Paper Dart jib sheet rigging

[duncan]

I have been trying to work out the best way to rig the jib sheets on my Paper Dart.  I think it is totally original (jib pole, not dangly pole) with the fairlead slides on the top of the tanks & one pulley & cleat through the gunwhale.
Compared to previous 12s I have sailed, the jib sheet fairlead seems to be pretty far out board, & the boat does not seem to sit as close to the wind.  Do you use barber haulers to pull the sheeting angle into the centre of the boat ?  The only problem with this is there is only one cleat, & older crews are commenting that they can hold either the sheet or the barber hauler.  Younger crews are not so good at keeping things tight when beating. 
Have been thinking back to other classes I sailed in the 70s & 80s, & wondered if anyone had some thoughts.
Thanks  Duncan

[JohnMurrell]

Hi Duncan,
 
Yes, thinking has definitely moved on from when David East put the Darts together!
 
I had a similar conundrum with Dinsdale (N2632), the tracks were much as yours. With the benefit of a shell up renovation I decided to follow modern sheeting fashion and the tracks are now on the floor of the boat and 13 inches furthur in, ie the same sheeting angle as a DCB. The jib sheets then lead up through the lee side deck into cleats. If you have a look at the images I have posted of Dinsdale, the first & last show the difference.
 
There are 2 benefits here, firstly closer sheeting angles and secondly you can use a newish s/hand jib knowing that the angles are correct.
 
If you think back to Vanishing Smile - sorry I still call her that!- the sheeting angle was much as we use today.
 
From the construction of the Darts you won't be able to do what I have done but it might give you food for thought.
 

[angus]

Duncan the jib sheeting angle probably will make a difference but probably not as much as you think. I have found with old boats where rig tension is a problem alowing the mast to bend forward at deck level has a detremental afect to pointing. The reason for this I think is as you pull the kicker on it pushes the mas forward and slackens off the leeward shroud. The obvious way to stop this is chocking the mast at deck level, but this loses an important way of depowering when the wind gets up. I don't have an answer to this. I am experiemnting with a dynamic chock on Reflection but the only time I have used it in more than a gental wind was on the Blaydon race when the only time we saw other boats they were sailing in the other direction:( so couldn't compare effect.
By dynamic chock I mean of course a tennis ball the idea being that in the gusts it squashes allowing the mast to bend forwards and as the gust eases it pushes the mast back upright.
I would also suggest that the cut of the sails will affect things if they are not cut for a close sheeting angle it might have a detremental effect sheeting too close.
Having ssaid all this wiser people may say I am speaking a load of rubbish and you maybe better off listening to them.

[jonathan_twite]

Hi, when I first got my Paper Dart (2709), our jib was sheeted just to a pulley on the boyancy tanks.  Kevin Bloor saw the arrangement and suggested that we changed it so we came up with a very simple sollution.  Two pulleys on bits of string about 12 inches long (experiment to find best length), attached to the mast foot to act as barber-haulers (one for each sheet).  Rig the jib sheet from the jib, through the new pulley and to your old fairleads.  These both pull the sheeting angle inwards, and downwards to get the jib leach-tension to how it should be without changing the angle the sheet goes to the crew.  This is a very simple method of rigging it up to see if it makes a difference.  We found that it made a massive difference and now have one of the highest pointing boats at our club.
 
Good luck

[duncan]

Many thanks Jon, will try that, Angus & tennis balls !!  (light weight crews should be available at Castle Semple SC for the Oct round of the Scottish Series).
John, still miss the tiger, but plastic is so much easier in our climate.
Duncan
ps the boat seems to be totally original, even the sails which are still a bit crispy after 41 years !! - was it ever sailed ?  prises for originality ?