Mainsheet thoughts.

[Martin]

With the split end mainsheet arrangement I find that the end of the rope seems to twist which results in the splits wrapping round each other a couple of times.  Is there any easy way to prevent this or does it not really matter that much?

[MikeDay]

Martin
 
Re the split ends twisting, I think a lot of people suffer from this but it doesn't have much of an impact.  I have taped mine to make them a bit stiffer.  I believe Kevin Iles has attached some shock cord, anchored further out on the transom, to hold the two split tails apart.
 
Mike D
N3496

[Dare Barry (Guest)]

Hi. I have sailed with a C/M for many years and in many forms. The best was a section of carbon tube made into a post, or jusy use an adjustable strop so that the boom can be pulled to windward. The system coming from the transon to centre boom was a disaster, not room. Just go for C/M.
Cheers Dare 

[Dave Croft]

I tried to work with the laser system on my Merlin a few years back and found if very difficult to tack and get the extension across the boat. The other problem was the mainsheet crossing over where the crew would sit in light/mediium winds. The problem is resolved by a hoop but then you have to move aft to tack which tends to put the transom in the water and slows you down. If you have a hoop it's more difficult for the crew to move aft quickly when its windy. All these problems are much reduced in a longer boat - crew doesn't need to dive back so quickly and transom doesn't drag on tacking so much.
I think, if you sail all the time on open water a hoop would be the way to go. If you sail in different places and inland then transom sheeting is best. Be interesting to see what you end up with, I think as a class we have been a bit conserative in this area.
Dave
 

[Kevin]

I believe Kevin Iles has attached some shock cord, anchored further out on the transom, to hold the two split tails apart. 
 

 
Actually, I never really had much problem with untwisting the sheet everynow and again on the shore. The reason for the shock cord is to take the lazy side of the bridle away from the ratchet block when the sail is eased so that it doesn't get caught up and taken into the ratchet when sheeting in. This usually seemed to happen on a screaming reach and, whilst it never actually jammed, it was a little wobbly to have to sit in and free it so that everything ran easily enough to play the sail properly.
 
Kevin

[Cookie (Guest)]

You might find its rope specific too - I used to have Rooster Polilite (the non knotting one) on my 12 and this twisted like a ******. Try different rope.

[Tom_Haalebos (Guest)]

One final alternative is to have your mainsheet bridle spliced into the end of the mainsheet, then through a boom-end block, then to a block on the transom then forward to a floor-mounted ratchet (basically, take the existing end-boom sheeting and pass it forward along the floor). This system was tried a few years ago on some aussie NS14s and it seemed to work OK, issues only seemed to occur when absent-mindedness caused the skipper or crew to trip on the mainsheet through tacks and gybes. One boat fixed this by putting a small carbon cover over the sheet. The tiller needs to be split though (ie. two bent tubes joining at the extension or something similar in carbon) for the mainsheet to pass through the gap to prevent the sheet impinging on the tiller.