3D-jib sheet lead - or track?

tane

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on my 22' ply/Epoxi build pretty soon I will have to decide which way to go with the jib-sheet leads (the backing plates have to be glued on ).
Of course on such a small boat 3D would be THE way to go (weight, (by me expected) simplicity
BUT:
under NO circustances will I want low-friction rings banging about & trashing paint & sheething of cabin top & deck at each tack.
Who has used 3D leads & how did you tame the rings? Fairly big boats use them (Pogos >40' too), how do they do it?
General advice 3D versus track appreciated.
 
FWIW, I doubt that there is any weight advantage to a barber hauler system on a boat that small once you consider all the lines, fittings, and blocks. Additionally, all those adjustment lines only really help in ocean racing, not around the cans where they are just things to get tangled and overload the trimmer on short tacks (the same reason you don't see runners that often anymore). My experience has been with tracks and twings (bungee corded to the lifelines) for short courses in boats that small, and a couple of handy billys when offshore in large boats and we needed a effective barber hauler.
 
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I agree with JEH here. But it would help to know what we are talking about. Professional crew of three or just banging about on the backyard bay after work?

For a singlehanded 22'er, my preference is for a non-overlapping fractional boom jib or (slightly overlapping) club jib and a foredeck traveler rod or track with a single sheet so it can self tack. For two handed sailing, replace club jib set-up with a conventional two sheet arrangement; and have a fractional and masthead option. Blade-like jibs don't need anything but a fixed fairlead pulley. On a two part sheet jib, I sometimes had a deck clip to give the fixed end two angles. More commonly, I had a pennant at the jib's tack that let me vary the hoist of the jib to get the sheet angle I wanted with a fixed fairlead (I used these on pretty much everything from 14' trailer sailors to 28' keel boats). I also think that having the boom on a track so it can be raised or lowered is an old idea that should be used more and is perfectly suited to 22'ers.

The tweaker lines are mostly just a low-power way of adjusting the jib load in a seaway. If you are racing and need to tweak in and out every wave to maintain heading and heel in a seaway, they can be rigged as needed, but usually need a second jib crew or decently long runs. I rigged these a couple times for round-the-island races in the Bahamas, but that was on a 600sqft jib that you can't grind in an out every wave for hours on end - not with 5000 pound sheet loads.

Bottom line is that you don't need 3D or even 2D on a 22' recreational boat. But you do need to design the entire rig as a system. If you prioritize a clean deck and a quiet rig that is easy to handle, you can design the spars and sails so that they can accommodate those requirements. If you prioritize minimizing trimming effort for daysailing, you get a different spar and sail design, but similar deck layout. Racing layouts are built around maximizing the trimming energy available from each of the crew. It focusses on ergonomics, mechanical efficiency, control independence, and dividing the work loads prudently in the various sailing modes.
 
no racing! Coastal sailing, daysailing, weekending,..that sort of thing. Do this in different places as boat will be trailable. (at least that's the plan. Doing something silly with the boat cannot be ruled out completely...)
 
There was "tweaker lines" with blocks on my old Nordic Folkboat. I found the jib set well enough with its single sheet angle without them. I could induce a distorted sail shape with them, which spoiled the flow over the sail according to the tell-tails. I do not see the point for most people on a single headsail boat, unless fitted with a roller reefing jib, whose cut is generally compromised. I also prefer to have on an engine-less sailboat a headsail that i can "back" for manoeuvres, otherwise a headsail track and boom can be advantageous. Depends on your sailing.
 
and

4) StaySail Boom to Tiller as (secondary) AutoPilot ... Downwind

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(Eric Hiscock)
 
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