom. I like this last setup as it will be clear and not be affected by the tiller. The traveler line can be anything. I like the idea - use a length of Dyneema for the line. The ends can be a small eye splice, made using a brummel knot, and a buried tail. Here is a link to learn how to make this knot. Brummel Knot in Dyneema