How to sew sail slides on a boltrope sail?

[DangerousPirate]

My new tides marine sail track and slides should arrive shortly and I try to find out how I actually sew the new slides onto the sail? What stitch is good and how you do it. But unfortunately I don't find much on that regard.

 

[thinwater]

I Googled "webbing sail slide," and literally the first hit was this:

How to Attach Sail Hardware, Part 2 - Webbing on a Slide - OffCenterHarbor.com

 

[Refueler]

Its usually a matter of webbing stitched to sail as a loop holding the slide ... not thread.

 

[jamie N]

On my Folkboat I've used option 1 without any issue for years.

 

[john_morris_uk]

On my Folkboat I've used option 1 without any issue for years.
View attachment 142802

I think it very much depends on the size of boat.

 

[Refueler]

My boat has #4 plastic locking shackle ... which I am not too find of .. it allows the slug to 'float' too much. I much prefer the webbing version where the webbing is matched to the slugs 'hole' and keeps it more straight when hoisting / dropping sail.

 

[DangerousPirate]

Boat is a nicholson 30, and I am looking at sewing it because the sales person from tides marine said I should not use option #1 (which was my initjal plan) becausecapparently the slugs take a higher load or something and I should get a sailmaker to sew them on with webbing straps.

 

[neil_s]

I've used option #5 with about 5 turns of thin multistrand line finished off with a reef knot. You will need to mouse the free ends of the knot, but this is easily done with tiny tywraps.

 

[thinwater]

^^ I've done that too, for field replacments while cruising, and the repairs became permanent and lasted and performed just as well. Just looks funny.

 

[DangerousPirate]

I've used option #5 with about 5 turns of thin multistrand line finished off with a reef knot. You will need to mouse the free ends of the knot, but this is easily done with tiny tywraps.

That's what I had on my other boat, it worked. But I had grommets on that sail. But tides warmly recommends webbing straps. I am not very experienced in sewing, so I wanted to know how to do that so it doesn't suddenly rips while I am in a strong gale or something. :S

 

[Refueler]

Boat is a nicholson 30, and I am looking at sewing it because the sales person from tides marine said I should not use option #1 (which was my initjal plan) becausecapparently the slugs take a higher load or something and I should get a sailmaker to sew them on with webbing straps.

Number 2 then ...... which as I mentioned before - is my preferred method.

Interesting that on my sail with #4 plastic shackles .... the slugs at the headboard are fixed with webbing as the plastic shackles do not have enough 'throat' to suit the headboard.
If I ever have a plastic shackle fail - I will replace with webbing.

 

[wilkinsonsails]

From Jamie N helpful pic .Use option 2 for the Tides sliders .They don’t need too much articulation unlike standard Alloy mast section .
You can easily that by hand ,with palm and needle .Make sure you flake or fold the sail to decide the spacing with relative position of reefs .

 

[Refueler]

That's what I had on my other boat, it worked. But I had grommets on that sail. But tides warmly recommends webbing straps. I am not very experienced in sewing, so I wanted to know how to do that so it doesn't suddenly rips while I am in a strong gale or something. :S

This is my way and may not agree with others.

1. Cut suitable lengths of webbing which matches the slugs opening width.
2. With Cigarette / BBQ lighter - sear the cut ends of the webbing to stop them fraying. If its fibre that does not heat seal ... then carefully run Superglue along the cut edge.
3. Have waxed sailmakers thread and needle with palm.

The stitch used can be plain stitch through ... and the general layout is to create similar to what you see on seatbelts ... looks like an X with the top and bottom of the X closed by a line of stitches..... you'd be surprised how strong that thread is as it is in shear ....

 

[wilkinsonsails]

Small plastic shackles fixed with one little screw will only tear ,as Refueller says above.The webbing should be polyester15 to 19mm wide or less .

 

[Refueler]

Small plastic shackles fixed with one little screw will only tear ,as Refueller says above.The webbing should be polyester15 to 19mm wide or less .

?? I never said they would tear ...... and the plastic shackles I have and seen in the earlier post have a substantial plastic pin through the sail ..... thats locked into the U part. They are strong ... but my dislike is that they allow the slug to move about too much when riding the groove. Any slight change of wind or force on the sail as slug is moving causes it to catch and even stop ....

If you look at items 2 and 4 .... you can see my point where the webbing fills the width of the slot in the slug ... holding it straight .. but the plastic shackle is a lot less than the slot width.

 

[wilkinsonsails]

Sorry my comment was based on experience of small screw on shackles.
Tides sliders are all stainless and don’t have the plastic bail on common slides .
The stainless bar on the slide is a removable pin ,so the hole in the webbing loop has to be quite tight to secure .

Holding it straight as you say works very well with the Tides track.Plastic shackles dont fit the slide very well either .

 

[jamie N]

The spacing on my Folkboat mainsail is 90cms between sliders. The items that I've actually got are the #1 on the picture, but have 2 small screws in them and show no indication of 'stress' to the sail.
This is possibly due to the spacing being fairly tight, and the fact that the sail is quite a modest size, being only 159.34 sq ft (14.803 m2). Larger sails will (I guess) have logarithmically greater strains as the size increases.
I do appreciate wilkinsonsails comments as well. An alloy mast was mentioned in a previous post also, whereas my mast is wooden, although I don't quite see the significance?

 

[wilkinsonsails]

OP is now using the Tides marine track which is a plastic extrusion ,supplied with its own special stainless track slides.
The manufacturing process does not allow a lot of space on the track face for a plastic shackle and webbing straps have produced the best
attachment with little wear on the track surface .
For the small plastic shackles you picture ,it’s just like sticking a spike in the sail cloth ,if the slide or sail catches, it can tear the sail cloth.
With Tides Track rapid fall of the sail ,you also have the slides knocking together. .
Rigid mounted slides work better with track systems ,as there is less articulation on the slide to sail joint ,less tipping of the slide in the groove .
Your Slug slides will benefit from being firmly mounted,,so they can’t tip in the wooden mast .Make sure you don’t get any varnish drips in the groove .

 

[Refueler]

I hate sail slugs or slides if you prefer that name.

I much prefer a boltrope sail. Why ? My SR25 has had slugs added to the mainsail and a 'slug-gate' added to mast. When sail is dropped - the slugs bunch up and I have a large volume of bunched up sail at gooseneck. When hoisting - because it has the plastic shackles fixing the slugs - they sometimes jam in the track when they get out of line. Originally the sail was a boltrope and roller reef boom ..... much neater and less to fiddle with to reef the sail. Yes I'm an old fuddy duddy hanger-on of roller reefing.

 

[LadyInBed]

Re picture in #4
1, 3 and 4 can be replaced with minimal effort.