what type of line for sheetlets?

  • 27 Jan 2022 23:25
    Reply # 12323802 on 12322252
    Anonymous wrote:

    Patrick

    In April 2020 I received an e-mail from Robert (Bob) Heeley who once was the owner of China Blue. He sailed over to Stavanger in August 2004 and participated in a JRA-rally there, the first of four. Unfortunately, the boat could not sail with the others due to a damage in the rig (lazy-jacks?), but he participated in person (.. see ‘school picture’ in JRA Newsletter 44  -  he stands in a green shirt behind me...)
    In this e-mail he tells about a really fast trip back to Southern England. With a little gale from North he covered 640NM in four days  -  averaging about 6.6kts  -  and being singlehanded.
    As he reported to be 88 in 2020, he must have been 72 when doing that crossing.
    Not bad!

    As for your weather helm problem: I suggest you contact JRA-member Paul Thompson. He will show you how he built a new and better rudder for his 32’ La Chica.

    Good luck!
    Arne


    Dear Arne,

    I have had the luck to get in touch, by email, with Bob Heeley. This was 3 month ago. He told me about China Blue and of some of her adventures.

    He wrote about how he discovered and bought China Blue, from the people who built her. She was in Greece at the time, and he sailed her back to England , going through many places (see his comments at the bottom of this page: https://leblanc.pl/china_blue/index.php/les-photos/).

    China Blue was built by a father and his son, George and Henry Young. George died shortly after Bob purchased CB, but Bob is still in touch with Henry. It was Henry who sent him that picture of a painting of China Blue, this picture is at the top of the same web page mentioned above (and attached to this message).

    I really wish I could hear and record all the memories that Bob said he had with China Blue. But he is now 89, and he seems to be still very active and busy. I would feel embarrassed to hassle him. But I promised I will do my best to sail China Blue to Norway again, it is for the moment my ultimate dream.

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  • 27 Jan 2022 15:43
    Reply # 12322252 on 12318640
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Patrick

    In April 2020 I received an e-mail from Robert (Bob) Heeley who once was the owner of China Blue. He sailed over to Stavanger in August 2004 and participated in a JRA-rally there, the first of four. Unfortunately, the boat could not sail with the others due to a damage in the rig (lazy-jacks?), but he participated in person (.. see ‘school picture’ in JRA Newsletter 44  -  he stands in a green shirt behind me...)
    In this e-mail he tells about a really fast trip back to Southern England. With a little gale from North he covered 640NM in four days  -  averaging about 6.6kts  -  and being singlehanded.
    As he reported to be 88 in 2020, he must have been 72 when doing that crossing.
    Not bad!

    As for your weather helm problem: I suggest you contact JRA-member Paul Thompson. He will show you how he built a new and better rudder for his 32’ La Chica.

    Good luck!
    Arne


    Last modified: 27 Jan 2022 15:56 | Anonymous member (Administrator)
  • 27 Jan 2022 07:48
    Reply # 12320909 on 12318640

    One other fantastic thing I love about the JRA: the feeling of being part of a wide caring family.
    Getting attention, help and advices from all over the world.
    One sole simple question, and answers immediately fly out from England, Norway, New Zealand... Wow!

    I'll never regret the day I randomly picked a book, that happened to be "Ming Ming and the art of minimal ocean cruising". It changed my life  :)

    Thanks to all of you.

  • 26 Jan 2022 23:35
    Reply # 12319783 on 12318640

    From my experience, 4mm polyester is fine - and that will be even cheaper.  It's nearly all braid on braid these days, so if you get any chafe, it should be apparent before the sheetlet parts.  Having said that, however, I have sailed with a sheetlet knotted back together on several occasions, sometimes for hundreds of miles!  It was easier than trying to replace the sheetlet at sea.

  • 26 Jan 2022 21:39
    Reply # 12319440 on 12318640

    Thanks a lot to all of you for indulging.

    Although I respect everyone's advice, David Thatcher's one is the most appealing to my limited budget.

    I can get 50 meters of 6mm polyester Braidline for 32 €, so I don't take much risk going for that.

    Thanks again!

  • 26 Jan 2022 21:07
    Reply # 12319373 on 12318640
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    On the upgraded Johanna-style sheet I use on the 35sqm sail of my Ingeborg, the sheetlets are of 5mm braided (monofilament) polyester. This is quite slippery, so I got away with a home-made rope-style euphroe. This has worked exceptionally well, and looks tidy.

    However, if I had had access to those Barton rings that David mentions, I may well have gone for bare Dyneema. Dyneema seems to have higher friction in it than most ropes from man-made materials, so holds knots very well.

    Check the end of this write-up:
    https://bit.ly/2Zc6eCe

    Cheers, Arne


    Last modified: 27 Jan 2022 09:29 | Anonymous member (Administrator)
  • 26 Jan 2022 20:02
    Reply # 12319210 on 12318640

    There is no doubt in my mind - 4mm (or even 3mm on small rigs) bare Dyneema is best. Very strong and chafe and UV resistant, it slips through small Barton rings easily, and the poacher's or snare knot is very secure once tightened.

    Last modified: 26 Jan 2022 20:03 | Anonymous member
  • 26 Jan 2022 18:46
    Reply # 12318857 on 12318640
    Deleted user
    Patrick wrote:

    Hi everybody,

    I want to replace my sails worn out sheetlets.
    They are 6mm, I need 25 meters.
    The existing sheetlets seem rather stiff, maybe from dirt and old age, maybe from fabrication. 
    I was thinking of using softer lines, like braided polyester.
    Do you recommend any particular type of rope?

    Thank you for your advices. 

    I used 6mm braided polyester on the 54 sq m sail on Footprints. It seemed to be a good solution and was plenty strong enough for the sheetlets. And it is not expensive if you can find the right source. For the sheet itself I used 10mm polyester braid. There is no need to use pre-stretched line, or Spectra, or any of those fancy expensive lines because there is so little load on a junk sail, so just plain old polyester braid is the best solution. On a smaller sail you could even go down to 5mm.
  • 26 Jan 2022 17:32
    Message # 12318640

    Hi everybody,

    I want to replace my sails worn out sheetlets.
    They are 6mm, I need 25 meters.
    The existing sheetlets seem rather stiff, maybe from dirt and old age, maybe from fabrication. 
    I was thinking of using softer lines, like braided polyester.
    Do you recommend any particular type of rope?

    Thank you for your advices. 

       " ...there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in junk-rigged boats" 
                                                               - the Chinese Water Rat

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