I just received my new Harken 10:1 system. Last night I sat down and tried to run the sheet through it. After several attempts, I got it to look like it might be right. Does anyone have a diagram of the correct way to run the sheets through the blocks? I checked the Harken website, and it only shows 8:1. I even bumped into a friend of mine who works for Harken last night to ask him the correct way. He had no clue.

Previous Catsailor Thread

Ours was a bit different than that pictured in this thread however. This is what we ended up with (it took two engineers an hour to get it right).

Link to super-large size image (below)

Jake: Any chance you and your team of engineers would comment on the "mast straightening" thread on the F16 forum.

"First thing we do is shoot all the kite sailors."
- anonymous.

No. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> You guys scare me.

Even with my 8:1 mainsheet, when fully tensioned, the boom displayed an annoying upward flex in it. I can only imagine what the 10:1 blocks will do.

Is there any particular reason that the sheet point is behind the clew of the main? Does it help keep the roach/square top tight?

Having it that far back certainly seems to stress the boom moreso than I would have thought. But I guess that's part of the design, too...?

Most of us are just pussycats. Only one or two have turned feral...<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

You have to have the mainsheet at a slight leaning angle so it applies some compression on the boom to push the mast and keep it rotated. Several I20's came out where the mainsheets attached with a strop to the mains and you couldn't keep the masts rotated.

With 8:1 I have made the observation that my boom, when double trapped and sheeted in hard, as in real hard, the boom looks like is going fail.

Recently, I tried to incorporate a double ratchamatic into my mainsheet system by mounting another boom bail say 2" forward of the other bail. When I tried it on a light air night the mast wouldn't rotate enough. Anybody wantt a double ratchamatic?

You have to have the mainsheet at a slight leaning angle so it applies some compression on the boom to push the mast and keep it rotated. [/quote]

And by that I presume the designers anticipated that sort of load? I guess by switching to a 10:1 mainsheet, you're not actually increasing the load, just the amount of force needed by the crew to apply that load, correct?

I mean, "block to block" is X Newtons of force on the sail/boom, regardless of whether you use an 8:1 or 10:1 setup, right?

So, how do the boomless sails manage to keep the mast rotated?

JAKE'S AFRAID OF F16s!!!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

They are manually rotated by attaching a rotation arm to the front of the mast, the rotation is held in place with line and a cleat. It has to be reset everytime you tack. Simple system but a pain in the butt. But, then again... it is the crews problem.

The 10:1 harken block that came with my Infusion had a double block attached to the becket above the cam cleat right out of the bag, and that is how a ran the line with the top block 90 degrees to the bottom. Seemed like it would work good sitting on the couch. I soon found that the double attached to the cam cleat becket didn't pull on the top block evenly causing it to twist and the lines to override.

Fortunately, the boat Mischa raced at NAF18 last year no belongs to someone in the same club. So with that as a model, the double block is attached to the top becket of the lower blocks, not the cam cleat becket. The line is dead ended to a becket on the double. Surprisingly there is plenty of room in there. That my story.

Not F16s...F16 sailors. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

I'm not that ugly......

Here's what we ended up with, and it works well, no binding. The trick in figuring it out was to make sure that the loads were centered in both blocks, otherwise lines would jump the sheaves. When I wne to do this the pics that were on the forum before couldn't be accessed (haven't looked again since), so this was a trial and error routine, but it didn't take long. The pics probably don't show it too well, though. And, yes, I need to clean out my garage... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

It's not about looks

I'm trying new medication now, maybe that helps !

Wouter

On my 8:1 the top and bottom blocks are oriented at 90 degrees. It appears that is what the two engineers came up with also.

Don't be afraid of the circus just because of a couple of clowns!

what is the ideal length and taper for the mainsheet? mine is 51 feet, feels too long, and the taper is 11 feet seems not enough.

i'm running 42' total length with a 10' taper. This is on a 9:1 setup, traveler line is separate. I didn't want a longer taper because I wanted the cover to be on the line where it runs through the ratchet (more holding power). These lengths seem about right, but I haven't been out when it is nuking so I may be wishing to be have another 5' or so to ease. I think Sailmax sells 'em premade at the length you have but I think this includes traveler line. also do a search, i think this has been discussed a number of times before.