I need to replace my bridle wire on my '76. I notice that
the later style has a travelor block incorporated into it.
Should I order this type wire and a removable sheave block
for an upgrade?
John,
If you are sailing recreationally only, just use a piece of line about the same length as your old bridle. There is no need for a block - just tie the end of the mainsheet around the bridle using a bowline knot.
If you think the boat may ever be raced, then buy a new wire bridle from a Sunfish dealer. You will notice that the factory no longer puts a loop in the middle of the bridle. This is because lots of experimentation found that it's faster without the loop. The absence of the loop does not appear to have any bad effect on pointing ability.
Putting a block on the wire traveler is legal, but unnecessary. Most racing sailors simply tie the end of the sheet around the bridle using a bowline knot, tied loose enough that the sheet slides freely.
has anyone ever used a block with the three loop bridle
to create a 2 to 1 purchase between the boom spar and the bridle?
I'm thinking this might make for easy sheeting for my 9 year old.
It would work - but there would be two big disadvantages. Have a look at how much mainsheet stretches between the bridle and the boom when you are on a run (about 15 feet, I think).
1. You would have to buy another mainsheet that is 15 feet longer than the one you have now. That's a lot of rope coiling up in the cockpit when you're closehauled...
2. When going from a run to closehauled, it's an extra 15 feet of line that must be sheeted in, for a total of almost 40 feet!
The better solution is to get your son a ratchet block that really grips the rope well, and a pair of deck-mounted cleats for sailing upwind in heavy air. I raced Sunfish regularly on Lake Michigan at age 9, and was dependent on a Harken ratchet block to allow me to hold the sheet for extended periods - and two ClamCleats to hold it for me upwind. Today there are ratchet blocks available (from Harken and other companies) that grip better than the large HexaRatchets of the 1970s.
EVERYONE: when you reply to a post, please don't include the entire post you are replying to. Many of us get the "digest" version of this listserve, meaning we have to scroll past dozens of forwarded-forwarded-forwarded messages (repeated again and again) and "yahoo group" advertisements to get to the next message.
The solution to this problem is for responders to do what I've done above, and include only the relevant lines from the post you are replying to. Thanks.
