Main Sheets??

[warwicksail]

I have a 22' masthead rigged cruiser and am In need of a main sheet, the boat is new to me and was wondering if there was any rule to go by when measuring the sheet length
cheers guys /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Do you not have your old/present mainsheet to use as a ball park figure and maybe add or deduct a couple mtrs as nsseccary.

 

[savageseadog]

How long is a piece of string?

 

[swampthing]

Feed it through all the blocks, haul the boom out till it meets the shrouds. Add a couple of metres to spare. Or just measure it against old sheet.

 

[VicS]

Remember the square on the hypotenuse and all that?

Measure the length of the boom (b), measure the height of the boom above the mainsheet track (h), measure the horizontal distance between the main sheet track and the mast (d)

Square b, h and d add them together and determine the square root of the sum.

Now multiply by the number of times the rope will run between the two main sheet blocks (That'll be the total number of sheaves in the two blocks)

now add on the amount you will need at the minimum as a tail.(t)

Finally add on enough extra that will make a decent warp when you cut it off.(w)


The total length you need is = n x root (b² + h² + d²) + t +w

 

[William_H]

As suggested the length of the rope can be guesstimated or calculated or just plain buy too much and cut it off.

However I use a system that has a traveler track at the entrance to the main hatch and 2 pulleys hanging from the boom. (4 purchase).

I got some strops of SS wire with thimble eyes on each end in my case about 30cms long. The pulleys hang on the strops.
This means the rope for the main sheet can be 1.3 metres shorter than having the pulleys attached to the boom.

This results in less rope to buy less rope to deteriate in the sun and less rope lying on the cockpit floor when it is hauled right in.

You could use this for any main sheet system with benefit. olewill