Folding new mainsail on boom, tips please!

[pcatterall]

Our new main is great but it aint half hard to fold away!
Currently after sailing we just drop it any old how into the lazy jack's then raise and drop more carefully in shelter.
We are trying to flake it over and onto the boom flaking to one side then the other. It seems to work with 2 of use bashing and pulling.
From the front the flakes are starting to look more equal and neat and I wonder if we should stick some coloured stickers to denote left flake right flake so other crew will fold the same way? Green and ' in our case blue as the sail is red.
Any tips or advice please?

 

[davidej]

Is it a good idea to always flake it the same way?

I would have thought it is better if you don't keep creasing the sail in same position but vary it about.

 

[savageseadog]

Roll it

 

[lpdsn]

Any tips or advice please?

Just practice really. Other than that:

Let the person at the mast lead - unavoidable if you have slides rather than luff tape.

Don't try to shuffle the sail around once the flake is in. If it ain't good enough go back and do it again.

You don't need any coloured stickers.

 

[BelleSerene]

I always find the main trick is to pull each flake hard aft as you're putting it in. But probably grandmothers and sucking eggs, so I am sorry if so.

Agree with lpdsn that it's best not to shuffle the sail material hard once a flake is in, as it pulls the convex point of a crease along the length of a fold, wearing the laminate.

 

[webcraft]

.
One person doing it from the back, pulling each flake back hard as you make it and getting the sail ties on sequentially from the back as you go.

Much easier if just one person does it - having a second person at the front usually does not help IMO.

- W

 

[LadyInBed]

As Webcraft says.
One tip, get a boom length of 3mm laid cord and a couple of plastic clips for each end, then feed your sail ties through the cord at equal spacing. I use bungee ties.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Roll it

This works with small sails, but if it is on a boat anything much over 23ft it can get quite heavy.
A point to note is that the person at the luff MUST control the operation so that the luff rolls directly over itself, so to speak, and does not become a spiral, otherwise you will have a roll which is longer than the boom.

 

[Martin&Rene]

If you can, put the folds in to match how the mainsail will be when it is reefed if your mainsail has pulleys on the reefing points.

 

[savageseadog]

This works with small sails, but if it is on a boat anything much over 23ft it can get quite heavy.
A point to note is that the person at the luff MUST control the operation so that the luff rolls directly over itself, so to speak, and does not become a spiral, otherwise you will have a roll which is longer than the boom.

We do it on a 50ft main

 

[[163233]]

I always find the main trick is to pull each flake hard aft as you're putting it in.

Make sure you grab a solid bit of the sail though, if you yank it aft by the seam it can pull out...

Roll it

You mean just chuck it all off to one side and roll it back to the boom?
I might try that..

 

[Lucky Duck]

You mean just chuck it all off to one side and roll it back to the boom?
I might try that..

Unless you have a 'bolt' rope rather than sliders, that isn't going to work..

 

[[163233]]

Unless you have a 'bolt' rope rather than sliders, that isn't going to work..

Ah, I was wondering if they meant to remove it all from the mast track.. But you could still get the middle and roll it back to the boom.

 

[Lucky Duck]

Removing it all from the mast track is an option but I wouldn't be in a rush to do that

 

[johnalison]

Eventually, a sail will 'learn' how to behave, but it's not always easy. One tip not mentioned is to have the lazyjacks slightly slack when lowering the sail. My Hydranet main is a bit delinquent but a combination of this and pulling each flake aft more or less works.

 

[[163233]]

Removing it all from the mast track is an option but I wouldn't be in a rush to do that

Ah I see, he's being funny, very good. I'm a bit slow today obvs.

 

[MM5AHO]

After a few years folding it the same way it will tend to fall like that.
I don't have lazy jacks, but can flake the sail into reasonable shape, even in a stiff breeze, and then get the straps round it 1 handed. Pulling it aft (as others have said) is what makes it sit neat.

 

[Lucky Duck]

Ah I see, he's being funny, very good. I'm a bit slow today obvs.

Rolling is what many racing boats do as the main will usually have a bolt rope rather than sliders and there will more crew available for the task.

 

[paulieraw]

Takes two to flake properly just ensure to keep tension and make the flakes even. Rolling is okay but you have to take it out of the track and also remove any batons a right pain so roll at the end of the season.

 

[pcatterall]

Thanks all! One thing I now have to do is take the top three slides out and fold that bit of the sail down as the new top plate thing is bigger than the old one and an awkward shape for bagging.
We will continue as before but incorporating your good advice. We are in group ownership now so want to be consistent in what we do!
Thanks again