Mast up - Valiant 18' Sheet lengths?

Put on any old piece of rope or string, longer than needed.

Mark where a good end would be.

Measure how much that is.

Buy rope accordingly.

Pete
 
prv said:
Put on any old piece of rope or string, longer than needed.

Mark where a good end would be.

Measure how much that is.

Buy rope accordingly.

Pete
Click to expand...
Pete is right.

Relating only to boat length forgets individual boat set ups, for example, does it go via a turning block to a winch. Does that make it more or less. How much for a turn round a winch. How far to jammers etc.

Don't forget that when hard on one tack, the lazy sheet will need to go forward, round the mast and then back through own fairleads etc so lay out your old rope as if you were hard on the other tack and bring back to the correct side. Add in enough for you to actually use it.

Finally consider adding an extra metre so that you as it starts to wear you can trim some off and move the wear to another part of the line. Do that and end for end it and it will last much longer.
 
On mine I used some old line to measure it out.
Things to consider.
Which headsail is it? The genoa goes outside the lower shroudss so the slack sheet has to travel outboard of the shrouds, around the mast and around the leeward shrouds back to the clew of the sail when it is sheeted hard back.
How will you handle them in the cockpit? I used the winches (just a turn or two ) and then to a jamming cleat. Then I allowed about 3feet more. (Just enough to take to the tiller and tie a clove hitch. Interestingly that was with the headsail furled and both sheets ending at the forestay)

cockpit.jpg
Do you single hand? Maybe a bit more of a tail so that you can hold them both in you hands at once and not lose one over the side just when you didn't want to.
Some people use a continuous run from the clew - back to the cockpit and back to the clew. But in needs plenty of slack in it.

I got more sheet than I needed and sailed like that for a while until I knew how much spare I could slice off. Better than buying them too short.
 
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The ones I had allowed me to do that. Sometimes on a long and narrow lake it's the only way. Being masthead you can often goosewing.

As long as the genoa tracks have bullseye fairleads on the cars a simple stopper knot saves embarrassment.
 
Sorry. Me stupid.

23m main halyard
16m genny halyard

The main sheet isn't particularly relevant as mine runs through a triple block system that's probably slightly overgunned for my boat. The genny sheet is a single length looped in the middle and fixed to the clew with a soft shackle (previous owner used a metal shackle). I can measure the genny sheet/s for you tonight if you like but I'd guess it's a total 16m length.
 
Surely,
If you know your mast height, boom height/length and distance to stem, you can work out exactly what you need for any application.
 
aitchem said:
Surely,
If you know your mast height, boom height/length and distance to stem, you can work out exactly what you need for any application.
Click to expand...

You would also need to know length from genny clew to a point at which it can round mast (if babystay/ inner forestay ) length from there to turning block, length from turning block to winch, diameter of winch, length from winch to where you would handle.....
 
You're all doing it to death now.
You don't even know any rig details.

There is no substitute for measuring it with a line. That takes into account the foot length of the headsail and the placement of your cleats.

On the Valiant the sheets have to go forward of the mast to round the forward lower stays. If you have a bigger genoa the windward sheet needs to go further back to reach the clew of the sail.


rigging%20plan.jpg
 
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Lakesailor said:
You're all doing it to death now.
You don't even know any rig details.

There is no substitute for measuring it with a line. That takes into account the foot length of the headsail and the placement of your cleats.

On the Valiant the sheets have to go forward of the mast to round the forward lower stays. If you have a bigger genoa the windward sheet needs to go further back to reach the clew of the sail.
Click to expand...


Absolutely. If you have the boat measure up for the lengths required.

For the mainsheet push the boom out fully, measure the distance from the boom end to the traveller track*. Multiply that by the "times purchase" of the block system
(3 I would think looking closely at Substitute) and add 1½ to 2 metres.

(*or as Aitchem suggests calculate this using a little Pythagoras from the distance from the mast to the track. the length of the boom and its height above the track, although while you are measuring all 3 of these you might just as well make the single measurement that is actually required)
 
ghostlymoron said:
As I said earlier, about 1 boat length.......If you want to know accurately, use a 30m fabric tape and measure it........ You don't want them too long or you'll have a cockpit full of rope.
Click to expand...
So in fact, don't get a boat's length. Measure it.
It doesn't matter if you have a couple of metres too much. You can trim that once you've tried it out whilst sailing.The cost of a metre or two too much is better than the cost of having bought them too short and having to buy twice.

I can't see why it's become such a problem.
 
On boat today and measured.

Jib
seems to be length of boat 18 foot X 2 = 36 foot = 11Mtrs + 2M = 13 meters.

Main Sheet (boom right out)
4 X 4 Meters =16 M + 2 M = 18 meters.

Extra 2M (x2) can be used for Monkey's Fist tying ...

jibmeasure.jpg

Was a beautiful sailing day today 21st January.
One yacht was sailing at Inverness........
 
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