Our original manual appears to show a 140’ main sheet rigged through a double block with becket on the boom and a fiddle block with swivel/spring base. My current rig is a single 2:1 block and becket on swivel/spring base with a single block on boom led toward from aft quarter via snatch block to stud winch on coaming.
We struggle with adequate purchase on the main sheet and I am sure this group can speak wisely about why my rig may be different than the original, plus the relative pros & cons of switching back to that to get more ability to sheet in under load. I would imagine any twist would result in substantial line friction and possible overloading the aft boom casting ...
Looking at a few other NS30s that all have similar rig to ours ... any info/opinions welcome.
Jim Denmark
1982 NS30C #146 transiting Pacific coast. Currently in San Diego.
I have a simple 2:1 purchase on my 30c (#170) and seldom bother with a winch handle. Much easier to luff the main and pull the in sheet hand over hand. Even with my
2:1, dealing with the amount of main sheet line is slower than luffing.
Bob D
City Island, NY
I have a MUCH smaller and lighter boat - an N22 but I own a genuinely bad back and bad shoulders. I have a simple 2:1 arrangement, like you but I don’t use the becket on the single block on the spring. i mounted a pad-eye on the back deck behind the coaming to split the load on the “becket block”. The line starts at the padeye and travels to a single block at the back of the boom. It returns to the “becket block”, going through the block to a cheek block (where your snatch block is) and to the same winch as yours - a simple 2:1 purchase. I would never go to a higher mechanical advantage as, you point out correctly, there is lots of potential for salty and sticky lines to twist and create oodles of friction.
But, like Bob Dryer, I always luff to sheet the sail in. I have never used a winch handle on the mainsheet winch in the 6 years that I’ve owned the boat. It is WAY quicker and infinitely easier to hand bob the line in with no load on the boom. Mind you, if you are racing …
Another thing that I discovered is to luff in order to tighten the choker. I luff, I overtighten the choker a little (by eye/feel), I bear off and just ease the choker out until all is well. Another bit of winching circumvented.
140’ seems awfully long, but even more could be used with a 4:1 ratio, as described.
Too much grinding, too much twisted sheet in my opinion, not enough extension to sail by the lee with 4:1 - I’d want 200+ feet then.
I’ve seen mainsheet specified lengths as low as 70’(?) to 90’, to 140’ in the manual, guess that varies by 2 vs 4 lines in play.
We have the same 2:1 with becket on the coaming fitting and single block on the boom as you quote. With 120’ of line, we never use it all.
With 4 turns on the 2 speed self tailing winch, it grinds nicely with manual winch handle or Milwaukee if I’m feeling Hillbilly.
No issues with slippage or purchase, but self tailing makes a huge difference, as does the 2 speed winch gearing reduction.
Luffing and quick manual takeup as others have suggested helps a lot, with short winch handle for fine tuning on the self tailer.
Hi Phil. I swung by Lily Pad and Grizabella to compare rigging before we left Clipper. I think I’m just going to replace the sheet with same rig.
Hi James,
140’ seems awfully long, but even more could be used with a 4:1 ratio, as described.
Too much grinding, too much twisted sheet in my opinion, not enough extension to sail by the lee with 4:1 - I’d want 200+ feet then.
I’ve seen mainsheet specified lengths as low as 70’(?) to 90’, to 140’ in the manual, guess that varies by 2 vs 4 lines in play.
We have the same 2:1 with becket on the coaming fitting and single block on the boom as you quote. With 120’ of line, we never use it all.
With 4 turns on the 2 speed self tailing winch, it grinds nicely with manual winch handle or Milwaukee if I’m feeling Hillbilly.
No issues with slippage or purchase, but self tailing makes a huge difference, as does the 2 speed winch gearing reduction.
Luffing and quick manual takeup as others have suggested helps a lot, with short winch handle for fine tuning on the self tailer.
