Harken Mainsheet System Selection Guide (PDF)

SELECTION GUIDE

Pick a Harken mainsheet system by purchase and boat size: 4:1 to 8:1 tackles, gross/fine cascades, dedicated-winch layouts and two-speed systems, with the block part numbers for small, midrange and big boats.

DocumentHarken Mainsheet System Selection Guide

FormatPDF · 3 pages · 14.2 MB

LanguageEnglish

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Boat Size Tackles & Cascades Dedicated Winch Two-Speed Products

How to Read the Tables

Column	Typical boat length
Small boat	6.7 – 8.5 m (22 – 28')
Midrange	8.8 – 10.4 m (29 – 34')
Big boat	10.7 – 12.8 m (35 – 42')

Part numbers represent the hardware most commonly used. Letters (A, B, C…) match the diagrams. Linked numbers are in stock at MauriPro; the rest we can source.

Tackles and Gross/Fine Cascades

Ref.	Description	Small boat	Midrange	Big boat
4:1 Fiddle	Most common tackle on boats under 8.5 m (28').
A	Fiddle	2621 →	2690 →	1559 →
B	Fiddle	2676 →	2697 →	1566 →
6:1 Reeved Right Angle	Boats with mainsails to 35 m² (375 ft²) often use a 6:1.
A	Triple	2604 →	2664 →	1546 →
B	Triple	2141 →	2686 →	1556 →
4:1 Swivel Base	Swivel base block off the traveler car lets you trim the main without dragging the car to windward in light air. Curve the track ends up to avoid tightening the leech.
A	Single	2600 →	2660 →	1540 →
B	Single	2601 →	2661 →	1541 →
C	Single	2135 →	2670 →	1549 →
D	Cam base	205 →	144 →	1574 →
4:1/16:1 Gross/Fine	Cascading system: 4:1 gross-trim for most trimming, 16:1 fine-tune for precise adjustment.
A	Single	2636 →	2600 →	2660 →
B	Double	381 →	2642 →	2602 →
C	Fiddle	2658 →	2676 →	2697 →
D	Fiddle	2675 →	2696 →	1565 →
4:1/16:1 Double-ended Fine Tune	Dinghy-like double-ended tackle that puts the sheet ends on the cockpit sides.
A	Single	2636 →	2600 →	2660 →
B	Single	2135 →	2135 →	1549 →
C	Cam base	205 →	144 →	1574 →
D	Double	342 →	2638 →	2602 →
E	Single	349 →	2652 →	2600 →
F	Cam cleat	471 →	471 →	150 →
6:1/24:1 Gross/Fine	Boats with end-boom sheeting and mains as large as 25.5 m² (275 ft²).
A	Double	2638 →	2602 →	2662 →
B	Triple	2647 →	2629 →	1555 →
C	Single	2636 →	2600 →	2660 →
D	Fiddle	2655 →	2621 →	2690 →
E	Fiddle	2676 →	2676 →	2697 →
6:1/24:1 Cascaded	Mains as large as 25.5 m² (275 ft²) with end-boom sheeting.
A	Triple	2640 →	2604 →	2664 →
B	Triple	2617 →	2629 →	2685 →
C	Double	2638 →	2638 →	2602 →
D	Fiddle	2658 →	2658 →	2676 →

8:1 Beachcat (multihulls)

Handles high mainsheet loads on beachcats up to 6 m (20'). Columns here are boat lengths 2.4 – 4.3 m (8 – 14'), 4.6 – 6 m (15 – 20') and 6.4 – 9 m (21 – 30').

Ref.	Description	2.4 – 4.3 m	4.6 – 6 m	6.4 – 9 m
A	Quad	2654 →	2631 →	2677 →
B	Triple	2619 →	2632 →	2687 →

Harken mainsheet diagrams: 4:1, 6:1, 8:1, swivel base and gross/fine systems

Systems with Dedicated Winches

Ref.	Description	Small boat	Midrange	Big boat
7:1/28:1 Gross/Fine	Racing multihulls that split gross-trim from fine-tune; the fine-tune lives in the boom and its cascade hauls the boom in that last little bit.
A	Single	—	2600 →	2660 →
B	Triple	—	2629 →	2685 →
C	Straphead	—	2650 →	2650 →
D	Triple	—	2604 →	2664 →
E	Fiddle	—	2655 →	2621 →
F	Cheek	—	2644 →	2606 →
G	Through-deck	—	046 →	047 →
H	Pivoting lead	—	2156 →	2156 →
4:1 with Dedicated Winch	Moves the traveler over the companionway to clean up the cockpit. A favorite on cruising boats.
A	Single	—	6059	3231 →
B	Fiddle	—	6085	3241 →
C	Single w/becket	—	6094	3232 →
D	Footblock	—	6091 →	3234 →
E	Winch	—	40.2ST	46.2ST
5:1 with Dedicated Winch	Cruising boats with cabintop travelers: sheet leads forward to the gooseneck, down and back to a winch on the aft edge of the cabintop.
A	Single	2660 →	1540 →	3231 →
B	Fiddle w/ becket	2691 →	1560 →	3242 →
C	Footblock	1548 →	1548 →	3234 →
D	Winch	35.2ST	46.2ST	46.2ST
2:1 with Dedicated Winches	Double-ended: the sheet runs freely through the blocks so the traveler car moves easily; the trimmer works from the high side.
A	Single	—	1586 →	3231 →
B	Single	—	1540 →	3215 →
C	Footblock	—	1548 →	3220 →
D	Winch	—	40.2ST	46.2ST
Admiral's Cup 2:1 with Dedicated Winches	Traveler independent of the mainsheet; sheet leads forward along the boom, then down and aft to winches. Used on race boats like the Farr 40.
A	Double	—	1544 →	3233 →
B	Single	—	1586 →	3246 →
C	Single	—	1540 →	3231 →
D	Footblock	—	1548 →	3234 →
E	Winch	—	35.2ST	46.2ST
3:1 with Dedicated Winch	Simple system on many large boats; a block on deck turns the sheet to a winch.
A	Single w/becket	—	—	3247 →
B	Single	—	—	3246 →
C	Stand-up	—	—	3254 →
D	Winch	—	—	46.2ST

Winch sizes (35.2ST, 40.2ST, 46.2ST) are as printed in the guide.

Harken mainsheet diagrams: 7:1/28:1 and dedicated winch systems

Two-Speed Mainsheets

Ref.	Description	Small boat	Midrange	Big boat
2:1/4:1 Swivel Base	Often found on boats like J/24s where a center-mounted swivel base is wanted.
A	Double	2602 →	—	—
B	Single	2600 →	—	—
C	Double	2634 →	—	—
D	Cam base	402 →	—	—
3:1/6:1	End-boom sheeting and mainsails up to 22.3 m² (240 ft²).
A	Cross block	400 →	400 →	—
B	Fiddle	401 →	401 →	—
3:1/6:1 Swivel Base	Lets the mainsheet trimmer sit anywhere on the boat. A great setup for sportboats.
A	Single	2600 →	2600 →	—
B	Double	2602 →	2602 →	—
C	Double	2634 →	2634 →	—
D	Cam base	402 →	402 →	—
4:1/8:1 Swivel Base	Like the 3:1/6:1 swivel base with a 4:1/8:1 tackle for more power.
A	Double	2602 →	2602 →	—
B	Cross block	400 →	400 →	—
C	Double	2634 →	2634 →	—
D	Cam base	402 →	402 →	—