New Sailboat owner, need help with running rig setup

[Bit_Reaper]

So I when ahead and got my self a small sailing boat. Its Fabola Campus 600 if that says anything to anyone.

Its a 6m long water balasted sailboat with a center board. Made in Sweden in 1985.

Basically its like an catalina 22 but a bit smaller with poorer build quality

I'm mainly having issues figuring out the correct way to set the main sheat.

The best picture I have been able to find of an correct factory setup is this.


Which I guess is an setup very similar to this.


I am aware that there plenty of ways to setup stuff that are none factory and often better but as I'm not very knowledge about thees things so I need some advice.

[skipmac]

Hi Bit Reaper and welcome to the forum.

As you say, there are many different ways to rig a main sheet, usually with some advantages and disadvantages to each method. Also some methods work better with different boats due to the arrangement of the cockpit, cabin, tiller, etc.

Can you not tell from where blocks, eyes or other hardware is installed how the factory setup was done? I might mention that just because the factory arranged the sheet a certain way doesn't always mean that was the best way for the boat.

From what I can see in the photo and diagram that system should work. Can't see clearly from the photo so I do wonder if there will be any interference with the tiller where the blocks attach on the transom.

[Bit_Reaper]

Sorry for the poor quality. Pictures of this boat are few and far between and the marina where my boat is at is about 25km away from where I live so I can't go and snap pictures so easily.

Ok, there are transom eyes on both the port and starboard side. On the port side there is also an clam cleat with I suspect is meant as an adjustment for the traveler rope.

When I bough the boat the boom was not setup so I didn't realize the main sheat blocks where missing. In truth I didn't even realize there was supposed to be an traveler until i raised the main for the first time and could't figure out the correct path for the main sheat

[CHM]

It looks like there is a separate outhaul. Perhaps two single blocks with buckets for the main sheet aft with the the lower block attached to a traveler line secured to the eyes near the transom port and starboard such that the traveler line straddles the tiller. The main sheet then runs along the underside of the boom through another single block down to maybe a cam cleat in the cockpit? Just one interpretation of the photo which is different then the schematic.


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[Bit_Reaper]

Originally Posted by CHM

It looks like there is a separate outhaul. Perhaps two single blocks with buckets for the main sheet aft with the the lower block attached to a traveler line secured to the eyes near the transom port and starboard such that the traveler line straddles the tiller. The main sheet then runs along the underside of the boom through another single block down to maybe a cam cleat in the cockpit? Just one interpretation of the photo which is different then the schematic.


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Yeah that's how it seem to be more or less. There is an pipe at the end of the boom trough which the out-haul is feed. That ends up in an clam cleat that is on the boom it self. That makes me kind of worried tough, having nothing but an single clam cleat holding the main attache to the boom.

The cockpit has an rotating main sheet block that has an cleat.
More or less looks like this



Can anyone tell me what the point is of having 2 blocks in the traveler and then tie the sheet end to the boom instead of for example having a single block to which the sheet end is tied.

Is it to get more "leverage"?

[Chuck Hawley]

I think you have a bridle over your tiller simply to allow the tiller to swing underneath. Using a 2:1 or 3:1 purchase on the end of the boom will give you a lot of mechanical advantage. It's also a strong set up, since you're pulling directly downward where the sail's leech is pulling directly upward. Makes it less likely that you'll break the boom, compared to having the blocks mounted to the middle of the boom.

Ideally, the bridle (or traveler, but I don't think that traveler is justified) would be made out of SS wire or perhaps a piece of Spectra or Dyneema line. It should have very little stretch.

The mainsheet runs forward on the boom and then down into the cockpit to give you a convenient place to handle the sheet. A rotating cam cleat base with a block allows you to sheet it from either side of the cockpit. Keeps you facing forward.

A boom vang with 4:1 or 6:1 purchase will help you control the twist on the main as you ease the sheet.

