Express Pirate 19 - mainsheet position

[Judders]

The EP19 on my pontoon at the marina has an entusiastic new owner who is new to yachtying. We got chatting today and he asked me for advice on his mainsheet which appears to be connected by way of a swivel block in the cockpit sole right at the aft end, so far aft that there is no room to move the tiller.

I could not work this one out. Firstly the fitting looks like it is meant to be there and there is no sign of another further forward, but of course it could be a retrofit.

There is a wrap around pushpit and I did wonder whether it was supposed to use the rail on that as a track, as many boats of the era did, but there is no evidence of the necessary fittings for such a method.

Lastly I wondered whether it may just be designed to have a very short tiller but experimenting with the sitting position led me to conclude that such a tiller would be unusable.

Does anyone know how it is supposed to be rigged?

 

[Tranona]

Google Express Pirate and you will see loads of boats for sale with photos.

The first one at Boatshed has lots of pictures of the cockpit. The mainsheet comes down to a block on the inside of the transom just to port of the tiller and the tail goes to another block lower down to starboard of the tiller. Looks quite usable.

 

[lenseman]

Being designed as a Trailer-Sailer, often these are taken home and the owners 'tinker' to suit their own needs?

I have looked at one which is currently for sale on Boatshed.com [Removed from Sale] and the main-sheet, coloured red, is attached to a block which is mounted on the inboard side of the transom 6" starboard of the tiller and 4" down from the top.

http://www.boatshed.com/express_pirate-boat-35061.html

Look at the photograph called 'Helm'.

Perhaps 'the previous owner' did not like this arrangement or did a fair amount of sailing on a broad starboard reach carrying a lot of helm? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[LittleSister]

I used to have an Express Pirate - great little boat. Mine had no pushpit though.

The mainsheet on mine ran (from memory, but I'm fairly sure) from the becket (?) on the single block on the end of the boom to a single block on the transom, offset about a foot or so to starboard of the rudder. From there it ran back up to the end of the boom and through the block, then down to a single block on the transom port side, then down through the block on the cockpit sole (which had a cam cleat) then up to the helm's hand.

You may have noticed that this means that there were two lines coming down from the boom end on one side (starboard), and one on the other. This worried me at first as this seemed to mean that the boom would be pulled more one way than the other. In practice it was fine and the 'gearing' of this arrangement seemed just right.

 

[VicS]

The photograph in PBO's "British Sailing Cruiser Guide" published ca 1981 show some form of bridle from the aft coaming one side of the tiller up to the boom and down to the other.
Not clear enough to scan but similar to some diagrams I did several years ago. (the bottom diagram is basically the simple mainsheet horse that I have, but my tiller does not lift)

 

[LittleSister]

UPDATE - The old memory is not what it was (or at least not as good as I remember it!) - contrary to my earlier post we did have a little pushpit, I have been reminded (and checked on old pics), but it was not used as a horse and did not affect the sheeting arrangement.

The pics I can find unfortunately do not show clearly the whole of the sheeting arrangement, but I am confident that what I described earlier is correct. Unfortunately I do not know how to do diagrams on this forum. It is a 3:1 set up. Like Vic's diagram of the 4:1, but with one of the right hand lines omitted, as the non-handling end of the mainsheet terminates at the becket on the block at the end of the boom, and where that diagram shows an arrow pointing to 'cleat' the Pirate mainsheet goes through a block with jamming cleats standing on the centre rear of the cockpit sole, then to the helms(wo)man's hand.

So, to install your Express Pirate mainsheet:-
1) tie/fix one end of your mainsheet rope to the becket on a single block on the boom end;
2) pass the other (free) rope end through a single block on the top of the transom (or thereabouts if your transom doesn't have the necessary tangs) about 9" to 12" one side or other of the rudder;
3) pass the rope end through the block on the boom end;
4) pass the rope end through the single block on the transom top the other side of the rudder;
5) pass the rope end through the block on the cockpit sole, exiting on the side that has the cam cleats.
6) pull all the spare rope through
7) The loose rope you now have in your hand controls the main!

Hope your neighbour has as much fun in his Express Pirate as we did in ours.

 

[LittleSister]

Diagrammatic view facing aft of the mainsheet arrangement on the Express Pirate I used to own.

 

[Iocus]

Hi, I too have acquired an Express Pirate and I also have a query over the rigging. Can anyone let me know if there is supposed to be a rear halyard or any other rigging for the boom other than the vang and the mainsheet. Some pictures I have seen of other boats show a topping lift but there doesn't appear to be one on my boat?
Many thanks

 

[VicS]

If you want a topping lift and there is, or it is possible to fit, a sheave or block at the mast head then fit one!

 

[Iocus]

There is a block on one side at the top of the mast but the rigging details I got with the boat (original construction details) didn't show it or any connection to the boom. I guess that this was added later. Thanks VicS