What would you do with this?!

[gamayun]

So my "new" 20-footer just got a new mainsail with a nice, big roachy sail. It's really quite pretty but totally useless because it won't pass through the backstay not even trying to "pump" it. What would you do? Ask the sail maker to cut it down? Make a new one that fits the area correctly? Ask for your money back? I've never dealt with this before.

[Don C L]

Well.... I actually have a bit of this problem with my main... since I have a gooseneck on a track I have just kept it pegged as low as it can go, but I have also used the Cunningham and the flattening reef cringles to bring the sail down the foot or so they offer. I guess I'd, yes, ask the sailmaker how much to lower it (take some off the foot).. or put in Cunningham and flattening reef??? (That suggestion is in jest) If it was their fault, yes have them fix it, of course. I bet they will with not too much fuss anyway. At least the sailmaker I deal with is very agreeable to fixes. Good luck!

[Sailmonkey]

Get your sailmaker to tack the boat for you. I’ve only had a problem with one sail fitting, but I took the sailmaker put to illustrate t he problem.

[StuM]

What you do depends on nuber of factors:


Who did the measurements? Who approved them?
Is the sailmaker local? Did they view the boat?

[cal40john]

I inherited a racing main on my boat. In light airs I have to pump the backstay fore and aft in resonance to get the main to clear.

Another annoyance is the main is designed to be at the bottom of the sliding gooseneck track which puts the 17' heavy boom at head height. When I have newbies onboard I sometimes put in the first reef tied to the gooseneck and hoist to the top of the track. I'm 2 or 3 inches shy of the original size the main was supposed to be.

[Toccata]

If you like the main, just add a flicker, run the backstay through a low friction ring on the end of it.
Part of the tack process is to loosen and then retension the backstay (you may need to make an alteration to your backstay tension system

[Franziska]

Hmmm.

How about spring loading your backstay? Sailing batten aloft attached to the mast top pointing backwards and to the backstay about 1m out.
When tight the batten gets pulled down. When the backstay gets released, the batten is lifting the backstay.
Like on a Melges 24...

Might work, but I do not know your rigging configuration and if it would allow releasing the backstay in a tack or jibe...

We have a big roach (because we wanted better light wind performance and more sail area) and use runners. If we need to tack in close quarters we reef and the roach passes under the back stays even when fixed.

[chrisr]

back stay flicker

all the sports boats these days have big roachy mains and so need a flicker. very common...

cheers,

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by StuM

What you do depends on nuber of factors:


Who did the measurements? Who approved them?
Is the sailmaker local? Did they view the boat?

The sailmaker is local and took measurements on the boat.

I'll have to do some research on a "flicker" but it still seems there's an awful lot of material that needs to pass through.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by gamayun

The sailmaker is local and took measurements on the boat.

I'll have to do some research on a "flicker" but it still seems there's an awful lot of material that needs to pass through.

Three possible solutions:

1. Backstay flicker (batten or fishing pole section)
2. Twin backstays (use like running backstays, (best of you have swept back spreaders for safety)
3. Drop the halyard to allow the sail to pass through after each tack or jibe
4. Put in a very short and soft top batten
5. Recut the sail to remove the roach

Our main overlaps the backstay by over a foot, but in our case we don't have the problem unless the wind is very light. We just deal with it.

[dfelsent]

I had the same issue with a new sail.
The sailmaker added slippery material over the batten pockets. That helped some.
I changed tacking technique too. A big ease as the main was coming across followed by trimming in.
In light air it still hung up sometimes.
The extra roach was worth the pain. Light air performance was much better.
Work with the sailmaker. Mine didn’t appreciate the problem until he was onboard.

[Discovery 15797]

Originally Posted by gamayun

The sailmaker is local and took measurements on the boat.

I'll have to do some research on a "flicker" but it still seems there's an awful lot of material that needs to pass through.

Even with a flicker, that's a lot of sail area to clear, and just something else to muck with when tacking.

All suggestions have you modifying your boat, or adding unnecessary processes when tacking.

You sailmaker clearly made an error here. While modern boats are designed for mains with higher roaches, your's is not.

I had my sailmaker put a slightly higher roach in my sail without these issues.

I would either return the sail and ask for a refund, or have him/her make a new sail.

[slug]

Originally Posted by gamayun

So my "new" 20-footer just got a new mainsail with a nice, big roachy sail. It's really quite pretty but totally useless because it won't pass through the backstay not even trying to "pump" it. What would you do? Ask the sail maker to cut it down? Make a new one that fits the area correctly? Ask for your money back? I've never dealt with this before.Attachment 210337Attachment 210338

You have a poor sailmaker

Your only choice is to sail with a reef in

[alansmith]

I have the same issue in my old main. I have twin running backstays. Trying to get my main up in lumpy conditions with backstays and lazy jacks flopimg around is quite interesting.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Agree with all of the above suggestions that you get the sailmaker out on the boat. Since they took the measurements, they should be willing to work with you to get the sail altered so it works well on your boat without having to add any new items to control the sail.

The sailmakers I have worked with up here in the PNW would be more than willing to make the sail fit correctly; they certainly don't want to have any negative reviews of comments about their work being propagated in the local sailing community. I believe the ones in the Bay Area would feel the same way.

Just my 2 cents