Kicking strap design

[Daydream believer]

I have been asked by a SH sailing friend to make up a dynema cascade kicking strap(with friction rings) for a leisure 29 sailboat. Mainsail area is circa 11.9M2- 128ft2
It will lead back from the mast base though a deck organiser back to the cockpit & needs to be easy to operate with a simple pull with one hand,
What sort of purchase to make it dead easy to pull down from the cockpit & on to a spinlock cleat. It will have a non dynema tail for ease of handling.
4:1 seem light. Would 6:1 be about right or should I go to 8:1
Any opinions?

 

[neil_s]

I have 6:1 on my Seal 28. She definitely comes in the 'cruising' category, though.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I know LFRs are fashionable, but they are not friction free. We’ve just ditched them for blocks on our barber haulers. And that’s just one, not a cascade. You’ll get away with less purchase if you have less friction.

Your sail area is similar to an XOD. We have 12:1 for ease of one hand operation, but of course we are always pressing as hard as possible.

 

[Daydream believer]

I know LFRs are fashionable, but they are not friction free. We’ve just ditched them for blocks on our barber haulers. And that’s just one, not a cascade. You’ll get away with less purchase if you have less friction.

Your sail area is similar to an XOD. We have 12:1 for ease of one hand operation, but of course we are always pressing as hard as possible.

I take the point about barber haulers. However, they get worked a lot whereas a kicker does not get adjusted quite so often. It will still have a small block on the mast foot where it returns to the user & a 2:1 on the deck with a 25mm block.
I have this arrangement on a much bigger mainsail & I do play with it quite a lot. It finishes with a 6 mm Vectran line which is dead easy to pull. But mine is 16;1.. I have 32:1 on my backstay

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I take the point about barber haulers. However, they get worked a lot whereas a kicker does not get adjusted quite so often. It will still have a small block on the mast foot where it returns to the user & a 2:1 on the deck with a 25mm block.
I have this arrangement on a much bigger mainsail & I do play with it quite a lot. It finishes with a 6 mm Vectran line which is dead easy to pull. But mine is 16;1.. I have 32:1 on my backstay

The ratio, clearly, is area and power dependent, hence my X comparison. Similar size, and whilst the boat is smaller, the crew hike hard, so loads are higher. I think your 8:1 is close to the mark. I guess if it all seems too sticky you can go back to the drawing board, but a few blocks in the system might be enough.