Main sheet length

mmadge

Member
I know they recommend 44' but that seems to me way too long.Interested to hear the length some other guys are racing with?
 
I get mine around 48'. It allows me to tie off at the end of the hiking strap so I can always reach in and grab it if I need too. Remember, it's always easier to make a line shorter than longer....
 
13.5 metres is perfect if you're going to tie it to the aft end of the hiking strap (like Rob, which is smart) and want the boom go past right-angles to the centreline. Alan's suggestion isn't bad, either.

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sounds like a recipe for a tangled mess in the cockpit.
If it's a tangled mess with 15.5 m then it's likely a tangled mess with the standard length. 15 % more rope does make a difference in that sense but not a huge one. I don't sail often enough in "extreme" conditions to warrant the extra length, but if you do, it's worth considering.

Anyway, as you can see, many people prefer even longer sheets than what to you seem "way" too long.

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13.5 mtr is what most 'big names' use.

I didn't mention this thread to my son, until this evening's dinner. Without hesitation, he answered: "13.5 mtr. Why any longer, the cockpit isn't a tennis court. sizewise." The only time he's letting the boom forward is when he's returning to a lee shore landing where the trolley is. But then you don't need the sheet anymore. Youngster's logic: "...more than 13.5 mtr is a nuisance all the time you spend on the water. It doesn't level out with the one or two occasions where you want to let the boom out in front of the mast. Besides: you need to consider if it's wise to be on the water when the weather is so bad that you have to rely on the 'boom forward' action, especially when you need it when in trouble."

I used the term 'big names': Maxime Jonker (2nd after Marit Bouwmeester in the Radial last year in Aarhus) is 'coach on demand' for my son's team. She advocates lines to be as short as possible, but still comfortable to handle.

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Discussing the length of the lines after a Sunday's training in Medemblik

On the other hand... being a keelboat and yacht sailor myself, I always comment on the fact that the mainsheet being too short on most boats. So for that, if I would be a Laser sailor, I personally would not mind a longer sheet, I suppose.

Menno
 
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I don't actually know how long my Rooster mainsheet is, except that it's way longer than I need (so far!) and I'd rather have more than less. And it's the most tangle-free line I've ever had in my cockpit.
 
Going upwind there is about 4m of mainsheet in use. Even with a 12m mainsheet, there is still 8m of mainsheet floating around in the cockpit. It doesn't matter if you have the fanciest mainsheet in the world, you need to manage that rope so that when you bear off it runs freely, so in my opinion it doesn't matter how much excess rope there is. You need to manage that rope.
 
Going upwind there is about 4m of mainsheet in use. Even with a 12m mainsheet, there is still 8m of mainsheet floating around in the cockpit. It doesn't matter if you have the fanciest mainsheet in the world, you need to manage that rope so that when you bear off it runs freely, so in my opinion it doesn't matter how much excess rope there is. You need to manage that rope.
Totally true.... and thanks for reminding me. Although it's mostly unconscious, I know that I perform rope management. In every opportunity, my feet and hands are arranging the excess cordage in the cockpit so it doesn't cause a problem in the next move.
 
If it's a tangled mess with 15.5 m then it's likely a tangled mess with the standard length. 15 % more rope does make a difference in that sense but not a huge one. I don't sail often enough in "extreme" conditions to warrant the extra length, but if you do, it's worth considering.

Anyway, as you can see, many people prefer even longer sheets than what to you seem "way" too long.

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Haveing measuring my Mainsheet again,I found it to be just a couple inches shy of 44' and you are right that is about the perfect length.
 

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