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Mainsheet systems and leech tension |
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Sam.Spoons 
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Joined: 07 Mar 12 Location: Manchester UK Online Status: Offline Posts: 3401 |
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 Topic: Mainsheet systems and leech tensionPosted: 30 Jun 17 at 11:38am |
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I'm just revising the systems on the new/old Supernova. I'm looking for advice regarding mainsheet systems. Nearly everybody in the 'nova fleet uses a centre mainsheet with a bridle and floor mounted ratchet. I changed the Blaze to a transom bridle and off the boom sheeting (as recommended by the CA) after one days sailing. The improvement is huge, much lower sheet loads and a totally unimpeded cockpit. So I have put the same system on the 'nova....... However the boom is (I think) lower than on the Blaze so getting leech tension is more difficult.
Question one :- Is it better to have leech tension controlled by the mainsheet when sailing upwind or separate it from sheeting angle and rely entirely on the kicker? Q 2 :- How does a split tail mainsheet work? I've only ever seen them used on two handers where, with a jib, centring the boom is the aim. It seems that over sheeting would be a potential issue in a singlehander?
Edited by Sam.Spoons - 30 Jun 17 at 11:40am |
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jeffers
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Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 17 at 11:53am |
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Is this arrangement permitted by the class? All the Novas i have seen use the centre main arrangement. Being a fully battened sail it may behave differently to leech tension as well.
The transon split tail on the Blaze has made it a different boat. Plus sheeting off the boom means you can keep your weight forward during tacks.
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Paul
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laser193713
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Posted: 30 Jun 17 at 2:03pm |
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Bear in mind that using the kicker as your only source of leech tension will also bend the mast and flatten the mainsail a lot. You will find that you end up with less power rather than more height/power.
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JimC
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Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 17 at 2:16pm |
That utterly depends on the rest of the rig. Its one of the reasons many boats have lowers these days. Back to the OP, I'm not sure you're going to get any kind of consensus on what the optimal mainsheet system would be. All you're really going to get are personal preferences. I'd even venture as far as to say that until you get to Olympic level where top sailors do properly structured two boat tuning to establish what is faster even the consensus in a class is of little value in establishing what's fast or not. Its so difficult to establish whether Fred won because of his boat setup or in spite of it. The point about checking class rules is well made. |
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Presuming Ed
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Joined: 26 Feb 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 641 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 17 at 2:18pm |
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Sounds to me like one of the ultimate "it depends" questions.
Doesn't a Blaze have lowers? So cranking on vang doesn't (necessarily) = lower mast bend?
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Fatboi
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Joined: 09 Aug 16 Location: Hampshire Online Status: Offline Posts: 189 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 17 at 3:53pm |
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If you use the mainsheet tension you get an even bend through the mast. Cranking on kicker pushes the mast forward more at gooseneck level. Lowers are generally to combat this and even the bend out.
If you use mainsheet tension, it gives you a finer and easily changeable leech tension. Rather than having to move in and grab the kicker and pull on a few inches, the mainsheet can control that leech accurately while keeping your body and steering more stable. I use the rule of thumb I use is that until you are easing mainsheet to keep the boat flat, then generally the mainsheet is best for controlling the leech tension rather than kicker.
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Sam.Spoons
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Joined: 07 Mar 12 Location: Manchester UK Online Status: Offline Posts: 3401 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 17 at 4:37pm |
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Thanks, I'll try to answer in order.
Jeffers, Yes mainsheet arrangement is free on the 'nova and I believe at least one boat has used a transom bridle. You are right, the change to transom bridle and off the boom sheeting did indeed transform the Blaze. Laser, Yes, That's what I thought, It is documented in the Blaze tuning advice that kicker depowers the rig. JimC, I'm not expecting consensus..... it's a forum ;) just trying to avoid any obvious pitfalls. Presuming Ed, yes Blaze (and Supernova) has lowers but the Blaze fast boys still advise no kicker upwind. Fatboi, I use the mainsheet to control leech tension on the Spice, I like that I can ease the mainsheet to open the leech in the gusts to help keep the boat flat. As you say trying to do that with the kicker seems a bit unnecessary. The Supernova advice seems to be that kicker for leech tension upwind is the way to go, I've asked much the same question on the 'nova forum but it is not a very active place. I've had a reply that it's legal and one asking for pics........
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423zero
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Joined: 08 Jan 15 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3420 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 17 at 10:24pm |
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I sail Sprint using a estimated kicker setting, that I can if I want to adjust on the water, when beating Mainsheet pulls boom down and adjusts tension in the leech, kicker then takes over when mainsheet is eased.
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Sam.Spoons
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Posted: 30 Jun 17 at 11:30pm |
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That's what I would prefer. Being 'old school' (I learned to sail in the '60s) the kicker was for off wind (well further off than close hauled anyway). But, TBF, we didn't talk about 'leech tension' back then, the kicker was there to prevent the boom rising high enough to allow a 'Chinese gybe" IIRC. Much later I had an early '60s Enterprise and the kicker was 3:1!!!!!
I'm sure using the mainsheet as the power control is the simplest way, I'm just wondering why the Supernova 'fast guys' seem to advocate much more kicker upwind than the Blaze guys. Is it a quirk of the FB sail? I only use enough kicker to be safe off wind on the Spice (which has a FB mainsail), the mainsheet controls leech tension upwind and the kicker takes over from a close reach. I maybe should add I haven't raced a dinghy seriously since the mid '70s until last autumn when I bought the Blaze. Racing the Spice has been pretty low key for the nine years I have owned it so not much learning going on there.
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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish" |
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JimC
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Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662 |
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Posted: 01 Jul 17 at 6:56am |
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My feeling is I want the mainsheet to control angle of incidence and the kicker to control twist. If I try and get the mainsheet to do two things at once that won't work unless I add a further complication - a traveller - so I can have the boom at the correct angle when the mainsheet adds leech control. Using the mainsheet for leech tension also adds load on the mainsheet I can do without.
To my mind, put very simply, with a modern gust responsive rig downhaul flattens the sail and controls the depower point, kicker controls twist and mainsheet controls sheeting angle, and its all fairly straightforward. Edited by JimC - 01 Jul 17 at 6:56am |
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