by Alan Riley on Thu Feb 16, 2006 8:26 am
I use an 8mm mainsheet - thinner than most. However, I also have my ratchet block up on the boom so it grabs better since the rope is turning nearly 180 degrees around it, as opposed to about 70 degrees if it's the last block coming from the floor of the boat.
I'd have to look up my measurements for mast step and mast rake, don't have them at hand right now. My mast step is towards the back of the tolerances - about 25 mm in from the minimum when measured from the sail track to the rear corner of the transom.
A good rule of thumb for mast rake is to set it up so that if a vertical line is dropped from the mast head when the boat is level, the line would intersect somewhere between the bulkhead and 25mm behind the bulkhead.
It is important to keep your rig tension consistent if you want a specific mast rake, since the more you tighten the forestay, the more the mast is pulled forward.
I don't know how to tell you what my rig tension is, apart from telling you it is tighter than average and the forestay goes slack when going downwind in about 15 knots. The more rig tension you use, the more the mast will bent when you pull on the sail controls. In general, a lighter person needs more rig tension than a heaver person. However, the main thing is to match your mast bend to the sail. I find my older sails have gone softer and got a little fuller, so they need more rig tension than my newer (championship) sail.
Hope this helps!
Alan