Main Sail Modification

[JBP]

Originally Posted by hlev00

My main on a 42’ sloop hits the dodger when sheeting in. Problem was caused by the original owner specifying a dodger that was too tall. I talked to a sailmaker who said it was doable, but the cost to raise the clew and the reef points wasn’t worth it. I try not to look up and avoid close hauled as much as possible anyway.

I had the same problem, but I had some extra room at the head, so I raised the tack (and thus the clew) a few inches by replacing the tack shackle with a soft shackle about 5 inches long. You can see it in the picture I posted above.

[Goodxcharly]

Good idea!

Won’t really hurt anything and you will still be making 5 knots. )

[hlev00]

Originally Posted by JBP

I had the same problem, but I had some extra room at the head, so I raised the tack (and thus the clew) a few inches by replacing the tack shackle with a soft shackle about 5 inches long. You can see it in the picture I posted above.

I don't think I have the extra room at the head but I will definitely check. Even an inch or two would be an improvement.

[donradcliffe]

We have always had a flattening reef in our mainsails, and in the small race boat it now goes on every time we hoist the main. We are getting too old to duck under the boom.

[Bully]

Originally Posted by Don C L

To recut the mainsail and make a new clew is going to be more, of course. But just adding a flattening reef reinforcement and cringle is not so bad; you just have to be ok with an extra bit of sail tucked in or hanging off the end of the boom.

If the sailmaker is fitting a flattening reef then very little extra work to trim the foot and fit a tape over it in loose footed style! Much neater!!
But the main thing with a recut that could blow the budget is if the reefs are angled the same as the existing foot, we dont want our boom hanging low when reefed! Using extended luff pennants on the luff reefs can alleviate this on some systems, check with your local sailmaker.

[Rucksta]

If your main is cross cut it's probably Dacron and if a few seasons old probably stretched.

Recutting the mid panels so the sail has less draft gives the sailmaker the opportunity to shorten the leech raising the clew in the process without more expensive re-enforcements of a new clew or problems with batten angle when reefed.

If the main is radial cut then this solution is not cost effective.

[MikadoII]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I will go and have a chat with my sailmaker.


Re Snore and blasphemy, maybe a little bit of blasphemy is better than a great deal of profanity.