The Solution.

Ended up 3rd overall out of 60+ boats in our Spring Series. Beaten by two very well sailed Laser Radials. For now, I've settled on the mainsheet system I described in my earlier posts on page 23. If you have a block on the rear bridle, stopper knots/bobbles about 5" inboard from the gunwhales really help to prevent the sheet catching round the transom on gybes. I'm not sailing tomorrow (bruised ribs from last week), so I'm boat-park bimbling instead. I'll take some photos of my set up and post them here.

Anybody got a good-condition Hyde sail they want to sell?

Steve


Edited by Solo4652 - 16 May 15 at 10:34am

So how are the sheet loads in a bit of breeze? Tbh I don't mind a heavier feel, it feels more direct, but next wednesday is going to be breezy, and my Laser nemesis will be keen to put me back into my box, not to mention Streaker man who's also normally ahead once the spreadsheet sums are done.

What is the advantage of the alternative mainsheet setup? I'm guessing the loads are about the same as the normal setup. Could you not just have a double block on the rear bridle, like this
http://www.solutionclass.org/img/traveller.jpg but with the stoppers.

Woodburner- as the tower is quite far forward the loads are too high without some element of rear sheeting.

I shortened my control lines and made them continuous to get rid of a lot of the excess rope.

The advantages of Solo4652's layout is that you need slightly less mainsheet and also have less weight of rope pulling the aft end of the boom into the centreline on lightwind runs.

If it were me I would ditch the becket though, and tie the block which he has secured to the becket, to a bridle across the middle of the boat.

Is this enough to justify moving to this layout? Im not convinced, I think I'd stay with the arrangement shown by MPT.

The fully centre mainsheet system could work but you need more grunt than you'd get in the Solo because the control is so much closer to the fwd end of the boom. This can be solved by going for a similar system to boats like RS700s, in which you have two bridles across the boat level with the mainsheet tower. The mainsheet is secured to the front bridle then passes up through the fwd block on the boom, then back down through a block on the second bridle, back up to the aft block on the boom, then down to the main ratchet block. If you need even more grunt, the mainsheet can be tied off through the eye of the fwd boom block and down to a block on the fwd bridle. This gives you approx. 5:1





Edited by craiggo - 18 May 15 at 11:24pm

Originally posted by Gettingbackintoit Personally Mr Woodburner I think you'd learn most by coming down the lake on Sunday's and sailing against another Solution who is going quite well at the moment too :) can't beat a boat for boat comparison/fight rather than against a laser.  I would come down Wednesday this week but my suspension broke and not fixed till Thursday :(

Then there's a psychological factor, why would I want to come there, destroy the confidence of a young guy doing so well by thrashing him all over the lake? So close to the nationals and all, where we have such high hopes for him.