26X original sail shape problems - need advice

[Don T]

Hello,
If your back stay is adjustable, you can tighten it and bend / arc the mast aft and that will flatten the sail so it's not as baggy (read draft) at the mast.

[vizwhiz]

Just a quick comment...
When I asked about this a year or so back, JudyB mentioned that it was important to reattach the bolt rope because it actually carries load and is supposed to stretch as you haul it up to full height. She expressed concern over letting the sail cloth take the vertical load without the proper reinforcement that comes from the bolt rope. When i replaced my bolt rope, i used a standard type of line (sta-set?) that had a rating of about 9% stretch to it, made it a little short so it would have to be stretched to fully raise the main, and re-stitched top and bottom to secure it. I can haul up the main without having to worry about tearing the sail cloth because the rope is holding the tension. My sail does look a lot better than it did with the shrunken bolt rope. (I also replaced the foot rope.)

[Steve K]

Just a quick comment...
When I asked about this a year or so back, JudyB mentioned that it was important to reattach the bolt rope because it actually carries load and is supposed to stretch as you haul it up to full height. She expressed concern over letting the sail cloth take the vertical load without the proper reinforcement that comes from the bolt rope. When i replaced my bolt rope, i used a standard type of line (sta-set?) that had a rating of about 9% stretch to it, made it a little short so it would have to be stretched to fully raise the main, and re-stitched top and bottom to secure it. I can haul up the main without having to worry about tearing the sail cloth because the rope is holding the tension. My sail does look a lot better than it did with the shrunken bolt rope. (I also replaced the foot rope.)

viz,
I concur strongly (re: restitching the bolt rope)

BB,
SK

[paul I]

After being inspired by this thread, and since I was unhappy with the shape of my own sail, I did some work on the main last week. Results so far:

1. Cut the bottom bolt rope threads. After hoisting a few times with the winch I got a very small improvement in shape. There was only about an inch of movement of the bolt rope in the sheath. I have not yet re attached it thinking it may improve more.

2. Adjusted the leech line. This produced a much larger effect and removed a lot of wrinkles. Went out in 10 knot winds and tightened it up just to the point where the edge luffing was minimal. I ended up letting out about 2.5 inches of line from where it was originally.

3. By far the biggest improvement came with changing the tack attachment point. I experimented with different combinations of shackles to get an idea of the right "gap" needed. The sweet spot required adding about 3.25 inches to move the attachment point aft. I'm coming very close to maxing out the adjustment of the outhaul, but it still works ok ( I use a small boom mounted block and cleat).

When I was done the sail shape was improved considerably.

A few things I noticed.

I have an attachment grommet that seems like it is in line with the first set of reef points which is set back in the sail about 1/2 inch more than the others. I thought about installing another slider there but I did not have the correct size connector. Perhaps it needs to stay empty to facilitate reefing?

It also seems like the sail could use another grommet and slider at the very bottom where the bolt rope sheath ends. Any ideas on this?

Anyway, this off season I plan to install the twisted shackle on the boom and re attach the bolt rope once I know all the shrink has been accounted for.

[Tomfoolery]

Hopefully this comes out ok. It's where I put the hole in the boom.



The location of the hole is pretty good, though maybe it could be slightly forward. Or not, since that lowest part of the sail isn't, and has never, been pulled forward, and may just be a little aft due from that.

The really relevant dimension is not there, namely from mast face to shackle hole, or even mast face to sail tack. Relevant because I don't know if the gooseneck is original, if they were all made the same, or what. The location of the tack to the bolt rope slot in the mast is really what you're trying to locate, and even a different twisted shackle can change that. I don't remember if the twisted shackle I'm using came from BWY, or if it came from by box of shackles, since I know I had one that I used to use for the MRS before I changed the blocks.

Also, make real sure you put the hole high enough that the shackle can fit under it, as the bottom of the bolt rope slot is solid. I drilled it on the boat, and it came out a little low, so I had to slot the holes a little. The dimension I show is down from the plane defined by the top of the bolt rope slot, not along the sloped sides. A drill press and good setup would be a whole lot easier than locating, punching, and drilling (without walking) in situ, but I didn't want to take it all apart far from home and delay the whole project. I can (and will have to) live with the slotted holes.

To find the location, I use a piece of line to the original tack fitting, just to get the fore/aft location under outhaul tension, and I let the bolt rope in the boom take the halyard load. I think one of my early pictures has some black line to the tack fitting. Or maybe it was chained shackles. Whatever.

Anyway, hope this helps.

[Neo]

I drilled a hole in the boom for the twisted shackle (thanks, RobertB), and that now puts down force on the tack instead of the bolt rope taking it just where it ends. The 'knee' no longer looks like a knee. It looks like how it's supposed to look - straight down the mast, then angled back to the tack.

Hi Tom,

How are you going with this mod? .... Is that a pin (through the boom track) and a twist shackle (in the boom track)?
What did you use for a pin?

Many thanks.
Neo

[Tomfoolery]

I don't remember the specs on the pin, Neo, but it's small. Probably 3/16" dia. Definitely not 1/4". I can probably check soon, as I think I brought the boom indoors for the winter (my in-laws' place, which I'm the caretaker of during the winter). And yes, that's a twisted shackle. Pretty sure it's just the unit from BWY. Again, I'd have to get to the boom to see what it is, as I probably left it with the boom, as I normally leave hardware with the spars and such so I know where it is.

As to the sail shape, it now looks like a real sail, rather than a baggy bed sheet. It's original, and I could use a new one of higher quality, but at least it's not an embarrassment when it's up any more.