MacGregorSailors.com

I know, I know - the original sail wasn't so hot even when it was new, but I'd like to squeeze a little more life out of it before retiring it to sun shade duty.

It looks like the bolt rope shrunk, and coupled with being at least a little blown out, it's shape ain't so good, no matter what I do. Short of reefing, which allows me to flatten it or give it some shape.



The luff is wrinkled in the bottom quarter, but it's tight. Really tight. It just doesn't look like it in the pics. And the headboard is a foot away from the halyard block.



There's also a funny little 'knee' in the luff, right about the tack fitting. Maybe for a Cunningham that isn't there. I don't know. But it's tight as a drum to the tack fitting, even though it doesn't look like it.



All this bag in the lower portion along the foot is bothering me.

So the question is, do you think there's anything a sail loft can do with this? Or is it even worth it to spend a few bucks? Maybe add an intermediate reef point while they're at it, since the only reef point makes it into a hanky? What says the brain trust?

I think mine looks pretty much the same. I'm interested in the responses.

I figured I wasn't alone.

Do you have an adjustable leech line Tom? It definitely looks blown out, as is mine, but I've been able to take a lot of that folding out by adjusting the leech. After talking with JudyB last year about having mine professionally cleaned and trimmed we concluded that on a cost perspective I would be much better off just replacing my sail. Labor and shipping charges were the big culprits. There was only going to be about a $200.00 difference between my "fixed" old sail and a new one and as she pointed out, it's still an old sail.

do you think there's anything a sail loft can do with this?

Turn into a handful of nice sailing bags for the family.

At the cost of a new stock sail or a nice one from JudyB, I can't see throwing money into these end run material sails as being too practical.

SailCare http://www.sailcare.com/ advertises that they can often recondition the sail to its original shape. If the evaluation yields an estimate that is too high, they will advise you of your options - including a new sail.

With a replacement 5 oz mainsail being <$500 from BWY, I wouldn't put any money into these sails.

You can solve all the wrinkle and blown-out problems on that sail by sailing it loose-footed. Just slide the bolt rope out of the slot in the boom and tie the clew back to the outhaul. Tie a second small 1/4" line around the boom somewhat loosely and through the clew with a double reef knot so that the clew cannot fly away from the boom while the outhaul is being adjusted and so that the lateral force on the sail is taken by the tie rope and not the outhaul.

Now the "bagginess" will just give you a more aerodynamic belly and all the sagging and wrinkling at the foot will be gone. It'll certainly sail better than its sailing now.

Azzarac wrote:Do you have an adjustable leech line Tom?

Yes, it's adjustable, and I just went out to the dock (driveway) and rechecked. I thought is was fully slack, but the crappy little plastic wedge fitting at the bottom had about an inch or so of leach line pulled and locked. That will help lower the boom a little and maybe take a little of the bagginess out, but it's not going to help the wrinkled luff.

I'm reluctant to crank the halyard with the winch to stretch it, as I don't want to break something. This just isn't the sort of boat you can put that kind of halyard load into.

I spoke with JudyB last year about a new main, and it's something I'd really like to do, but I just can't justify it right now. Last kid in (private ) college and all.

mastreb wrote:You can solve all the wrinkle and blown-out problems on that sail by sailing it loose-footed.

<snip>

It'll certainly sail better than its sailing now.

I never thought of that, as I've never sailed a loose-footed main. In fact, JudyB recommended that for a new main. I'll have to try it - can't be any worse than it is now, and maybe the outhaul will actually do something then. Thanks.

The boltrope has shrunk. Cut the stitching loose that is preventing the boltrope from moving up in the pocket. Be careful to not cut the stitching that forms the pocket. Do a forum search on shrunk and boltrope.

~Rich

Hi Tom,

There are a couple things you can try to help this

This won't cost a dime......................

The bolt rope was bad for shrinking on the factory sail.
If you can hang it between two solid points (a couple trees, or something like that)...........
Chain the tack to one tree (chain around tree, post or whatever, with a quick through the tack and ends of the chain)
Attach a come along to the other tree, or other anchor point, and in turn attach the come along to the head of the sail. Stretch the bolt rope, using the come along. Leave it stretched like this for a few days. You can wrap the rest of the sail up onto the tensioned bolt rope and tie it up, to keep it from flogging, during this time. Don't over do the tension and tear the sail.

This will cost, just a little.............

Carefully examine the ends of the bolt rope at each end. You will find the stitches that hold it in place. Carefully remove these stitches to free the bolt rope. Now, you should be able to pull the bolt rope out of the sail.
Buy yourself a new, pre-stretched bolt rope from Sailrite, of the proper diameter and install it in the sail luff. It's not too dificult. you will need something stiff, that is a couple feet long to use as a fid, to get the bolt rope fed through the luff. (I have used a piece of an old fishing pole for this, after removing the line guides. A fiberglass tent pole section also comes to mind). Attach this to the end of the rope with several wraps of good, sticky tape.
Once the rope is completely through, re-stitch the head end, by hand. You need a foot or two of rope to remain hanging out at the tack end at this point.
Now, starting at the head, where you just stitched the rope in, pull and milk the sail cloth along the length of the rope, to pull out all the wrinkles you can. Mark the rope where it exits the sail cloth with a magic marker. Now you can bundle the whole mess up and go sit down somewhere with it and re-stitch the other end (the tack end).

Another way is to remove the old bolt rope and stretch the crap out of it for a few days, by itself and then re-install it.

This should be a major improvement. I've done both of these methods on a couple of old mainsls and it helps quite a bit. I think replacing the bolt rope works best.

You will need the bolt rope itself, some thread (T-92 or similar, I would say, but call Sailrite and ask, they are happy to help), a good, large, hand sewing needle and possibly a sewing palm (I've gotten by with pliers in the absence of a palm).

Try the free method first, then decide if you want to go on.

This, by the look of the pictures you posted, should improve things, quite a bit.

Best Breezes,
Steve K.

That's interesting. Thanks the for write-up.

The sail has slides, so the boltrope doesn't engage the mast slot. Can the boltrope just be cut loose at or near the tack fitting (haven't inspected it yet, but will shortly) and allowed to go loose? Or be re-sewn once it's been pulled through enough to allow the luff to be wrinkle free?

Check the sail bolt rope in the boom, not the mast. That is what was referred to as loose footed.

Hamin' X wrote:The boltrope has shrunk. Cut the stitching loose that is preventing the boltrope from moving up in the pocket. Be careful to not cut the stitching that forms the pocket. Do a forum search on shrunk and boltrope.

Found a good one. Thanks. I'll start playing with it tonight.

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... f=9&t=4348

Anyone have any idea what that 'knee' area at the bottom of the luff is for, or why it's there?

Can the boltrope just be cut loose at or near the tack fitting (haven't inspected it yet, but will shortly) and allowed to go loose?

I've heard this has been done. Haven't tried it myself. Someone (Maybe Newell, not sure) told me they did exactly that and it worked fine. Worth a try maybe.

A thought just occurred to me. Do you think that funny looking tack area could be someone else attempt to solve the same problem Donno, but it doesn't look like any Cunningham, I've ever seen (although I don't know everything by any means). A Cunningham is usually just a a grommet placed several inches above the tack, on a sail of this size.

BB,
SK