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 Post subject: big wind main sheet ?'s
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 1:36 pm 
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Location: Central Oregon
Ok quick overview of my setup. Harken 194 6:1 blocks, 10mm FSE Robline Orion main sheet, Harken shorty gloves.
Sailing big air my hands get TRASHED.
Looking at my blocks the mainsheet looks too big to get down into the ratchet pulley very much. Wondering if switching up to a thinner sheet may actually make it easier on my hands due to extra holding power on the ratchet?
Ordered a pair of full finger gloves as the shorty were letting my index fingers get tore up.
Any other tips for big air setups? Softest easiest handling mainsheet in 8mm??? Go thinner yet???
2 days of 4+ hours sailing 20+ mph winds I can barely make a fist LOL. Sure was fun though!

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 2:43 pm 
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Location: New Hampshire
Question is whether the tenderness is in your skin or your finger muscles. Different causes and different solutions. If it's your finger muscles, about the only thing that will help is one of those squeeze balls and build up the muscles. Temporary solution is to stretch your fingers every so often while sailing.

Smaller diameter sheets mean you have to close your fist more. It will increase your muscle stiffness.

Idea with the gloves is to keep the rope mainly on your palm, not using your fingertips.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:27 pm 
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All of the above. And I dont have whimpy city boy hands either. :lol:

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:53 pm 
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Isn't 10mm a little big? I know 8mm is 5/16" and that runs really well through our Harken blocks.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:21 pm 
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Age can be a factor. I've got some chronic aches and pains from getting older. If you ever broke your fingers, they'll probably never be happy from the experience. Arthritis attacks finger joints first for a lot of people.

Other factors is there's a big nerve in the palm of your hand that doesn't like pressure. Bicycle racers suffer from this problem of pressing down on it during long races. You might be putting pressure on it.

Switching hands for holding the sheet can help. Keeping your hand in one position isn't good for it, so variety helps. Experimenting on your wrist position can help your fingers. Smaller sheet could help and might be worth trying. Keeping your fingers warm might make a difference.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:43 pm 
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It a pricey option but you could always switch up to 8:1 blocks. That would lower the stress on your hands.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:59 pm 
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PurdueZach wrote:
Isn't 10mm a little big? I know 8mm is 5/16" and that runs really well through our Harken blocks.


That is what I am wondering...10mm line does not seem thin enough to bite down into the ratchet pulley on my Harken blocks. Seems a thinner line would "hold" better in that pulley and take a lot of load off my hands...

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 6:26 pm 
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I often have a loop of mainsheet around my hand... Even with the salsa which is super easy to hold.... I get often get lazy...

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 10:25 pm 
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Location: Los Angeles
I know it might not be a popular thing to do but I spliced my main sheet. After experiencing some of the same situations already discussed (sheet not flowing smoothly through cleat when too large / sheet difficult to hold when too small) I decided to meet both needs by splicing the main sheet. In the pic below, you can see the main sheet, (blue / lower left) the splice wrapped in black friction tape.
Image
I used 5/16" which ran through the blocks smoothly spliced at the core to 1/2" which made it easy to hold. I started with the 5/16", threading it through both sets of blocks pulling the traveler all the way to one side extending the boom as far as it would be likely to travel going down wind. I cut it right at the exiting block and spliced on the 1/2" extending it to the remainder of the main sheet length. Another perk was that the actual splice-point acted as a stop to prevent the boom from extending further than the integrity of the structure would allow. It worked really well !!! :)

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Happy Sailing,

David


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 11:27 pm 
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Why don,t you buy a tapered mainsheet
hold good in the block and in your hand
Here,s one example from 6mm to 8 mm

Image


Image

On my Wildcat i have one from 4 mm to 8 mm and 10:1 blocks

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 11:40 pm 
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hmmm...I am liking the sounds of this tapered sheet.
I live in the sticks...where do I order this from, and what do I tell them I want??? :mrgreen:
Or better yet can I do it myself?? Off to research...
Not class legal I dont think? Hmmmm maybe I will just try out some 8mm???

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:59 am 
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Location: Sechelt, BC, Canada... Sunshine Coast
These are ugly but when the wind gets up I'm not trying to look pretty...
fantastic grip when wet...
i keep an extra pair on board at $7.00 the crew loves them....

Image


http://www.gemplers.com/product/PF300/A ... ted-Gloves

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 9:39 am 
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While we are on the topic of mainsheet splicing, I'm ordering new mainsheet soon and my plan is to splice two different colors to be able to easily recognize the traveler from the mainsheet line.I expect it to be a smooth transition so that it will flow through the blocks if needed. It should be class legal because the mainsheet won't change size.

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:58 pm 
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If you replace the inner wire fore a stronger wire and cut some wire,s out than you have your tapered sheet

Here how it,s done


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIU1rwNoQ3s

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIU1rwNoQ3s[/youtube]

A bit different but the same technique

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bWZpUQZO8E

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bWZpUQZO8E[/youtube]

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F18 Hobie Tiger sail nr 973 sold
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:35 am 
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Location: Central Oregon
So whats everyone's fav line for main sheets?? That stuff I got from the salty dog package is definitely not my fav!
Its really rough feeling once its broke in a bit.

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