Instead of trying to re rig your boat because you think a headsail makes things more complicated... why don't you just learn to use the jib.... for crying out loud. There's two of you one the boat, right. The crew works the jib and centerboard, the helmsman handles the tiller and the mainsheet. In a headsail, mainsail rig such as yours.. the boat will handle way better with both sails working together than the main struggling to steer through a tack... it's just not designed to do that by itself... because the mast is placed further back than it would be on a single sail boat....
Here's what you instruct your crew to do when you tack.
First is the preparative command.... you say: "prepare to come about" or "get ready tack"
the she gets ready by making sure the new sheet will be wrapped on the winch, or if no winch it is set in the cleat and ready to pull in... the old sheet is held in her hand, ready to toss off the winch or let loose so it won't jam in the cleat or fairlead... then she acknowledges by saying... "ready to tack"
Next is the executing/action command.... you say "helm's alee" or "tacking!" or "here we go"... whatever... then she eases the sheet a bit and waits for the boat to start turning.... then.......... and this is the most important thing to understand.... she does not throw the sheet off right away... she lets it backwind a bit to push the bow across....when the boom wants to come across on its own...she can then release the sheet completely, making sure it is free to run and not tangle in the rigging... the WIND will finish pushing the sail across the foredeck.... she should not try to pull the sail across with the new sheet...
While the wind is doing its job, she will be stripping in the slack from the new sheet until it can be cleated and you are on the new course.
Your job as helmsman is to let the crew know your intention, wait for her acknowledgment, and then call the turn. Since you're sailing upwind... the mainsail and boom will take care of itself. There is no need to pull it across early... let the boat do the work.. It's more efficient to let the sail out a little just before the turn so the you can bear off a little on the new tack to pick up speed, then head back up to your course and trim accordingly.
Once you do that a few times you'll be stoked. Here's another revelation... The boat turns, it rotates around its keel/or centerboard. The bow goes one way, the stern the other. So.... headsail pressure tends to push the bow downwind while the main, which is mostly behind the centerboard, will push the stern downwind... and that causes the boat to want to turn. More jib pressure... the boat wants to bear off... more mainsail pressure the boat wants to head up.. does that make sense??? So.... your goal when sailing is to balance the pressure between both sails so that there is a slight tendency for the boat to want to veer upwind when you take you hand off the tiller.... that's called "weather helm" And, simply speaking, it makes the boat sail better.
Now, the reason you're having so much trouble tacking with mainsail only... once the boat enters the no sail area... head to wind.... the mainsail can no longer push the stern around...it wants to keep pushing the stern into the win.... momentum is all you got... and in light air, there isn't enough speed to develop the momentum you need. On a cat rigged boat, such as the single sail Laser, the mast is farther forward and part of the mainsail is now in position to help push the bow around.... not so on a sloop rig like yours. Trying to "backwind" the main will not work.. the main will constantly try to turn the boat into the wind... no matter which side it's on.
If you've got this far through this post .... then you're a real trouper... I encourage you to hoist both sails next time and get after it... good luck....enjoy