Sheet Load Engineering

[lavery]

Sheet Load (of) Engineering

Sailors,
Does anyone actually calculate their sheet loads in order to determine their sheet tensile strength?

Would anyone care to entertain my inner engineer with how you get from mainsheet load to sheet tensile strength?

Harken provides a mainsheet load calculator at
http://www.harken.com/calculators/MainsheetLoading.aspx

Plug in your E and P boat dimensions, which can be found at:
http://www.mauriprosailing.com/techi...cs/Rig%20S.htm

You will need also the distance between aft boom end and sheet attachment point, as well as a guess about relative wind speed. The calculator cranks out Mainsheet Load in pounds.

The equation is a doozey and can be seen at
http://www.harken.com/charts/mainsheetsysloading.php
along with a caveat about the equation being controversial. If Harken puts it out there though, I’m thinking it is probably reasonably good.

Whatever your path to peace with your mainsheet, whether it be number crunching or not, I’d like to know how you arrive at a mainsheet tensile strength with which you feel comfortable.

Thanks all,

Jim Lavery
s/v Hoku Ke’a
Southern Cross 31