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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Mainsheet suggestions?

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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4018 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/29/2021 : 08:51:04

Well I've finally worn out my mainsheet and need to replace it. I don't know what make or type it is because it is what came with the boat when I bought her 12yrs ago. It always ran well without tangling. My question is does anybody have a favorite line for a mainsheet? I don't race, just Cruze.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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Response Posted - 10/29/2021 : 10:29:54

StaSet is a very good all-purpose line for most cruisers and casual racers. For the mainsheet, it's inexpensive, long lasting and it runs through the blocks well. It's stretchier than other lines, but stretchiness is not a significant issue for the mainsheet, because it's only heavily loaded when the boat is hard on the wind, and that's when the length of the line under load is the shortest.

It's also suitable for halyards and jib sheets, but, for halyards, StaSet X would be a better choice because it's less stretchy, and halyards extend from the head of the sail to the masthead, down the mast and then aft to the cockpit, so stretch is an issue over that much length.

There are less stretchy, more expensive lines, but many of the less stretchy lines don't run through turning blocks well, or have other drawbacks.

On my C&C 35, I used StaSet X for the halyards and ordinary StaSet for jib and main sheets.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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5352 Posts

Response Posted - 10/29/2021 : 14:07:01

Wow Scott! Good timing, end of the season.

I currently have a similar line to Steve�s recommendation for Sta Set line for my mainsheet, however it�s a little bit hard and rough on my delicate hands (ahem!). New England ropes also offers a similar line.

Dave Stinkpotter recommended a line to me when I was buying jib sheets - it�s a softer type of line:

New England Regatta - single braid polyester line

Something like this::
https://www.sailrite.com/New-England-Regatta-Single-Braid-Polyester-Rope-7-16-11mm-White

It is so comfortable to work with, I really love the fuzzy feel of it.
And after 3 years out in the sun and salt it still remains supple and strong. It winches well and handles well without a winch.

I�m not sure whether you�d prefer 10mm or 11mm line (mine is thicker) but it�s awesome stuff.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Edited by - Voyager on 10/29/2021 14:13:20

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 10/29/2021 : 14:18:09

I agree with Steve Milby, any good quality polyester double braid will work fine as a mainsheet. Examples with good color selection include:

New England Ropes Sta-Set,
Samson XLS3,
Samson Trophy Braid,
Yale ULS Yacht Braid,
Probably others I'm forgetting.

I use 3/8" (10mm) on a Catalina 25, 5/16" (8mm) on a Catalina 22, 1/4" (6mm) on a 14' day sailer.

� Leon Sisson

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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4018 Posts

Response Posted - 10/29/2021 : 14:23:40

Bruce I have New England Regatta for my jib sheets and love it for that application. Easy on the hands, Grips my self tailers very well and you can toss the lines on the floor when sailing and never have them get kinked or tangled but for a mainsheet that is subject to the line being pulled in and out of the jaws of the cleat I don't know if Regatta is tough enough. My old line is perfectly fine except for a 3ft section that gets used the most by the cleat jaws and now looks like a dog has been chewing on it.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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5352 Posts

Response Posted - 10/29/2021 : 19:52:19

Scott, You might try the Regatta line in the cam cleats. Test it with a short sample.

On Passage, my jib sheet winches are backed up with fiber (not metal) cam cleats and I often don�t even take a wrap on the winch in light to medium air. The line has held up like a champ the past 3 years.

If your mainsheet gets chewed up in one spot, you can alternate the cleated location by untying the line and reversing yearly. Also, look into a cam cleat that�s made of fiber or plastic. Might be less aggressive.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Edited by - Voyager on 10/29/2021 19:56:33

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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4593 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2021 : 11:59:23

NovaTexh XLE line on Ebay is an alternative to Sta-Set, and reasonably priced. It would be good for your sheets since you say you do not race. I agree with Steve, StaSet-X is well suited for halyards, but may feel a bit stiff for the mainsheet. You might also consider a single braid line for your mainsheet.

DavidP
1975 C-22 SK #5459 "Shadowfax" Fleet 52
PO of 1984 C-25 SK/TR #4142 "Recess"
Percy Priest Yacht Club, Hamilton Creek Marina, Nashville, TN

Stu Jackson C34
Admiral

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844 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2021 : 10:14:27

StaSetX is the absolute worst line ever made. I recommend avoiding it all costs. There are much better lines for halyards, examples so noted in earlier replies. You could also Google SSX and find more. SS itself is just fine for sheets, just not halyards.

I have not been active here for quite some time, but for those who don't know who i am, i owned my 1981 C25 from 1987 to 1998 and my C34 since then. StaSet on all my lines, and yes I made a mistake on using StaySet regular for my main halyard on this boat. Won't do that again!

