by Roger » Thu May 15, 2008 10:12 pm
All things in a boat are a compromise. As Donal indicated, I used to have a system like Calden (Carlos) but with my current boat have changed so that the adjustment line is on the coach roof.
Here are the advantages and disadvangages of both systems. First the one in my book where the line starts at the top of the mast runs to the back end of the boom, and either forward along the boom as Carlos indicates, or to a tube cleat on the line itself. The advantage of this system is less line, fewer blocks, (cheaper), but the disadvantage is that the adjusting end of the line may be well outboard when you want to engage it.
On the other hand with the system where by the line starts at the end of the boom, runs to the mast top, around a small cheek block, down the mast to a cleat on the mast or another cheek block then to a cleat on the cabin top. Advantage: Always reachable. Disadvantage: more gear, increased cost, more line, crowded cabin top. For the DS, I wouldn't recommend one system over the other, although my preference is to have all the controls at the cabin top.