Todd,

The very knowledgable "Catamaran Boat Mechanic" Mr John Schlossberg has been working w/ Mark Schnieder on a Mid-Boom Mainsheet Sheeting System w/ cleating for Mark's A-Cat. They've been working on it for awhile ... John makes the parts .... Mark breaks the parts ... John makes new carbon parts ... Mark breaks the new parts and has to buy more beer ... but from the last reports they are getting close to a system they are happy with ...

E-Mail John or Mark and find out what they have developed

Harry

Could one mount the mainsheet blocks upside down (so the cleat would be at the boom) then take the line out of range of the cleat- by changing the angle really high and taking the sheet out of the eyestrap holding it near the cleat- then strap a block with a swivel to the mid-boom where you want the sheet to come off?

Hey Harry,
I had mid boom sheeting and when I sheeted it would inevitably pull the boom farther than needed. It was almost like just tying a line to the boom and pulling it around. My set-up wasn't super refined , it was harken bullets and such, but I think if I try anything else it will be center/tramp sheeting or maybe both rear and tramp.
Todd

mid boom sheeting with cleat. I took a Ronstan rachet block and modified it with some custom carbon brackets.

I can sheet freely without it cleating when I'm on the wire and then pull the sheet forward and cleat it if I need a break.

I promised JC that'd I'd be standing up at the A mark rounding yelling this at the top of my lungs. :P

another view, its on a SS rod, so it swivels, flops side to side but not back to front.

I think that the cleat on the boom is better than the rachet on the tramp, cleaner, less on the tramp to get tangled in. Plus you dont have to worry about ripping the tramp.

OK getting back to the original question, as my NACRA does not have a boom it seems the preferred method is to use a continuous sheet for the traveller and main looped through a plastic ring in the centre of the tramp. Under this, I install a grommet and use shock cord from one of the beams to hold the plastic ring in place.

Currently I always go out on the trap with both the separate mains and traveller lines. With the continuous loop, the approach is to:

-going toward the weather I position the traveller at the centre and only take the mainsheet out with me on the trap, traveller goes forward to the plastic ring?

-reaching, I grab both sheet and traveller and manipulate both with one hand while under shock cord tension in order to control the boat - how?

-travelling downwind and jibing, position traveller at the inside of the lee hull keeping only the mainsheet in my hand?

Sorry your thread got hijacked there, bud. As for your questions, I think just about everyone ties the end of the traveler to the end of the mainsheet if they have separate lines. The knot is usually tied at a point to allow almost maximum traveler play to keep the traveler car from exploding by impacting the stops on either side of the boat. I use a single line with a figure-eight tied at that point - there really isn't much difference.

I wonder, from your questions, if perhaps your mainsheet might be too short. With the main and traveler connected, you should be able to sit and trim from the front beam in light airs, to being fully trapped while up near the front beam in marginal conditions. There shouldn't be any tension from the retainer bungee in these positions - that is your maximum distance. Trapping out in the normal skipper position should leave you with some slack either on the tramp or in your lap.

In most conditions while close-hauled, you will have the traveler centered and play the mainsheet. If it is connected to the traveler or you have a single line for both, then it is easy to fish up the traveler to drop the car an inch (or more) if the wind really picks up.

For reaching in most conditions, you can ease the traveler a couple of inches (probably a little more since your Nacra has a boomless mainsail), trap out and continue to play the mainsail. A sharp crew can help out a lot by either having the traveler in hand when it's woolly, or help control pitch by playing the jib to keep max speed.

Down wind, your traveler position really depends on the type of boat and the conditions. Boats that have booms and spinnakers might ease the traveler significantly when rounding the windward mark, but often it is centered again shortly after the spinnaker is hoisted and trimmed. Boomless rigs like the Wave (if equipped with the optional traveler) certainly ease it to the fullest extent. There's a lot of variation in between. What are you sailing? Re-read the first paragraph on page 87 of Rick's book and keep in mind that it was written some time ago. I think the second sentence, "however, the best way..." is more important than the first sentence "...just inside the leeward hull" in most circumstances.

To trim the main down wind, I know guys who only hold the traveler. This is more of a gross adjustment, however. I have been seeing more and more skippers that never cleat the main down wind, and work it quite aggressively throughout the leg.

Hope that helps and that more folks weigh in to get you going as fast as you want to go.

I tie my trav/main together

I cleat my main upwind... i keep it in hand, with a little tention.. so all i need is a flick to undo it

Ya, there is one problem w the ring/bungie system ... w/ a continueous system you only need to take one line out w/ you on the wire as you can work both the main and traveler from the same line just by changing where you grasp it. Once you use the ring/bungie system you will need to take both the main and traveller lines out w/ you

There's an ol' Hobie trick of installing foam pipe insulation(for 1"dia pipe) tied to the tramp lacing accross the rear and partially up the center in a "T" that helps keep the sheet lines on the boat

HarryMurphey

i keep most of the mainsheet inboard without any bungie/rings, and about 4 feet in my lap/across my legs. this keeps the line out of the water most of the time.

I can always get to the travler line if needed (they are tied together)

In response to John Williams, I sail a NACRA 4.5 (different to the American NACRA 450), 4.5 has 188 vs 165sqft and it is slightly lighter. I am in my first year of sailing, generally club racing it with a sloop rig, single handed. For the occasions I sail with crew I add a spinnaker off a 14sq.

Ever since I have had the boat the ratchet for the main has been seized. I have gotten into the habit of doing the coarse adjustment with the main then going out on the trap with the traveller for fine adjustment. I am about to buy a new Harken automatic ratchet triple, replace all the lines and then will relearn the correct technique.

Jon

Send your seized blocks back to Harken - they love to get that stuff to figure out why it failed. That improves the product for all of us down the road.

The 4.5 with a 'chute must be a lot of fun, Jon. Good on ya. I used to sail a 5.0 with a 'chute once-upon-a-time...

WOW... sounds like you will be really happy with new gear

I used to cross the (continuous) jib sheet and the main/traveler line. This trick helps to keep the main on the trampoline. I have no problem on the Stealth however, there is no gap in the back of the trampoline for the main sheet to fall through.

"I used to cross the (continuous) jib sheet and the main/traveler line."

This seems too simple and brilliant. Has anyone else tried this? I would think that if this really worked, everyone would be doing it. What are the cons of this?

Personally, it drives me insane to have my sheets mixed on the boat, but if this really works, I could probably force myself to get used to it.

Mike