The trade-offs are loss of a traveler and difficulty in adding a Bimini that can be used while sailing; the upside is clearing some space in the cockpit as you said--IMHO. On the other hand, you could add a Bimini at the forward end of the cockpit if you move the sheeting aft. --Gary Hyde 2005 M17 #637 sailboat 'Hydeaway 2' On Jul 25, 2010, at 12:40 PM, Jim Wiliams wrote:

After having our M17 for six months, we're interested in learning more about the pluses and minuses of moving the mainsheet to the end of the boom. The obvious plus is gaining more room in the cockpit, which appeals to us since we are both fairly tall and less nimble than ever. What we don't have is a good feel for is what we would give up in terms of sail control. Any input on this would be really helpful, especially in the form of photos that show the details of how exactly the end of boom sheeting is rigged (i.e., what hardware works well, where and how the best attachment point aft is located, etc.). We are definitely cruisers and not racers, but do enjoy having the boat perform well under sail. We love Latitude's performance with the stock mainsheet rig supplied by Bob Eeg, and are trying to figure out the tradeoffs in making such a change. We welcome all reports of experiences, problems, payoffs etc, and would especially like to see some pics of how you may have executed this major change to your 17.

Jim & Cynthia M17 Latitude

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