Double Mainsheet vs Traveler

[Joli]

Not a big fan, we've used them on race boats but too much hassle and the leech position is hard to set consistently. My $.02.

Originally Posted by S/V Antares

I have a monohull and have been thinking about retiring my near useless old traveler in favor of a double mainsheet, Any of you have this rig on a monohull?

[sandy daugherty]

The Gunboat 35 [an unsuccessful trial balloon] had 2-line controls on the main which offered significant advantages, as listed above. I appreciated the reduced clutter and confusion of a traveller, while retaining fully as much control, particularly when jibing. Using two dedicated self-tailing winches took care of any cost savings, but also enabled controlling the sail from the helm, located immediately behind the mast. That was a very good place to sail a boat.

[mikereed100]

Double mainsheet it is then. Thanks for all the replies!

Mike

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by S/V Antares

I have a monohull and have been thinking about retiring my near useless old traveler in favor of a double mainsheet, Any of you have this rig on a monohull?

I think a lot depends on how you use your boat, your actual rigging plan and the sail system.

I am actually going in the opposite direction from Split to Traveller.

As a schooner, my aft mast boom can not swing out that much because of shrouds so it is mostly a reaching sail.

First Photo: When I first bought the boat it had a single line split system which meant I could only tighten up to below centerline which, close hauled, never gave me a flat shape in a stiff breeze and would flutter at the leech.

Second Photo: I modified this by splitting to 2 separate lines which improved performance close hauled but was a pain to adjust and had a lot of line on the aft deck.

I have now modified the aft swim ladder to form a cradle chock under the tender and we are just welding a short traveller bar aft of the stern rail to go back to a single sheet that can be brought above centerline for close haul.

My priority was to clean up the aft deck while keeping good sail shape

[clockwork orange]

I just stumbled on this thread which is exactly what im looking for.I am doing some modifications to my Lindenberg 26 monohull and as usual one change necesitates another.For those not familiar with these boats they were a very succesfull race boat under the MORC rule which produced some fast and wholesome boats with a useful afterlife as a cruiser but there are a few things that cry out to be changed.The one im dealing with is that they had an absurdly high boom due to some rating loophole,i mean this thing looks ridiculous,i think it could be lowered about 1.5 to 2ft,im due for a new main so this is the time for changes so im going to lower it and also put a 2ft longer roller reefing/furling boom on it resulting in 22ft more area low down.Of course the boom requires a topping lift and the mainsheet tackle has to be on the end of the boom which at 2ft further aft is in the way of the tiller, i dont want a traveller in the middle of the cockpit anyway as it prevents you from sleeping on the cockpit seats so my options are to run a traveller across the top of the transom or go with the double tackle system which is the way im leaning.
So how is it set up? im assuming i will be setting up 2 seperate 4:1 tackles shackled to the toerail near the transom on each side with a single line rove thru both tackles,this boat is fairly wide across the transom,about 6ft i think.
Steve.

[Franziska]

Hi,

I know this is not a new thread, but I need some explanation how the double sheet system is best handled in jibes and tacks.
Could someone be so kind to explain a jibe and a tack step by step? Or point to a video where the procedure can be seen?

How can you dump the main in a sudden gust quickly with such a system?

Many thanks. My new boat has a double sheet system and I had only boats with travelers and single sheet system before.

Many thanks for your help,

Franziska

[LoudMusic]

I'm re-reviving this old thread looking for newer knowledge and experience with split/double/two main sheets versus a traveler configuration. The biggest advantage seems to be a built in preventer for downwind sailing. I wonder if it's more or less trouble than single sheet+traveler.

And also what considerations need to be taken in the rigging, if any, by having sheets attached to the corners of where the traveler used to be, rather than on a cart. Though I suppose if the cart was able to move to the corners with the sheet attached then infrastructure of the boat should be able to handle a two-sheet configuration as well.

[mikereed100]

As the OP, I can offer some perspective 10 years (!) on. We did go with the double mainsheet arrangement and, on our boat, it has been ideal. Tacking takes a bit of practice but is easy once you have it down. When short tacking I just leave the boom amidships with some slack in the sheets. You do have a built in preventer, and for years I added another line running to the cap shroud chain plates so that I could 'shuffle' the sheets around and get the boom way out and strapped down. Recently, however, I have all but abandoned that and just don't fly the main downwind, instead using the spinnaker in winds up to 20 knots, and the jib and genny in anything stronger. If our cabin top extended further back I would have put a traveler on it. Both systems work well and so far I have not found any real disadvantage to the double sheets. In fact, I use the same system for our jib boom which not only eliminates the dangers of a boom swinging around the foredeck, but provides a solid handhold when venturing forward.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by mikereed100

As the OP, I can offer some perspective 10 years (!) on. We did go with the double mainsheet arrangement and, on our boat, it has been ideal. Tacking takes a bit of practice but is easy once you have it down. When short tacking I just leave the boom amidships with some slack in the sheets. You do have a built in preventer, and for years I added another line running to the cap shroud chain plates so that I could 'shuffle' the sheets around and get the boom way out and strapped down. Recently, however, I have all but abandoned that and just don't fly the main downwind, instead using the spinnaker in winds up to 20 knots, and the jib and genny in anything stronger. If our cabin top extended further back I would have put a traveler on it. Both systems work well and so far I have not found any real disadvantage to the double sheets. In fact, I use the same system for our jib boom which not only eliminates the dangers of a boom swinging around the foredeck, but provides a solid handhold when venturing forward.

Great information! Thank you so much for the follow up!

[Catmandu]

Our boat has a traveler across the coach roof with two traveler cars to set the sheeting angles of each mainsheet. We adjust the car position based on the point of sail so that one was more or less under the boom functioning like a standard mainsheet and the other locked the boom in place and behaved as a preventer.

Not the best set up if you are into tacking duels around the barrels. Awesome set up for long distance open ocean sailing/cruising.

The boom is always in control and there is no banging or swinging wildly around which is great when:
- exiting a channel in steep lumpy seas
- when you need stand on or near the boom to tend the main/jacks/bag in lumpy seas
- your crew accidentally backwinds the main forcing a surprise gybe
- you are sailing longer distances - get on your tack, set your sheets and go ...
- MUCH safer and LESS stressful with a short handed crew

As mentioned above, short tacking is straightfoward:
- pull the cars inboard so that they sit more or less under the location where the boom should be when close hauled on either tack.
- turn the helm over (or auto tack on the AP) and watch the foresail
- As you pass through the eye of the wind release/ease the one and trim the other sheet as needed.


Maneuvers are more involved and require some forethought and take practice to get right.

[Catmandu]

PS: Dual mainsheets are more effective on cats due to the wide beam ...

[Pelagic]

When I bought my boat (schooner rig) it had a double mainsheet on the aftmast and traveller on the foremast.


I found that close hauled, I could not get the long boom high enough to windward for proper shape and it just seemed like too much fiddling of adjustments.

I now have a traveller bar that is far easier to adjust when tacking.

Oops just noticed this is on multi forum, so probably different priorities with your beam