TeamWally said..
A quick query on the minimum, adequate and optimum requirements for sizing of blocks and sheet for a LLM.
Mick.
The bigger the block usually the higher the price. Decide on a sheet size to suit your pocket/hands. The larger, the easier to hold; the smaller, the smaller your blocks need to be.
You can compromise in a couple of ways:-
By using a ratchet block of good size as your final sheave, you can get away with the bare minimum size for your other blocks. Also, if you always wash your sheet in fabric softener it will run more readily through smaller blocks.
Always make sure your sheet is long enough, better to be long than short. You can tie the free end to your seat belt so that if you drop it for any reason you won't lose it and it won't fall outboard and get tangled in your wheels as if this happens it winds up like a windlass and, in a stiff breeze the result is an ignominious tip over
which everyone will laugh at
.
Also some clubs will disqualify sailors seen racing and trailing their sheet.
Whether you centre or rear sheet depends on your strength of boom and size of sail foot etc.
A ratchet block is a good idea to save having to hold your sheet under tension as doing so can cause fingers to go numb and lose grip
These days ropes like dyneema are very strong(stronger than equivalent wire rope) and are therefore smaller than bog standard truckie rope but if price is a factor, use bog standard as is usually very cheap and when worn can be used for tiedowns.
Hope this helps
