Main Sheet

[castille]

Hi! Does anyone out there have any details of the original main sheet installation on a voyager 35 (made by Trident Marine in 1979) Many thanks Castille

[Suijin]

What do you want to know? Looking at pictures it appears to be pretty straight forward; boom-end sheeting, watch tackle or two-fold purchase, fiddle blocks, becket on the top one and cam cleat on the bottom. Probably 10mm line.

You can redesign it however you like; more purchase, larger diameter line for better handling, etc. It's all a matter of your needs and what you want, not necessarily what was on the boat to begin with

[UNCIVILIZED]

Given Suijin's comments on rebuilding it, personally, I'd go for an upgrade. And set it up as a 6:1 with a ratchet block, with cam cleat incorporated into the lower end (on the traveler). That way you should have sufficient purchase, even when it's a bit breezy. And yeah, 10-11m line's about right. It's big enough to be able to grip it fairly well

[castille]

Thanks.
I am trying to establish a base line from which i can contemplate any upgrades.
This item was one of the very few things missing from the boat when i got her so any information would be good.
Thanks again.

Castille

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by castille

Thanks.
I am trying to establish a base line from which i can contemplate any upgrades.
This item was one of the very few things missing from the boat when i got her so any information would be good.
Thanks again.

Castille

There are plenty of pictures through Google that give you a pretty good idea of what the gear was.

The issue you need to consider is purchase vs. friction. The more purchase, the more friction, even when properly reeved, which results in difficulty letting out the sail in medium and lighter air. It also means a lot more line laying around the cockpit when you're close hauled. With a cockpit traveller I like enough purchase to trim the main in with one arm in about 10-12 knots of breeze. I think on your boat it looks like it was 4:1 out of the factory and I'd probably be OK with that but I'm a bigger guy.

Your choices are 6:1 and 4:1. If you're smaller or female or will have smaller crew then 6:1 would be a logical choice. If you go 6:1 I might think twice about adding a ratchet block unless you're racing. It adds more to the friction equation, which has pluses and minuses. Depends on what conditions you usually sail in and who's on the boat trimming main.

You want a stand-up spring on the traveller to hold the block up. I would use a colored line as you're going to have a lot of it swimming around the cockpit floor.

[UNCIVILIZED]

The nice thing about a ratchet block is that it adds almost no friction when you're pulling the line in, while at the same time making it harder for the line to pull out on it's own. Plus, you can switch off a ratchet whenever you like, and then it simply performs like a normal block. So on a mainsheet, the only downside is that they cost a bit more. But they're really worth it for the extra trimming control they provide.
Talk to the folks at Harken, or Annapolis Performance Sailing www.apsltd.com if you have questions or concerns. Both have been great for me to deal with over the years.