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Lace line Main Sail attachment...
Posted:
Mon Apr 26, 2021 8:40 am
by Arjen
Hi,
I just returned from my sail-maker which gave me the option to attach the mainsail to the mast with a lace line.
Apart from the fact that I cant find any proper t-track over here in Holland it might give a more authentic look as well.
Does anybody have experience with a lace line?
Re: Lace line Main Sail attachment...
Posted:
Mon Apr 26, 2021 6:42 pm
by Bflat
As designed, the gaff rides the mast on a sliding gooseneck. Without sail track, "jaws" would be needed to keep the gaff on the mast. There's not much wrong with jaws, but they don't really go with a square mast, and cause chafe (even on a round mast).
With John Harris's blessing, I made round spars, including a hollow mast using the birds mouth method, for my Pocketship only because I wanted the challenge and think they look nice (there's no other advantage). I still use track just because I like having the gaff on a gooseneck, although I've considered switching to jaws and robands or hoops for the traditional look. Lacing on the mast makes reefing a little bit slower than track (I think) because one must tighten the lacing for each reef - that's one more step and one more cleat. Hoops or robands don't have that problem, but have other problems (chafing and jamming).
I DID, however, go WITHOUT track on the gaff, opting for robands to save weight aloft and am quite happy with that decision.
Having said all that, I now realize that you're the guy who built the aluminum boat (looks great). Are you going with aluminum spars?
Cheers,
Bob
Re: Lace line Main Sail attachment...
Posted:
Tue Apr 27, 2021 5:21 am
by Arjen
Hi Bob,
Thanks for extensive reply.
I already considered the chaving of jaws on the mast. Glad you confirm that too.
I overlooked the slacking of the lace when reefing. Good that you mention that.
Luckily I found a supplier that has sells tracks. A suitable gooseneck with slider still is not easy to find over here.
We don’t have a racelite dealer in Europe.
What gooseneck did you use and where did you bought that?
Cheers
Arjen
Re: Lace line Main Sail attachment...
Posted:
Tue Apr 27, 2021 7:32 am
by Bflat
Hi Arjen,
I have the racelite gooseneck. It's included in the hardware package I bought through CLC.
Bob
Re: Lace line Main Sail attachment...
Posted:
Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:32 pm
by JonLee
Assuming they do international shipping, you can order the Racelite parts either through Racelite's website or through duckworks.com.