I Need To fit a Larger Bolt Rope

Appledore

Appledore

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Hi all,

Got my new to me furling Genoa sail home today only to find the bolt rope is too small for my foil. I need to replace it with a larger (6mm) one. Looking at Mr Google doesn't give me the answer I need, as I am not intending to replace the rope and tape, just the rope. It's an easy job for me to just unpick the stitching along the existing rope and insert a larger diameter one in its place, and get my wonderful wife to re-sew the seam. The existing pocket is quite wide enough to do the job.

The problem is that I don't know what rope the sailmakers use and can't seem to find anything. Obviously it's available, but has to be non-stretch etc. So the question is: Where to buy 7 meters of 6mm rope soitable for the job?

Thanks.
 
Appledore said:
Hi all,

Got my new to me furling Genoa sail home today only to find the bolt rope is too small for my foil. I need to replace it with a larger (6mm) one. Looking at Mr Google doesn't give me the answer I need, as I am not intending to replace the rope and tape, just the rope. It's an easy job for me to just unpick the stitching along the existing rope and insert a larger diameter one in its place, and get my wonderful wife to re-sew the seam. The existing pocket is quite wide enough to do the job.

The problem is that I don't know what rope the sailmakers use and can't seem to find anything. Obviously it's available, but has to be non-stretch etc. So the question is: Where to buy 7 meters of 6mm rope soitable for the job?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

A sailmaker? They will probably stock 6mm rope suitable for the job if you don't want a sailmaker to do the whole job.

Regards
Donald
 
Appledore said:
Hi all,

Got my new to me furling Genoa sail home today only to find the bolt rope is too small for my foil. I need to replace it with a larger (6mm) one. Looking at Mr Google doesn't give me the answer I need, as I am not intending to replace the rope and tape, just the rope. It's an easy job for me to just unpick the stitching along the existing rope and insert a larger diameter one in its place, and get my wonderful wife to re-sew the seam. The existing pocket is quite wide enough to do the job.

The problem is that I don't know what rope the sailmakers use and can't seem to find anything. Obviously it's available, but has to be non-stretch etc. So the question is: Where to buy 7 meters of 6mm rope soitable for the job?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Fr J Hackett said:
I suppose the obvious answer is Dyneema.
Click to expand...

Aja said:
A sailmaker? They will probably stock 6mm rope suitable for the job if you don't want a sailmaker to do the whole job.

Regards
Donald
Click to expand...

Surely the bolt rope needs to be stretchy so that the halyard tension is transferred to the sail luff itself and not constrained by the bolt rope

If the bolt rope has no stretch then you will not be able to control the sail shape with the halyard tension

OTOH I suppose a wire bolt rope has no stretch.

I guess a sail maker will say, "Bring it to us laddie and we will do the job properly with the correct rope".
 
Last edited:
"I guess a sail maker will say, "Bring it to us laddie and we will do the job properly with the correct rope".

Correct answer, Vic. And the cost? I had one replaced a couple of years ago at a cost of £100. I'm hoping to do it myself for about £25.;)
 
Solid bolt rope with a hard core ,about £1.80 a meter .Stable so as not to compress in the groove.
More problematic would be if you have a rubber cord ,as the existing bolt rope ,because pulling that out in one bit can be a pain.They often break when strain is on them .
You will need a decent one sided machine foot to get in tight to the rope ,and to sieze it top and bottom so it doesn't slip.
 
Replacing a bolt rope is quit a skilled job. You need to apply just the right amount of tension or the sail will not set properly. I think it would be worth paying a sailmaker to do the whole job.
 
The problem is perhaps not the actual diameter of the rope, but the slot?
An alternative approach is to add a layer of cloth over the existing rope and sleeve.

Maybe even a self-adhesive sailcloth or repair tape.
 
Thank you all for your helpful replies, and special thanks to Cindy:encouragement:

We had to unpick the existing sewn seam to remove the 4mm 3-ply polyester cord, which was a so-and-so to remove. Getting the new 6+ mm bolt rope in was much easier, and all that remains now is to re-sew the seam. And now I have a 7mm bolt rope, the size I need.

Thanks to all again.

Geoff

Oh, and it only cost me less than £20!;)
 
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