17ft Dion swampscott mainsheet set up?

[Mike Hook]

could anyone make some suggestions as to the best way to arrange the mainsheet on a fred dion style swampscott dory?

[L.W. Baxter]

Mike, I launched my Dion Swampscott dory this past spring. Per some advice on this forum, I rigged my mainsheet clipped to a traveler aft, through a block about 2/3rds out on the boom, along the boom through a screw-eye to another block at the gooseneck, down through another block lashed to the mast, then back to hand. This way, the luff tightens itself when you haul in on the sheet. I've found it to be handy enough, though I don't have much sailing experience to compare it with. I don't know if, rigged otherwise, the boom would creep up enough to cause any real problems.

One odd little difficulty I've had is that the sheet as it comes straight back from the mast tends to get fouled up with the handle of the centerboard rod, which sticks up when the board is down, of course.

I think the mainsheet rigged as shown for the 18' sailing dory in The Dory Book would be a good alternative.

--Lee