Main sheet position?

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tokenjam

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Of the boats I'm (currently) interested in (30-34 ft boats about £25-30k) does anyone have good/bad experience of where the main sheet trveller should be.
It occurs that the coach roof is the only experience I have:confused:.
I have seen transom, mid-cockpit and coach roof placements. Obviously the position makes short handed sailing more or less difficult - but are there other considerations?
Or is this a consideration for later;)

Tony
 
Aft sheeting means you need fewer parts to get the same purchase. That generally equates to about the same amount of rope.

A big drawback with aft sheeting is that in the event of a badly-controlled gybe you can have loops of rope sweeping across the cockpit with the potential to snag heads etc.

On monohulls, an aft sheet generally has a narrower angle over which the sheet can pull directly downwards on the boom so you'll generally need the kicker pulled down hard even for a close reach.

I always choose an aft sheet on a dinghy so I can hold sheet and tiller with one hand and not have to let go of either when tacking.
 
Like everything else, it is a compromise.

Mid-cockpit is probably the best position for sail-shape control, but this makes the cockpit less suitable for lounging around etc. and also exposes the crew to risk of being hit by mainsheet blocks when gybing. OK for single-handing, not really compatible with having a bimini cover (sunshade). Most likely found on racers or cruiser/racers.

Transom is reasonable for sail control and leaves the cockpit free of obstruction but still exposes the crew, particularly the helmsman, to risk of being hit by blocks or throttled by the mainsheet in an unplanned gybe. OK for single-handing, difficult to arrange a bimini which will shade the helmsman.

Coachroof mounting keeps the blocks and to some extent the sheet away from the crew in an unplanned gybe. Difficult for the helmsman to manage the sheet without leaving the wheel/tiller so cannot easily dump main in a gust, for example, so not good for single- or short-handed sailing. Ideal position for having a full-length bimini cover, so favoured by charter companies in sunny places.
 
snowleopard said:
On monohulls, an aft sheet generally has a narrower angle over which the sheet can pull directly downwards on the boom so you'll generally need the kicker pulled down hard even for a close reach.
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A narrower angle yes but more leverage so I do not accept there is a disadvantage here.
 
Coachroof is usually too far away for handling main sheet when sailing. Obviously convenient when not sailing but if you are at all interested in sailing your boat I suggest you should disregard this position unless you can come up with a sheet system to allow you to dump the main easily and quickly in a gust.
Personally I prefer not to have the sheet coming down to the transom behind the helm cos I usually have to look back to operate it. That is awkward and when you need to dump the main in a gust it takes time.
I have my main sheet coming down to a traveller across the cockpit which is great when sailing but lousy when at rest. To improve the latter I have snap shackles on the sheet so that it can be re-clipped onto the side deck when not sailing. The top shackle enables the sheet system to be totally removed when using my cockpit canopy which goes over the boom.
This still leaves the traveller going across the cockpit. At present we just step over it or sit on either side of it. But I am thinking of ways to remove it altogether when not needed. But I haven't yet dare implement them cos the traveller needs to be firmly in place when sailing. Not sure how to achieve that requirement and movability when not sailing!
So still thinking about this.
My own views are of course conditioned by the type of boat I have which is fin and skeg and sensitive to sail trim.
 
Tigger has a coach roof arrangement.

Perhaps not ideal for single handed sailing, but I have the trusty Fred the AutoPilot to help.

On the other hand, not having an assassin-traveller sweep across the cockpit is great news if you have any crew at all, especially kids or inexperienced crew. I have been knocked down by the traveller in the cockpit of a Sigma 33 and Sigma 36 and it was not funny...

We modified Tigger's arrangement so we can now adjust the traveller very easily from teh cockpit and it is great to tweek it with ease without having to climb on the side deck in those wet and windy nights...
 
Mainsheet position...

