sheeting in the main

Discussions about Cape Dory, Intrepid and Robinhood sailboats and how we use them. Got questions? Have answers? Provide them here.

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oyster
Posts: 11
Joined: Jan 15th, '06, 13:56
Location: Nor'Sea 27 "Galena", formerly CD31 "SeaMyth"
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sheeting in the main

Post by oyster »

Just wondering how close to the centerline everyone sheets the boom for upwind sailing. Most sail trim manuals say to center the boom (under normal conditions) but does this apply to us heavier full keelers? My current boat has even more of a forefoot cutaway than my old CD31 and I find that I get a bit of lee helm in light air. I'm guessing that I should pull the main closer to center to help remedy the situation but I've always felt like (perhaps wrongly so) that these type of boats suffered from such close sail trim. Wondering what others have found for main trim?

Bill O.
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tartansailor
Posts: 1525
Joined: Aug 30th, '05, 13:55
Location: CD25, Renaissance, Milton, DE

Sail Trim and Boom Position

Post by tartansailor »

In light air, center the boom otherwise you are wasting sail power.
After the boom is centered, work your jib. I suspect that your sail balance is off, meaning big jib, relative to the main, thus lee helm.
Dick
Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam
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