Re: Sail slides and track
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:32 pm
Hi Mike,
When the lacing is done like it is shown the picture, the line goes slack everywhere as soon as the halyard is eased as the sail is lowered. Because of that, it doesn't bind. The only issue with this setup is that the lacing might get mauled in the tabernacle hinge, when lowering the mast. This is easily fixed by attaching small blocks of wood to the mast just above the hinge, or, a bit of bungee cord to keep the lacing clear of the hinge.
The gaff doesn't really need to be fixed to the mast. The cheek-block is only a few inches above the gaff, and the luff tension keeps the gaff at the mast. There are two holes in the gaff with a loop (a soft shackle) of 4 mm Dyneema going through them. The throat of the sail is attached to that loop and the block is attached to the top of the loop. The tension of the halyard is acting on the throat of the sail - not on the gaff. The gaff is only kept in place by the loop. I do have a little line around the mast to secure the gaff jaws, but it doesn't do anything. Even with a reef in the sail, the gaff stays at the mast by halyard tension and the lacing.
Speaking of reefing: the lacing will need tightening and securing on a little cleat when putting in a reef, but the lacing is never really tight anyway - it merely stops the sail from going too baggy. The tension on the throat halyard does most of the work ...
Cheers,
Peter
When the lacing is done like it is shown the picture, the line goes slack everywhere as soon as the halyard is eased as the sail is lowered. Because of that, it doesn't bind. The only issue with this setup is that the lacing might get mauled in the tabernacle hinge, when lowering the mast. This is easily fixed by attaching small blocks of wood to the mast just above the hinge, or, a bit of bungee cord to keep the lacing clear of the hinge.
The gaff doesn't really need to be fixed to the mast. The cheek-block is only a few inches above the gaff, and the luff tension keeps the gaff at the mast. There are two holes in the gaff with a loop (a soft shackle) of 4 mm Dyneema going through them. The throat of the sail is attached to that loop and the block is attached to the top of the loop. The tension of the halyard is acting on the throat of the sail - not on the gaff. The gaff is only kept in place by the loop. I do have a little line around the mast to secure the gaff jaws, but it doesn't do anything. Even with a reef in the sail, the gaff stays at the mast by halyard tension and the lacing.
Speaking of reefing: the lacing will need tightening and securing on a little cleat when putting in a reef, but the lacing is never really tight anyway - it merely stops the sail from going too baggy. The tension on the throat halyard does most of the work ...
Cheers,
Peter