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Basically this question relates to placement of the swivel base pictured here. It swivels through a little less than 270 degrees.



Watching some J70 vids, Helm takes the mainsheet with him, so the swivel base is set to rotate thru 270 degrees facing aft (90 degree non-rotating area is forward)

Watching some Melges 20 vids (just one I could find) it looks like helm just steers and Mid does main, so the swivel base rotates thru 270 facing forward. (my boat is to be rigged like an M20, e.g., no traveller and an end-boom bridal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct4mJZ2Kdtc

So, I'm guessing, have the thing set up so that the "stops" (which keep it from rotating any farther) are facing aft, e.g., it'll rotate fully though 180+ degrees forward of the swivel base. Just hoping for a reality check from y'all. Keep in mind, too, that the Panic Button (vang release) on this boat will be led aft to the rear end of the cockpit sole.

Thanks for any thoughts....seems simple enough but I'm feeling a bit simple these days due to lack of time on the water.

.

....... boom sheeting....leaves the dance floor clean and more in the beer fund

If you sail three-up all the time having the main-sheet block swivel forward is fine, but if you sail two-up there will be times that the helmsman will need the mainsheet. At mark-roundings and gybes you may be happier with full control of the main. But if you have a crew that is used to handling the main, do so. I tried it once on my Soling (actually, it was a new crew-member who simply took it ...) and it wasn't an experiment I wanted to repeat. But it is normal practice in skiffs.

Warren Nethercote

Thanks for the reply and also, thanks for joining us, Warren.

In the interim, we've decided to run the control for the vang all the way back to the stern. This means you can hit the panic button (blow the vang) without having to go forward. So, with that in mind, the mainsheet is allowed to swivel for the crew forward to handle the main, giving the helm responsibility for vang on/off and steering. I figure that will be enough!

TF

Real men sheet from the boom with a split tail mainsheet. The cockpit is pretty tight and your tiller extension will be running into you mainsheet as you tack. And because you have a bridle at the back you've created a whole you have to go through. Pulling my swivel cleat greatly improved my tacking logistics.

By the way, the vang is critical with a bridle and blowing it will let your main power up. So actually you don't want to blow that, ease the mainsheet to change the main's angle of attack and the vang keeps you leech tension on. Oh, and have jumper stays in place to keep the mast in column when out in crazy conditions (and your mast was built to handle this by the way).

K.