Steering Pedestal Upgrades W/ Cockpit Mounted Main Sheet

[Maine Sail]

Hi All,

We bought a CS-36 earlier this season and it has a cockpit mounted main sheet traveler right in front of the pedestal. I did not want to switch to mid boom sheeting and therefore could not install an offset pedestal guard with Navpod's for the instruments. After giving this quite a bit of thought I came up with a method that works. I removed the pedestal guard top plate, bolted it to a piece of Starboard synthetic lumber duplicated the holes and then made myself a new top plate that was wide enough to hold two Navpod's on either side. It works perfectly and gives me a place for my depth, autopilot and GPS right at my finger tips. Making the top plate was very easy but the plastic wood is not very stiff so I supported it with two brackets made from 1 inch stainless steel dodger tubing and dodger parts. I know this topic comes up from time to time so here are some photos for ideas.

Before:


After:


Support Brackets:


Side View:

[Giulietta]

Very nice post. Thanks

I see that you have the same boat Sailingfool has, the CS36. I liked it a lot when he invited me to sail in Boston. He has the Cabin top main.

I did not know they had different optins for the main.

[Maine Sail]

Yes they offered the main sheet two ways and I really prefer it in the cockpit for performance reasons. Actually the fact that it's right in front of the pedestal is nice because it does not take up any additional cockpit space as the pedestal is already there. Some of the C&C's put it right in front of the companion way!

This picture really shows where the main sheet is compared to the pedestal.

[Giulietta]

Ahh...I see it. I prefer the end boom arragment also.

These are nice boats. Sturdy. Is that the only difference between yours and SF's CS? Inside is the same?

Why don't you change the main sheet to a system with different blocks, with cleat attached, and then make it even easier to use, and don't need the winch anymore?

Nice nice for you!!!!!

Main block

Boom block

Then put a spring under traveler block

[Maine Sail]

Main sheet blocks are in process. I'll be using Garhauer stainless lite series...

[Giulietta]

Already bought them? Too late?? Shame.
These Harken have a side switch you can use to make it ratchet, so you can hold the sheet in your hand for racing and such.

This way you don't have to cleat the sheet all the time, as long as its in your hand.

[Faster]

Another good reason for a ratchet block somewhere in your mainsheet system is to make gybes much more easily controlled without the risk of 3rd degree rope burns, esp with larger mainsails and stronger breezes.

Just remember to release the ratchet if you are using fine-tune section at the attached end of the sheet - the ratchet will oppose that too.

BTW, Halekai - VERY nice job on the pedestal - looks great. Does Starboard age/chalk/deteriorate with UV exposure?

[sailingdog]

Just curious why you went with stainless support struts, rather than putting a piece of starboard or stainless along the bottom of the platform as a horizontal strut, turning the platform into an L-shaped angle or built a box out of the platform instead. It would have probably been less expensive and take up less space, and if you had used the box design, you could use it for storing small items.

[Giulietta]

I kinda like his design with the tubes, looks racy simple and professional...matches the steel tubes on the column.

But I see the box you mean.

Halekai...I like the tube option...looks really pro...

Now...I see a little dirt on the floor, in one of the photos