Miansheet replacement

[redtailseven]

I thought all was well on my first few sails, until I tried a broad reach. The mainsheet is too short. I plan to replace every line as needed and this is needed (and of course one of the most expensive). Anyway, the specs call for 44 feet of 5/16 Samson Braid. I can't find anything called samson braid. There are some braided ropes that are a bit courser than what I have. What are the merits and demerits of these ropes?

[shawn]

5/16 sounds a little too thin for a mainsheet (not because of strength, it's plenty strong enough) but comfort in your hands. I would think at least 3/8ths and some might even prefer 7/16ths. Length all depends on how your mainsheet is configured. I would just take some twine or other cheap stuff and run it through all the blocks with the boom on a dead run (leave enough extra at the end and then measure it...now you'll now you have enough. Samson is one of many manufacturers, New England, Marlow, Yale...check out Layline.com, they'll have anything you can think of.

Shawn
DSII 10542

[redtailseven]

Shawn
I like your no nonsense method for finding the properlegth. I got the 5/16 from thetechnical info on this sight. I agree, its small. West Marine is about the only local supplier of cordage. Currently the have %30 off so its about what it ought to be. Now I need to choose between white with red, green or blue fleck, red, green or blue. I'm leaning towards blue because my cockpit is white and I use green and red on the jib. What do you think? I think 1/2 is the closest size and it felt good in my hand.

[shawn]

1/2 is big and is going to requre big blocks. The max size is going to be dictated by what blocks you already have (unless you want to replace those also). West Marine should have any size that you need. Color is pure preference, I stick with the basic white (to keep the cost down) because it is the longest and largest diameter...why add to the expense with a color. (all the other lines are color coded anyway)

Good Luck

[redtailseven]

Shawn,
West Marine here and West Marine on Long Island are apparently two different animals. They are a strip mall store front slightly bigger that most Dunkin' Donuts shops. Their line selection goes from 5/16 to 1/2. Coloed and white are priced the same. To get the 7/16, I'll have go to the internet. Not such a big deal. Our weather has been lousy, except when I'm working! I likely won't need it before it comes. I usually want a broder reach coming into the dockToday I just pulled it out of the foward boom block before I turned in. Worked reasonably well. Thanks for your help.

[Roger]

I would agree with 7/16 with a soft lay (feels more like cloth in your hands). Stick with the string method for measuring as well.

Now for my 2 cents on color. Traditionally (should you be so inclined) anything dealing with the jib was blue, main white, spinnaker red, hauls (up down, out) and lifts are all green, vangs and travellers orange. (source: Chapman's Piloting)

[redtailseven]

Roger,
You amaze me with the complete and practical knowledge you have. I'm an amateur historian just discovering the history of sailing small boats. How far back does this tradition go? It must be reasonably modern with the class boats I suspect. Did colored lines even exist before the World Wars (either of them)? Its a fairly trivial question but who decided this?

One of my friends has his jib lines red and green for port and starboard. It works well because he often has inexperienced young ladies in his crew (a wise young man). He teaches port and starboard and they always adjust the right line. I like this system too, with crew or single-handed.

Most of my lines are dingy, gray but aparenty servicable laid line. This is amazing because I know some of them were exposed to weathering but not much sunlight for nearly a decade. I'm going to replace them as soon as I suspect a problem. The mainsheet is going to be white with red flecks. A bow to tradition and my red transom.

[Roger]

Chapman's Piloting (57 edition, 1985 printing, original printing 1917) states and I quote...
"The use of color coding for racing and cruising sailboats is common. The lines may have a solid color, or be white with a colorer 'tracer'. A recomended stardard is:

Mainsail, sheet and halyard- white
Jib/Genoa- blue,
Toping lifts-green
Vangs and travelers-orange"

So coming clean, I would have to say that Chappy is a tradition and by virtue of its contents, I would also suggest that the standard he recommends is therby also a tradition. So weak as my argument may be, I cite Chappy as my witness that the tradition, albeit young is indeed what I would call ... a tradition.

I have also seen many starborad and port lines color coded green and red, and some (my own original lines inclueded) had green and red whippings on the appropriate jib sheets.