In my opinion the mainsheet traveller should preferably be in front of the helming position. My reasoning is that there will be shorter runs of mainsheet the further forward the traveller is mounted,and the danger from extra rope catching you is reduced in an inadvertent gybe situation.;I experienced such a hair-parting situation on a Moody 376 on a Round the Island race, the guy concerned needed several stiches as a result.
However, I deplore the track across the main hatch position too.
I haven't used the single-line mainsheet systems which are in the usual cabin roof location with multi- block purchases,but seem to be doing part of the kicking strap/boom vang job also.




ianat182
 
Main sheet position

Thanks guys, you have all confirmed what I had imagined would be the case.
I had always thought that transom/cockpit positioning looked a bit hairy (particularly being a novice:eek:) and also impinged into the 'social' area.
I 'spose you get used to whatever position eventually.
 
tokenjam said:
Or is this a consideration for later;)
Click to expand...
No changing it might result in major cockpit GRP surgery. If in doubt go coachroof, as with most things in yachting the majority makes the correct selection most of the time.

My 35' yacht has a mid cockpit traveler and it does offer excellent instant control access. However I also have a deep keel, large rudder and excellent autopilot so dumping the main in a broach is a rare occurrence. All things consider I would prefer my main on the coachroof.

Perversely those yacht designs that are most prone to broaching typically have coachroof sited mainsheets, so I can understand why some consider them to be a really bad idea.
 
Avoid a bridge-deck traveller as a body can be trapped in the companionway during a manoever - I believe this has led to a death some time ago.
My favourite is the gantry type found on Hunters etc., which can be used for a multitude of other things as well.
 
My boat has a coachroom mounted mainsheet which leads to a winch at the foreward end of the cockpit. Fine when the bimini is up, but a PITA as I can't reach it from behind the wheel.

It's on the wishlist to rig a double ended "German" mainsheet so it can be trimmed from behind the wheel, yet not get in the way.
 
Contrarian as usual, I'm a bridge deck fan, mostly coz it's been like that on most boats I've sailed. As long as everybody knows it's there, it's no problem. It's conveniently positioned (at least, with a tiller it is), it offers good mechanical advantage without too much string, it allows a reasonable length of traveller rail and it's out of the way when parked (esp coz we take the sheet to the rail then).
 
Billjratt said:
My favourite is the gantry type found on Hunters etc
Click to expand...
Seems like the best compromise to me, my dream boat the Malo 36 has a similar setup.

The gantry can also perform as a modern boom gallows for those annoying rolling motoring passages where the boom wants to whip back and fore.
 
jonjo said:
A narrower angle yes but more leverage so I do not accept there is a disadvantage here.
Click to expand...

As soon as the boom is beyond the width of the track, the sheet can no longer exert a direct downward pull. If you want to flatten the sail rather than pull it inboard, you must then either use the kicker or pull against a preventer. A track of 4 ft length under the centre of the boom will allow a downward pull over twice the angle of a 4 ft track under the end of the boom.
 
Just to stir another one into the pot, on my boat the boom can't lift so I don't need the sheet to provide downforce. I came up with a twin-sheet arrangement where there is a 2-part sheet led from each side of the coachroof. When on the wind I use the weather sheet to give a good angle of sideways pull; off the wind I use the lee sheet. When gybing I take in the weather sheet and ease the lee, keeping the boom totally controlled at all times.
 
snowleopard said:
A track of 4 ft length under the centre of the boom will allow a downward pull over twice the angle of a 4 ft track under the end of the boom.
Click to expand...
Sure, given those specific numbers.

But on yer average AWB the coachroof track is half the length of the mid cockpit track on my racy AWB.
 
Twister_Ken said:
Only seems like the best compromise. Actually, it's damn difficult to play the traveller on gantries.
Click to expand...

Hate to admit this, but I sailed a legend with that setup recently. I was amazed at how good it was. Ok, still not quite in the same league as a propper cross cockpit race setup, but a whole ocean ahead of those god awful mid boom in front of the hatch jobs.
 
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