Has anyone altered the rather odd mainsheet set up on the P27, its the one where there is a fixed bar agross the top of the cabin and the sheet is led down to the cockpit floor.
I want to do away with the bar across the cabin roof and just have the sheet leading down to the cockpit and have a full length traveller.
Any ideas, and does anyone know the thinking behind the original set up, seems a bit pointless to me.

Hi Sean,

If the P27 is like the 275, then you may have a similar dilemma to ours. If you look at the answers to my recent posting (under 'We've taken the plunge') you'll see the helpful suggestions there.

So far, we've put in a cockpit fixing to allow the mainsheet to come straight into the cockpit bypassing the coach roof traveller so that you can control the main from the helm more easily. We're thinking about putting a traveller in the cockpit itself (as on Kate Harrison's boat) but haven't found the bits yet!

Hope this helps!

June T
P275 (so far nameless!)

On my recently acquired 275/30 "Cascada", there is already a strongpoint in the cockpit sole. I am abolishing the "centre" mainsheet on the coachroof and am moving to end boom sheeting, using some very nice roller bearing Ronstan blocks in a 4:1 arrangement. The boat has a Z-spars rod kicker, so hopefully I will be able to Vang-sheet to control the mainsail leech if all turns out well.If more power is required I shall add a cascade to the kicker tackle.

In addition as part of re-rigging the boat I am converting to a "cascade" backstay arrangement, and changing the single-line reefing to a system I used on a charter boat in the Caribbean involving simple rope downhauls on the luff,all controllable from the cockpit( I hope). Whilst in the medium term I may abolish the topping lift,in the short term I am changing that to a "standing" system, with the tail shackled to the masthead crane, and the end adjustable at the outboard end of the boom.

Later I intend to have a larger(higher) spray hood easing entry and exit to and from the cabin. Abolishing the centre mainsheet means the hood hoops will be able to fold down further forward, and the hood itself be secured beyond the present mainsheet track position.
Finally I have some sails on order from Hydes, including a blade No3. All I need to do is install that track I bought last weekend.......!

---

On my recently acquired 275/30 "Cascada", there is already a strongpoint in the cockpit sole. I am abolishing the "centre" mainsheet on the coachroof and am moving to end boom sheeting, using some very nice roller bearing Ronstan blocks in a 4:1 arrangement. The boat has a Z-spars rod kicker, so hopefully I will be able to Vang-sheet to control the mainsail leech if all turns out well.If more power is required I shall add a cascade to the kicker tackle.

In addition as part of re-rigging the boat I am converting to a "cascade" backstay arrangement, and changing the single-line reefing to a system I used on a charter boat in the Caribbean involving simple rope downhauls on the luff,all controllable from the cockpit( I hope). Whilst in the medium term I may abolish the topping lift,in the short term I am changing that to a "standing" system, with the tail shackled to the masthead crane, and the end adjustable at the outboard end of the boom.

Later I intend to have a larger(higher) spray hood easing entry and exit to and from the cabin. Abolishing the centre mainsheet means the hood hoops will be able to fold down further forward, and the hood itself be secured beyond the present mainsheet track position.
Finally I have some sails on order from Hydes, including a blade No3. All I need to do is install that track I bought last weekend.......!


275/30 "Cascada"

---

Having eventually got the boat in the water late on Friday after two days sweat and tears involving a broken (10 years old it seems)keel-lift eyebolt, and drilling tapping and installing the new one,plus the dozens of other jobs involved in recommissioning a boat, I am pleased to say that the subsequent sailing has proved the amendments to the running rigging I made to be "fit for purpose".
The end boom sheeting with the lower block on a spectra strop was light and free-running, and the reefing arrangements worked well.In 18 kts apparent I put in a reef single-handed in 30 secs. without leaving the cockpit.

For the information of members a 275 tows just fine in still water from a 10ft rigid dinghy under oars!
I moved Cascada about Suffolk Yacht Harbour on Friday in just this fashion, as the engine was producing no cooling water. Having disembowelled the water pump and system upto the thermostat 3 times I called a halt, and after using the dinghy as a tug to exit the marina a very quiet night at anchor at Stone Heaps near Shotley ensued.

However we picked up our mooring at Ramsholt under sail at HW, with no drama. The no.3 tracks are now installed( some minor finishing needed) and the local itinerant marine engineer engaged to sort the engine!!

What a great boat!

275/30 "Cascada"

---

John

Sounds really interesting - have you got any pictures of the set up?

I prefer the old system but that's because I am not great racer but it would be good to see how you have sorted things on the reefing.

On the keel lifting eye perhaps we need to do something to alert all owners to keep an eye on them.

I do religously and renewed mine this year. Replacing them saves a lot of effort.

Cheers

Tim

Hi Tim,
No pictures yet but I will try to take some over the next week or two, and then perhaps Geoff can have them as part of the technical section?

275/30 "Cascada"

---