Key Message: While cost-effective, the traditional A-frame mainsheet system compromises both safety and performance with its imprecise control and dangerously slow response in gusty conditions. The modern traveler system, as seen on the Gunboat 68, provides precise, one-control sailing that allows for quick depowering and optimal sail shape, establishing it as the superior and safer choice for any serious multihull sailor.
Author: Shayne and Anna
Introduction: Two Philosophies of Control
In our previous video, we looked at the mainsheet track and traveler system used on the Gunboat 68. This setup represents a modern, precision approach to sail control. In stark contrast, our Catana 42, Paikea, uses an A-frame system—a double-ended arrangement common on many older French catamarans. This side-by-side comparison reveals a significant gap not just in technology, but in safety and functionality.
The Gold Standard: Gunboat 68’s Traveler System
The system aboard the Gunboat 68 is, in our opinion, far superior. It serves as a benchmark for what a modern multihull mainsheet system should be:
- Simplicity and Precision: You can set your mainsail’s leech profile and then use the traveler—via push-button control or manual winches—to trim the main perfectly without altering that efficient shape.
- Effective Power Control: It allows you to power up or de-power the boat seamlessly, maintaining optimal sail efficiency throughout the maneuver.
- Inherent Safety: The ability to dump the mainsheet quickly and effectively in a gust is a critical safety feature that this system provides without compromise.
We believe this represents the ultimate mainsheet setup for any serious multihull.
Living with the A-Frame: Compromises and Dangers
On our Catana, the A-frame system presents daily challenges that go beyond mere inconvenience.
- A Guessing Game: Trimming is an exercise in estimation. To adjust the boom’s position, you must ease one sheet while simultaneously pulling in the other, a process that is inherently imprecise.
- The Safety Deficit: As demonstrated in our video, dumping power in a gust is neither straightforward nor fully effective. You must choose which sheet to release, and neither option depowers the sail adequately, creating a potentially hazardous situation.
- Inefficiency in Action: Simple maneuvers become complex, multi-step processes that steal attention from other vital sailing tasks.
While it is a cheaper system to install, its limitations in control and safety are significant drawbacks.
Practical Demonstration: Theory Meets Reality
Our video evidence moves the discussion from theory to tangible experience. We show the real-world consequences of the A-frame’s design flaws:
- The delayed and inadequate response when trying to depower quickly.
- The frustrating process of making a simple lateral adjustment to the boom.
- The constant battle to maintain proper sail twist during and after any trim change.
This hands-on perspective is crucial for any boat owner considering their own rigging options.
Conclusion: A System Worth Changing
This comparison highlights why the modern traveler system is a worthwhile investment. The A-frame’s cost-saving appeal is quickly overshadowed by its operational weaknesses and safety concerns. Our experience on Paikea has made one thing clear: upgrading to a proper tractor traveler system is not just a matter of improving performance, but a crucial step towards safer, more confident sailing.
Join the Discussion
This is a topic with room for debate among sailors. If you have experience with either system and would like to chime in on the discussion, we invite you to Join our Members Hub and share your thoughts on our forum.
If you want to know more about how these two mainsheet systems work, we suggest checking out Schionning Design Website where they have some great reference material including one on Mainsheet Systems for Catamarans.
Watch our Playlist
This playlist documents our experience with Paikea’s A-frame mainsheet system – and why we believe it’s a flawed design that needs replacing. We break down the real-world safety concerns, inefficient sail control, and practical limitations we’ve encountered while sailing our Catana. From dangerous gust response to impossible fine-tuning, we show you exactly what doesn’t work and explain what we’ll install instead. Includes our analysis of superior systems like the Gunboat 68’s traveler and will grow as we explore other rigging solutions.
Videos in this playlist cover:
- Real demonstrations of the A-frame’s dangerous limitations
- Why dumping mainsheet power is nearly impossible
- Head-to-head comparison with modern traveler systems
- Our planned replacement system and upgrade path
- Technical analysis of what makes a good mainsheet setup
I hear you on the drawback of not being able to dump one sheet and get as much ease as you’d like — one thought is that the deadend of each sheet could terminate on either a fitting on the boom that would be released with a dump or could enter the boom and run forward to a block inside the boom that could be dumped. In the first case you would get ease of at least six or seven feet of sheet if you set it up with a stopper knot so it couldn’t pull through the deck block when dumped and would still allow the main to be pulled back in although with fewer parts in the purchases. In the latter case you could get more dump and also could use the dump to trim in both sheets simultaneously. Just a thought. FWIW I have a traveler on my Atlantic 55 and am totally happy to have it 😉