Chuck Hawley

[Bit_Reaper]

Originally Posted by Chuck Hawley

I think you have a bridle over your tiller simply to allow the tiller to swing underneath. Using a 2:1 or 3:1 purchase on the end of the boom will give you a lot of mechanical advantage. It's also a strong set up, since you're pulling directly downward where the sail's leech is pulling directly upward. Makes it less likely that you'll break the boom, compared to having the blocks mounted to the middle of the boom.

Ideally, the bridle (or traveler, but I don't think that traveler is justified) would be made out of SS wire or perhaps a piece of Spectra or Dyneema line. It should have very little stretch.

The mainsheet runs forward on the boom and then down into the cockpit to give you a convenient place to handle the sheet. A rotating cam cleat base with a block allows you to sheet it from either side of the cockpit. Keeps you facing forward.

A boom vang with 4:1 or 6:1 purchase will help you control the twist on the main as you ease the sheet.

Chuck Hawley

Thanks for the pointer. One of the first thing I did was setup a 4:1 boom vang as the boat didn't have one.

like this


It took the boat out today it the rebuilt stock setup and fixed outhaul.

It boom vang works great and the out haul does what it needs to.



This is almost exactly how its now setup now. The only difference being that the outer block is at the very tip of the boom and the end of the sheet is tied to the block.

It worked but I had issues with the slack that happens when tacking. Perhaps the bridle/traveler was to long or short but as the boom is so short that it s not strait above the eyes there is a lot of slack during the tack, enough that I'm worried about the blocks and lines getting tangled up in the tiller or guard rails.

Pulling the main sheet real tight just before the tack seems to help but its an less then perfect solution in my opinion.

[Bit_Reaper]

While on the subject of ropes and running rigs. Is polypropylene rope suitable for this type of use or does it need to be something more durable?

[Boateacher]

The system you show is a classical dinghy/ skiff type mainsheet system.

The double block at the end of the boom provides - as you said - extra leverage (and is important for that reason). The end boom sheeting is more efficient at pulling the boom towards the center of the boat and holding it downwards against the upward pull of the sail. As also has already been mentioned, the bridle straddles the tiller so that the mainsheet doesn't interfere with the tiller.

The mainsheet then comes along to the mid point of the boom and drops down to a block (and often cleat) on the floor of the boat to provide a more convenient sheeting angle for the crew

[Boateacher]

I'm sorry. I seem to have accidentally basically said the same thing as someone else who posted today which I didn't see before posting.

I will address one extra question from you. When you tack the mainsheet should normally be in tight(ish) anyway because you will normally be working. The only usual exception is on very heavy days. But even so - even say when swinging from a reach to a reach - it's rare for the sheet to foul the tiller. On a gybe, sometimes the sheet can get caught in the edge of the gunwale; but usually a quick flick of the sheet as you go into the gybe is enough to stop that.

One problem can be the length of sheet which runs along the boom dropping down and 'hanging' the skipper as he changes sides in the tack or gybe. That is easily fixed by taping a rectangle of sailcloth along the boom and passing the sheet through this retainer. It doesn't have to be sailcloth or even a rectangle. Any loop that hangs off the boom and stops the sheet from dropping with do

[Chuck Hawley]

Originally Posted by Bit_Reaper

While on the subject of ropes and running rigs. Is polypropylene rope suitable for this type of use or does it need to be something more durable?

There are a small number of lines used for running rigging that use polypropylene, but they are specialty lines. PP has the advantage of being lighter than water, so it floats, and it doesn't absorb water, so lines tend to stay light after immersion. It may be used as a cover with Spectra as a core material to give it low stretch, but PP but itself is actually pretty low stretch. It's key advantage is low weight.

You want to use polyester or "Dacron". It's relatively cheap (although more expensive than PP) and it is low stretch, but it has far higher abrasion resistance and sunlight resistance. PP falls apart in the sun after a short period of exposure. Polyester shows almost no degradation.

You would generally use double-braided polyester, or "yacht braid" but you may also want to try some single braids, which are very flexible, slightly cheaper, and would work well on control lines.

Chuck

[Bit_Reaper]

OK just for prosperitys sake I'm putting up a few pic of what the rig looks like in action







Alos anyone have an idea what this little bag and line on the sail is for?