P-18 mainsheet

There are countless different lines and types of lines for mainsheets. 3/8" New England Sta-set would work fine, as would one of the dyneema blended single braids, like New England Salsa.

i personally LOVE dyneema blended single braids. They are soft and fuzzy (really), dont absorb water (very little), easy on the hands (i no longer need gloves) and are not insanely expensive.

I use Robline racing sheets on both my main and jib. i want to upgrade my spin sheet next.

the specs call for 7/16" but that is a bit skinny for my taste. 1/2" to 9/16" is more comfortable on the hands, i'd go on the bigger end of it, more comfy. the specs also call for 40', get 5' more for knots and stuff, you can always cut some off if need be. buy quality line, you won't regret it!

I was lookig at the New England BZZZ line or Salsa, I will check out Robline too. Thanks

You really can't go wrong with any of the Dyneema blends.

If price is an issue, simple spun dacron works just fine and is fuzzy and easy on the hands.

I actually use standard poly yacht braid on my boat and am fine with it, but in a big blow I would like more texture for keeping a hold of it.

I would recommend against anything bigger than 7/16" for Harken Mainsheet systems. You can maybe fit a larger line but it will not roll very well and will lag when you need to let the sheet out in light air. I run a 7:1 system on my Nacra 5.2 and 3/8" seems to be the right size for good spin on the blocks and wide enough to be comfortable in the hand.

I use this stuff for the mainsheet/traveller:

http://www.defender.com/category.jsp?path=-1|118|311417|314170&id=749711

It seems to work very well and has almost no stretch.

I've also been looking into converting to a dual diameter main sheet setup. You get the larger diameter that is easy on the hands with the advantages of the smaller diameter when feeding through blocks.

See 10:1 system here (1/2 way down)

http://www.catsailor.net/cgi-bin/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000245.html

Like Wolfman, I have a 5.2 w/ 7:1. I use 7/16" salsa spliced to 1/4" vectran. It runs through the blocks like butter and is extremely soft on the hands. I also use a separate traveller line and tie it to the mainsheet w/ a sheetbend. The rope for the traveller line is some old piece of scrap which works just fine.

I've also been looking into converting to a dual diameter main sheet setup.

YES! tapered sheets are great... you can get them pre-made at places like LayLine or http://www.apsltd.com

Any recommendations on where to place the taper on the mainsheet?

yes, u want to have both jacket and core where your hands will be holding the line (say the first 20'). you taper it so the rest simply runs easier through your blocks.

you need to be sure to whip your line correctly (and be sure to use a locking stitch). Several guys (from A cats and f18's) have learned the hard way ... what happens if you dont,,, you pull the core out and are left with a handful of empty jacket.

I am going to order it from Annapolis Performance Sailing, 7/16" Salsa and 1/4" vectran. I was thinking of 15' of Salsa and the rest vectran(35') and let them do the splicing. I was wondering if that was about the right proportions.

i would go a little extra on the salsa... you can cut down the extra. its better to have to much than to little.

perhaps take your current mainsheet and a sharpe and put some marks on it and then measure the lenght.