I was planning to replace the single block on the end of the boom with a fiddle block to make it easier to adjust the main. The N30 that I had previously had fiddle blocks, and one of the issues with that was that the line always wanted to twist.
When I thought about my current plan, I thought that I could use a shackle through the boom attach point and pass it through the fiddle block, but that is going to transfer a twist motion to against the side of the block. That would exert a splitting force…
So - has anyone a good working solution for mitigating the line twisting between the pair of fiddle blocks?
If you replace the single with a double (fiddle or otherwise) on the boom you will also need to do so on the transom. You’ll end up with a LOT of line in the cockpit much of the time. Is it really worth it? (You’ve sailed both ways, so this is an honest question.)
I’ve got a much bigger sail and I rarely wish for more mechanical advantage on the sheet. Off the wind it’s usually not hard to haul in by hand. I sometimes jibe it myself in light winds and I’d hate to have to do that with twice as much line out. Upwind corrections are usually small and we don’t wear out our arms before they are completed. If I or my “crew” (usually someone older than me) do not feel like cranking the winch I can always luff for a few seconds to make it easier to adjust by hand. Am I missing something?
Actually, your comments are spot on. I didn’t sail the 26 much this Fall and rarely cranked the winch. That got me to thinking that with a better advantage I probably wouldn’t have to use the winch hardly at all…
But your comment did get me to remember the extra line underfoot in the cockpit, and needing to be pulled in on a (gentle) gibe or guided around on a broad reach tack. So - I guess the “solution” is to stick with what I’ve got for a season before doing anything. Sometimes I miss the obvious - Thanks.
The leverage from single blocks should be sufficient on a 26 if the blocks, turning block on the coaming, and winch are all lubricated and operating smoothly.
The real issue is the one you raised initially, of the mainsheet twisting in the return from the block on the boom. The answer is to use a properly-oriented, non-rotating block on the boom.
You need the boom block and the coaming block for the mainsheet to keep the same orientation if you want to avoid twist.
The coaming block, because it directs the mainsheet to the starboard coaming turning block, needs to be fixed to run the line perpendicular to the boat toward that turning block. Depending on the details of your set-up, the boom block might need to be parallel to the boom or perpendicular to it. You’ll have to experiment and see which works for you.
One of the things I like about Garhauer blocks is that they can either completely rotate be easily adjusted to any fixed rotation angle that you need. The secret is that there’s a hex nut on one side of the crosspiece that holds the spindle to which the shackle attaches.
You can see it well in this picture lifted from the GarhauerMarine.com website.
