Greater purchase on the main sheet

rjlavallee65

New Member
Has anyone ever installed double blocks, or even fiddle blocks on their main sheet rigging in order to reduce fatigue sailing in heavier air? Or am I asking for trouble with the integrity of the boom?
 
How heavy is this air?! A decent ratcheted block like a Harken 2135 should do the job for any conditions that are sailable in a small dinghy. I don't have great upper body strength and I get on fine. If you really need to reduce fatigue, say beating for a long time, I would look to be cleating it rather than more purchase. Give your arm a break that way.
 
If you don't race you can. Sunfish are sailed and raced regularly in winds over with the normal setup. How high is your sail above the deck? Lower rig and Jen's setup make the boat easier to handle in bigger winds.
 
1) The Ronstan orbit 55 grips better than the Harken block, and much better than the Nautos, because of the notches. Some claim the notches can damage the sheet but i've not seen much effect. Its quite pricy but I recommend this block over others.

Ronstan Orbit 55 Auto/Manual Ratchet Block

2)
A bigger mainsheet is easier to grip. 8mm is about the max you can go. Make sure to wash a new mainsheet because they are slick when new.

3) Use good sailing gloves. I don't have any recommendations, but you can get cheap ($8) rubber fishing gloves from Academy that are decent if you cut the fingers off. They have grip but not padding.

I think it is also better to hold the sheet more at chest height, rather than down at your side.

Finally, the stress of sailing in high winds may cause your hands to cramp up. This will go away in time.
 
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How heavy is this air?! A decent ratcheted block like a Harken 2135 should do the job for any conditions that are sailable in a small dinghy. I don't have great upper body strength and I get on fine. If you really need to reduce fatigue, say beating for a long time, I would look to be cleating it rather than more purchase. Give your arm a break that way.

Yeah, cleating sounds like a quick answer.
 
If you don't race you can. Sunfish are sailed and raced regularly in winds over with the normal setup. How high is your sail above the deck? Lower rig and Jen's setup make the boat easier to handle in bigger winds.

Interesting on the sail height. I'll look into that. Not looking to race...at this time.
 
1) The Ronstan orbit 55 grips better than the Harken block, and much better than the Nautos, because of the notches. Some claim the notches can damage the sheet but i've not seen much effect. Its quite pricy but I recommend this block over others.

Ronstan Orbit 55 Auto/Manual Ratchet Block

2) A bigger mainsheet is easier to grip. 8mm is about the max you can go. Make sure to wash a new mainsheet because they are slick when new.

3) Use good sailing gloves. I don't have any recommendations, but you can get cheap ($8) rubber fishing gloves from Academy that are decent if you cut the fingers off. They have grip but not padding.

I think it is also better to hold the sheet more at chest height, rather than down at your side.

Finally, the stress of sailing in high winds may cause your hands to cramp up. This will go away in time.

I'll also look into the Orbit block. And yeah, the cramping is starting to go away.
 
That Ronstan block doesn't look bad, but I've used a Harken ratchet block since dinosaurs roamed the earth... guess I'll always be a diehard Harken man, those blocks work just fine. With both Laser & Minifish, I relied upon low-profile Clamcleats for easy cleating & uncleating when my hands needed a break or I needed to grab something out of the cockpit... as far as bombproof holding goes, Clamcleats are NOT quite as reliable as cam cleats, but the lower profile suited me, and the mainsheet could be cleated from either side in a hurry. They're inexpensive too, and I'm a notoriously cheap b@stard, LOL. :confused:
 

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