Miracle Main Sheeting

I am very happy with a rear main sheet on the miracle as I feel more comfortable facing backwards when tacking.

The class rules allow the conversion but the boat has to retail the connection to the transom with via a strop or track, so as far as I can see, there is no real difference in control over the sail and by putting a centre main in, I may have to reduce the lenght of my tiller extension

However, my son is starting to take an interest in helming and as all the newer boats that he (and maybe I) might want one day have centre sheeting, I am thinking of making the modification, but can anyone tell me if there is a compelling reason to do so other than facing forward when tacking/gybing and having something to pull the sail over in the gybe?

Thanks

Steve

I take Garry's point about seeing where you are going but, that aside, (and I accept it's a big but) I would say there's not much advantage. Centre main sheeting makes it a bit more difficult to get your weight all the way forward in the really light stuff. And as you say, it's not real centre main. You still have some falls going to the transom so all you've done is add more stuff to get caught up in.

It is nice to see where you are going though and I think it's easier to put a really good roll tack in with centre mainsheet as well.

Interesting point Jim. I get the impression that some of
the centre main conversions have been "fashion". The
Topper does it cos the Laser does it and the topper is a
feeder class. There seems to be a blanket view that
centre main is "racey" and that transom main is "so
1970". On most cats we dont have a choice. The trampoline
isnt study enough to withstand the 10:1 loads needed to
close such a long leech so transom sheeting it is. My
personal opinion, for the little that it's worth, is that
if a boat is designed for transom sheeting and you want
to convert (and if class rules allow) is to sheet from
the boom but keep the falls at the transom. But for a
Miracle, I don't think it will make enough difference to
make it worth while (ditto the Topper btw).

Were there any classes pre-Laser that used the "hybrid" centre-pull, rear-purchase it uses?

As far as rear-with off-boom at the centre goes, I can't think of any pure-hiking boats other than the b14 that use this? Mainly seems to be a trapeze thing?

Had the Mirror gone centre main before the Topper? What about the Cadet (thinking "Pathway" classes)?

Originally posted by JimC Originally posted by alstorer Were there any classes pre-Laser that used the "hybrid" centre-pull, rear-purchase it uses? Plenty of bigger boats: not sure about dinghies. Off the boom centre sheeting with the main purchase at the transom has been the predominant sheeting arrangement on cruising boats on the Norfolk Broads from at least the 1930s for example...

Bonito, and it needs it for that massive unsupported leech.  The streaker has the same system too. 

A lot of thre mirros I've seen lately are still using aft sheeting to give the crew more room.

I am currently contemplating fitting this aft purchase centre pull to my old kestrel, which would have been aft sheeted, but I'm put off by the vast lengths of main sheet I will need.

Oh, and I think the contender was originally stern sheeted too... wouldn't have wanted to tack that in a hurry.