Bethwaite v2 - one you can live with?

I have - judging by my fellow Solo sailors - quite radical views on the Solo mainsheet system. A long time ago I removed everything on the thwart and moved the mainsheet track to the transom. It makes for a comfortable boat and I am sure has improved my racing results for a variety of reasons I have talked about before.

But moving the mainsheet track and associated controls is, I admit, not something most people would consider doing to their carefully (professionally?) fitted-out FRP Solo.

At the same time, quite a few sailors have similar issues with the Solo layout that I do. I actively dislike it and I am not alone. When I bought a Solo after sailing a Laser for many years I was not happy with how the mainsheet system got in my way both upwind and downwind. You can - at least - let the traveller off and move some of the system out of your way if you need to sit near the middle of the boat. But that giant piece of metal (the mainsheet swivel base?) that holds the final pulley block and the entirely unnecessary mainsheet cleat is in the way of almost everything: tacking, gybing, sitting in a bit, sheeting on a run (mine would not even swivel forwards properly!).

I was thinking about this recently. I have been wondering if I would treat myself to a more modern Solo than the (rather lovely) 24 year old all-wood Boon I sail at the moment. With a newer boat, would I move everything to the transom? It is quite a significant bit of work to do on an expensive boat and not so easy to reverse if you decided to sell it (assuming the prospective buyers wanted a "standard" setup).

What is really unacceptable to me is that mainsheet swivel base fitting. Large, quite sharp, always in the way. Without that, a centre mainsheet and traveller is a lot more useful and kinder on the bottom and shins.

Which leads me to Bethwaite Sheeting v2. I am really liking my existing Bethwaite system which has the ratchet block on the boom. It took me a race or two to get used to it, but now I wouldn't go back. Good in light winds, good in strong winds. That mustn't change, but the rest can.

So the plan for a Bethwaite v2 on the next boat (whenever that is!) is this:

1. Unscrew/remove the mainsheet base fitting
2. Shorten the strop for the aft-most block on the boom
3. Replace the aft-most boom block with a good auto-ratchet
4. Enjoy a nice cup of tea

This gives me a reversible change. I can cover up the screw holes for the base with a bit of non-slip or other sticky plastic. If another owner wants the old system back it can be done in 5 minutes. And I get my Bethwaite v2 system - also in about 5 minutes. ⛵

Footnote: I know from my current system that you need a way of keeping the loose end of the mainsheet somewhere near the middle of the boat so you can get it back easily if you let go of it. There are several ways of doing this: an eye screwed to the the mainsheet base, tie the end around something else in the middle, or tying it to something on the traveller. I think I will go for the latter, but I am going to make a decision on that when I have an actual boat in front of me.