During the cold months, when I'm not out in the cold pole barn working on my long list of winter boat projects, I spend my time I would otherwise be sailing (if it were 60 degrees warmer) either perusing the DaySailer.org forum archives reading old notes, or watching youtube videos on sailing techniques and other related materials.
This weekend, I was watching a video on adjusting Jib sheets while singlehanded sailing, and noted (this was not on a DaySailer) that on this boat the mainsheet was on the boom aft end but not rigged in the triangle setup but more like the center-boom configuration with a fiddle block upper, and becket/block/cam-cleat combo on the transom. In this setup, the sheet can be/is held in your tiller hand so you always have it in hand with a free hand remaining. Also, the jib sheets don't cut across the cockpit to the CB housing cam-cleats, but rather go through a block more or less where the jib sheet side blocks are on a DS, but then back to another block/cleat further aft. The result, no lines cutting across the cockpit.
From my minimal sailing experience last year, almost all of it singlehanded (except the time I nearly put my wife in the water). The one thing I've constantly wondered about, was why the jib sheet cam-cleats were so far forward. When Kokko took me out on his (Catalina?? sorry Kokko - hope I got that right) the jib sheets were also back on the sides of the cockpit, although that was quite a bit larger of a boat. While sailing last year, as I'd tack and come about, I had to reach forward, grab the loose jib sheet, stick my foot out on top of it as a lever, and then pull on the sheet to lock it down into the cam-cleat. jdoorly has moved his jibsheet cam-cleats further back on his custom sheet table, but they still cut across the cockpit.
So two questions...
1- Is there a practical, mechanical or operational reason on a DS why one could not use a center-boom mainsheet setup on the transom/boom end? For the moment exclude the fact that the rudder is aft mounted and the tiller cuts across what would have to be the attachment point on the transom. Maybe that's the reason for the triangle, but even in that configuration (what I had originally), the sheet ran forward to a center-boom block and down to a CB housing mounted block/cam-cleat.
2- Of more interest is the jib sheet question. Again, is there a practical, mechanical, or operational reason that the jib sheets shouldn't be side mounted and further back?
Thanks for the guidance... Scott