i550class.org

Hi people witch size and lenghts are you guys using on the boat
If possible sizes in metrical please

Jib, if 2:1 (recommended), should be 5/16" (7 or 8mm), about 300" (7.6m) long, each. If you make them continuous, it takes about 500" or 12.7m.

Main, depends a little bit on your setup (traveller at 3/4 length, versus bridle at the end), but for a trav and 4:1 you'll need about 430" (10.9m) of 5/16" (7 or 8mm) easy-running line.

Spin, can be a fat 1/4" or a skinny 5/16" (6 or 7mm), should probably be a Y-sheet with about 3' (1m) in the single leg of the Y, then about 550" (14m) ea. If you make them continuous (they'll be spliced onto the boat/through the blocks, if you do), then you need about 750" (19m) to make the loop, plus the Y. If you ever plan to do outside jibes (you shouldn't), it'd take a loop of about 880" (22.5m).

I use 3/8" (10mm) for the main sheet and 5/16 (8mm) for the main traveler, jib and spin. I use a 2:1 on the jib. These are way larger than they need to be for strength, and are sized to be easy on the hands. I originally used 1/4" on some of these which dug into the hands too much.

My sheets are all 8mm lines and that has worked well so far for me and crew. If I could find a nice 7mm line I would probably go with that for jib sheets since they are going through 29mm blocks at the clew for a 2:1 setup. Spin sheet is swift cord which I like quite a bit. Main is salsa which I would buy again, but it hasn't worn out yet.

Halyards, I have 6mm jib and main halyards and would go a size smaller next time. Mine are vectran, but I would do spectra next time. Plenty strong, and you just need gloves for a smaller line. For the spin halyard I have a heat set polyester 6mm line, not sure the make at this point. It's nubby and runs well on the douse so I'd give it a thumbs up. Plenty strong with a little give for those big gusts or bow plowed into a wave moments.

Lengths depend a lot on how you rig the boat. For example, I can loose 6 feet of jib sheet when I move my turning blocks forward.

Cheers, Kevin.

...nothing bigger than 1/4'' on my boat,,,with monkey-mitts for grip-tion and padding....a 49er favorite!

Thanks for the reply,s going to look for the right sheets and halyards now.
1 more thing, halyards 2:1 to? Except gennaker offcourse

I like 2:1 for the main. Let's you use a silly-small string, and still get no stretch. Extra important if you use a bendy mast, or a big-headed main and lots of cunningham tension.

How do you get tension on the luff off the jib then? Cunningham?

Johansijrier wrote:How do you get tension on the luff off the jib then? Cunningham?

..personally,I have an adjustable loop to tweak the jib's height,,,a 1:1 halyard,which attaches to a 3:1 purchase at the mast-base.
...the main has a simple 1:1 halyard........these are small boats