Stu
1986 C34 #224 "Aquavite"
Cowichan Bay, BC Maple Bay Marina
(formerly San Francisco)
(formerly C25 #2459 "Capricorn Two")

Lee Panza
Captain

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465 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2021 : 00:22:23

No, tell us how you REALLY feel, Stu ;-)
(you've been away from this forum for awhile, but I've noticed you've been contributing to the Catalina magazine).

Somehow, this thread has morphed from mainsheets to include jib sheets and even halyards, but the requirements of those lines are quite different.

Mainsheets (the original topic of this thread) don't need to be as flexible as headsail sheets, but they need to be tougher. They might be adjusted less often, requiring less "hand-friendliness" than our headsail sheets, but they need to stand up to the abrasion of the jaws on the fiddle block cam cleats. Also, "stretchiness" is much less important with our mainsheets than with our headsail sheets, although it's a primary consideration in halyards.

First of all, we probably trim our headsails more frequently than our mains, and the sheets are handled more than the mainsail sheet. They need to be more comfortable to handle than the main sheet. Also, if self-tailing winches are used, the rope used for those sheets needs to work effectively with the retainer grooves in the winches, while there's no similar constraint on the mainsheet.

Secondly, the hardware that manages our mainsheets can be more abrasive on the rope than the hardware that manages our headsail sheets. The mainsheet is repeatedly dragged through the teeth of the cam-cleat on the fiddle block - or jerked-out and re-set - as we adjust the mainsail. Self-tailing winches are obviously far less abrasive. Even using cam-cleats behind non-self-tailers is less abrasive than the mainsheet hardware, because the sheets are disengaged for adjustments and then just re-set in those cleats to hold them. So, the rope used for your mainsheet needs to be tough.

Finally, the headsail sheets are subject to higher shock-loadings than the mainsail sheets, which run through multi-part tackle systems, and they need to dissipate some of that loading by stretching a little. The shock-loads on the mainsheet are shared among the multiple parts of the tackle system, so the rope doesn't need to stretch.

And, of course, the primary consideration for halyards might be minimizing stretchiness, but that's not an issue for our mainsheets.

All things considered, Scott (if you're stilll monitoring this thread), the choice of rope for your mainsheet is much less critical than what you'd want for your headsail sheets or your halyards. There have been some good discussions here in the past about peoples' recommendations for headsail sheet rope (my own preference is Samson Trophy Braid), but I'd think that the choice of rope for your mainsheet would matter far less. Frankly, I'm still using the mainsheet that was on my boat when I acquired it (ten years ago), although I switched ends a few years back to subject a different portion of the cover to abrasion.

I'd suggest that your choice of rope for your mainsheet isn't particularly challenging. Pretty much any double-braid would be adequate, and higher-priced alternatives wouldn't be worth the cost. I hope this is helpful.

The trouble with a destination - any destination, really - is that it interrupts The Journey.

Lee Panza
SR/SK #2134
San Francisco Bay
(Brisbane, CA)

Edited by - Lee Panza on 11/03/2021 00:52:39

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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4018 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2021 : 05:33:38

Lee I believe you nailed it. I thank you for staying on my original topic and I agree with what you said. Looks like a double braid will work just fine. Reversing the line is another good suggestion and I will do just that. I don't know why I never did because I do reverse my jib sheets. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9076 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2021 : 09:19:05

I also appreciate Lee's distinction between "rope" and "line"! I was taught many decades ago that a "line" is a type of component on a boat (halyards, sheets, dock lines, rodes), while "rope" is one of the materials a "line" can be made of--some of it from New England Ropes. Thus a halyard (a line) can be "wire to rope".

Sorry--I just figured this was the one day in the year I might as well say something that makes me sound very old...

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 11/03/2021 09:21:54

Lee Panza
Captain

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465 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2021 : 18:38:58

quote:
I just figured this was the one day in the year I might as well say something that makes me sound very old...

Old and wise.

The trouble with a destination - any destination, really - is that it interrupts The Journey.

Lee Panza
SR/SK #2134
San Francisco Bay
(Brisbane, CA)

bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1773 Posts

Response Posted - 11/04/2021 : 06:51:02

Stu -- welcome back, always enjoy your expertise and observations!

Peter Bigelow
C-25 TR/FK #2092 Limerick
Rowayton, Ct
Port Captain: Rowayton/Norwalk/Darien CT

Stu Jackson C34
Admiral

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844 Posts

Response Posted - 11/09/2021 : 09:58:45

Thanks, Peter and others who remember me. I keep sending folks who stumble onto sbo with new C25 directly here. I have no idea how they find that site and not this one. I find it happens to us, too.

Stu
1986 C34 #224 "Aquavite"
Cowichan Bay, BC Maple Bay Marina
(formerly San Francisco)
(formerly C25 #2459 "Capricorn Two")

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5352 Posts

Response Posted - 11/09/2021 : 17:09:36

Hey Stu, it�s great that you keep an eye on us over here on the C25/250 forum. I�ve also seen your comments from time to time in the Mainsheet magazine and on Cruisers Forum. Are you back in B.C.?

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

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