Another nice fall day for sailing...

[eMKay]

[sailingdog]

I'm very surprised that you've got the mainsheet rigged to the backstay. That can't be good for the boat, as the loads on the backstay will keep changing.

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by Giulietta

Mike..There is something wrong with your main backstay arrangment..

Is it me or you have your main sail sheet attached to the backstay??

Also looks lie your bakcstay is missung the split line for the rudder to pass..is it meant to be like that?

Am I wrong

Nice photos by the way...BUT damnn....you're ugly (VBG)

VERY NICE BOW PHOTO LOVED IT

That's the way it's designed, it's a terrible design and I hate it. The tiller fouls it, and others have said the mainsheet is hard to release when the wind pipes up. I have not had this problem, but I still do not like the way it's done. What's nice about it is the mainsheet is out of the way, and very easy to use, just yank down pull in, and yank up to cleat.

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by Giulietta

If you have your main sheet attached to the backstay..you are going to break your mast...if it is remove it fast.

It's how it was designed, not much I can do about it. My mast has stayed quite intact though

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by Giulietta

Mike..There is something wrong with your main backstay arrangment..

Is it me or you have your main sail sheet attached to the backstay??

Also looks lie your bakcstay is missung the split line for the rudder to pass..is it meant to be like that?

Am I wrong

Nice photos by the way...BUT damnn....you're ugly (VBG)

VERY NICE BOW PHOTO LOVED IT

If you have a better way for me to rig it, I'm all ears. I asked the O'day guys on Yahoo but they said just leave it alone.

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by Giulietta

Mike..

It's wrong. I am sure something is missing there..no one would design a main sheet system like that.

You should have the BS attached to the stern with 2 lines.

The main should be the same.

I am busy now, but if no one answers you I will draw it for you tonight..

Mike, if the wind gusts suddenly, the sheet will pull the mast down and it will break.

Well, in the 30 years O'day has used this system I've never heard of a demasting, remember, this is a very small boat and the mainsail is only about 90sq/ft. The forces on the mainsheet and mast are not very high.

[bubb2]

Alex, That is the way the 192's were rigged from the factory. It did not make sense when they were new and does not make sense today. I have seen several changed over to 2 back stays that attach on both corners of transom and connecting with a triangle plate over the top of the rudder to a single back stay. The main sheet was then connected to a pad eye on the cockpit sole by way of a snap shackle.

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by bubb2

Alex, That is the way the 192's were rigged from the factory. I did not make sense when they were new and does not make sense today. I have seen several changed over to 2 back stays that attach on both corners of transom and connecting with a triangle plate over the top of the rudder to a single back stay. The main sheet was then connected to a pad eye on the cockpit sole by way of a snap shackle.

This is what I thought about doing, but was unsure how to make it as strong as the factory backstay mount.

Alex, here's the factory brochure (first two pages anyway)

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by Giulietta

Mike

real fsast sketches..

The main sheet should be attached either on the cockpit floor or at the companion way entrance or in some boats is on a line that goes from on corner of the stern to the other. Then a block runs there.



These are simple drawings..I have no time for better, maybe someone here can show you photos of what I am talking about

The Backstay should be like this, or similar, but there should be an opening for the rudder

Seen from behind



The main sheet, if not attached at the cockpit should be like this



and together



It's something like this..

Really, Mike..you are really in danger of breaking the mast in a gust..

Thanks for the sketches, it's what I thought of doing. But I doubt there really is any danger of the mast breaking.

[sailingdog]

On a lot of smaller boats, the mainsheet uses blocks on both transom corners to attach, and one of the corners will have the cam cleat for locking the mainsheet.

The backstay should really have two chain plates, one on each side of the tiller, so that the tiller can swing freely. I'm really surprised the boat was designed that way originally and would have guessed that some PO made the CF of a mainsheet/backstay you have now.

Gui's point about a strong gust taking down the mast is a good one...and I think it is only by luck have you not had that problem.

A picture of the way the mainsheet might have been setup originally is found in this PDF for the O'Day Javelin, on page 3. See how the mainsheet forms a triangle, through which the tiller passes, and allows the tiller to be used without any real interference from the mainsheet. A similar setup could be used for the backstay.

Even if the boat wasn't designed with a split backstay originally, adding two small chainplates for the relatively light loads that this boat generates would be pretty simple to do.

BTW, the reason the chainplate for the backstay on this boat appears to be overdesigned is that it is handling the loads for the mainsheet and the backstay together... if the two were separated, the chainplates could likely be a good deal smaller.