I've seen some people claim this is a variant of the German system and I don't think that's accurate. If anything the German system is simply a variant of a conventional mainsheet, and twin-sheeting systems should be considered their own thing. There aren't any significant similarities.

Many thanks!

me too

Mine too

What can I say another great video.

Both sheets are lead to a central helm position, it’s quick and easy the way the system is set up. Not dangerous at all if you are sailing the boat properly.

The helm has a pop-up bimini top already built it. It folds down flush into a recess in the hard top. The boom is high enough to clear it.

Not a Balance "innovation" its actually a very old system for boom control. Had this system on my boat 25 years ago and I copied if from an old gaffer that had it!

@@pierremitham2964 We never claimed this was a Balance invention. Phil specifically mentions in the video that we incorporated it from earlier catamaran designs.

@@andrewhodgdon2786 Great, sometimes some protection is weel come. Tks for the reply

Both mainsheets lead to a common helm position, you can release both simultaneously. Other boat builders do not have this same set up that Balance has.

Yes

That would only be the case when jibing downwind. Upwind you leave the blocks in their respective inboard transom positions and just trim them normally. Generally speaking, you will not be doing frequent short jibes in a cruising scenario especially not in heavy weather conditions.

Yes, there are two mainsheets that both run to the helm. On the 526, you also have the option to install winches on the transom and trim the mainsheets from there if you prefer. A solar arch does not make sense, nor is it necessary, on a Balance 526. With our current 400w solar panels we can accommodate up to 2800w of solar on the hard top while still leaving walking space along the boom to access the mainsail stack pack. A solar arch would conflict with the mainsheet system and add unnecessary weight on the stern of the boat.

What you're seeing is the inner core of a dyneema double braid line. When splicing an eye loop in a double braid line you have to taper the cover back. Since that end of the line never runs through a block it does not need the chafe resistance of the outer cover and the strength characteristics remain well within specs. This is common practice on all performance sailboats using dyneema lines.

Can you elaborate? It's not clear what you're asking.

@@andrewhodgdon2786 Described at 1:30 in the video. It isn't clear to me how you could control the amount of stretch after centering the main.

@@heisenbugz He's describing the ability to control the boom height, and therefore, the sail shape of the main. This is possible because of the triangulated set up of the dual mainsheets in the A-Frame design. You basically have total control of sail shape and boom location due to the ability to move the blocks and then trim the mainsheets.

That was probably an instruction straight from Phil! 🤣

Forgive me, this is just not true. You do not have to release the leeward sheet to "dump the mainsail" at all. Anytime you wish to depower the boat, or turn down, you simply ease the windward sheet. If someone has an issue with this system they do not know what they are doing, or the system is designed improperly. FYI: this same system was used on every single Catana 471 and 431 ever built. I have never heard of anyone struggling with it. There are three big things I do not like about a traveler system: 1. It complicates sailing and means you have to have a track and cars and extra winches and sheets. It is more time consuming to gybe for sure. 2. A traveller system means you cannot control the swing of the boom in bouncing conditions anytime the mainsail is not trimmed in tight. This means you must attach a preventer to the leeward hull to stop yourself by being driven crazy with your banging boom. In our the V system the mainsail is always vanged. And you do not have to detach the preventer to gybe. The one caveat is that if you wish to sail downwind for a long period of time we sometimes "vang" the boom to the leeward hull like a preventer to get better mainsail trim angle. In this instance you must attach and detach the leeward sheet before you gybe. I can say that in most day sailing and hopping conditions we do not do this. 3. The V system allows you superb control over the leach of the mainsail and enables you to twist it or flatten it to perfection if you know what you are doing. A traveler does not allow you to adjust twist nearly as well. Alas, another video I must do! Stay in balance!

@@balancecatamarans I agree with some of those points. However when the boom is much past the centerline and the leeward sheet pull becomes vertical or past vertical i.e. facing the same direction as the windward sheet, easing the windward sheet isn't going to do much unless you have the leeward sheet very slacked. If you have it very loose and ease the windward side, then you can have large shock loading happening as that slack is taken up quickly. Again, Shayne Young from @youngbarnacles who is a well known multihull racer and rigger demonstrates this on his Catana 42 with the A frame system in the video I linked to. Every system is a set of compromises, but a traveller setup is a pretty well tried and tested one.

⁠@@kenyonstewart7120 i watched the other video too and was initially concerned about this system as the one in the other video doesn’t look great, however I noticed the balance has 2 distinct differences which look like they would help to alleviate the issues described: 1. You can change the attachment positions of the two sheets. This would make the angle of the leeward sheet so wide that you should always be able to dump the main from the windward sheet. 2 Although it’s not shown on this video, it looks like the two sheets on the balance are controlled together at the helm as opposed to two different positions, so trimming would be easier as you could more easily adjust both sheets at the same time. Would be nice to see another video showing how the balance is trimmed to confirm 👍🏼