Mainsheet rope and block sizes

[geoffr]

Hi all:

As I go about 'restoring' my boat to its former glory, I keep noticing little things that I thought were OK, but on closer inspection require further work -- and inevitably further expense.

(Is this sounding familiar to any boat owners out there?)

Anyway, my latest query relates to the mainsheet. The previous owner of my boat had a 12mm thick rope for the mainsheet, but was running it through blocks clearly designed for 10mm or less. The sheaves in these blocks are chipped and broken with age and I'll have to replace them.

If I continue to use his 12mm rope (which seems still to be OK), then I'll have to buy blocks for 14mm rope -- which is a considerable expense compared to the same blocks for 10mm rope.

I'm keen to know what other Investigator owners use on their mainsheets please. Is it necessary to have a 12mm rope, or is this overkill? Would 10mm rope be adequate? Or should I bite the bullet and fork out for the larger, heavier blocks?

Many thanks,

Geoff

[Yara50]

10 mm is fine. The loads are small, given the number of falls of the rope. It is just a matter of how delicate your hands are, and if you need a softer rope touch. I also changed to 10 mm.