Anyone have tips for a comfortable diameter main sheet? I just bought a new main sheet for my Hobie 18SX through the Hobie catalog and it feels narrow in my hand. I swear the old one was a larger diameter.
7/16" is very comfortable but doesn't run as nice as smaller line.
3/8" is a nice compromise.
I run 5/16" but it's really nobby line. I use Dynema Racing. I don't recommend this line for most people. On my I20 I run 7/16" line.
Mike Hill
www.stlouiscats.com
A lot depends on your mainsheet system. On my F16 Taipan 4.9 I have an 8:1 Ratchamatic System. It works great and used 5/16
line.
However, I switched to 1/4
and love it. With 8:1 it is not hard to sheet or hold and boy does it go out when you want it to.
Another option is using larger line and tapering it down to a core that goes through the blocks.
Our www.onlinemarinestore.com just found a really good guy that does the mainsheet tapering.
That way you can go with 5/16
or 3/8
and taper the core to really small stuff that goes through the blocks.
You see, most of the new stuff has UV protection for the core. Best bet it Marlow Dyneema Racing 2, or Samson Warpspeed, or New England Endurabraid.
You never want to go larger than 3/8
for a small cat though.
Even on my Wave that came with 3/8
I now use 1/4" and it works superbly -- easier to ease going around the A Mark, tacking, and on reaches, yet not a problem sheeting in with a 4:1
I use a 3/8" Conception Tapered to a 1/8 Vectron. There is 15 feet running inside the Conception line to bring the feel in my hand to 7/16". I think I ordered it from APS. I also run 10:1 on my main blocks. I sail a Tiger.
Later,
Dan
Shoot me an e-mail and I'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know about lines.
ddbrown at ncsu.edu
Trey
N20 873
www.velocitysailing.com