ProDave
Well-Known Member
Before you dismiss it, try it. I have tried it on 2 different boats and it works.
Lowering mainsail solo
- Thread starter DangerousPirate
- Start date
Slowboat35
Well-Known Member
Never come across mainsail "snagging the shrouds" fron hove-to (not "too"!) - sounds very unlikely, but do accept that once main is down the backed jib is now the predominant driver. But is it really going to lead you into difficulties in the few moments it takes you to secure the dropped main? I hardly think so.
Frankly I'm a little concerned why the main doesn't come down readily without assistance in the first place.
Frankly I'm a little concerned why the main doesn't come down readily without assistance in the first place.
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
I recently spent nearly a fortnight on a Hansa 445, a boat I've sailed a bit before. It has a big main with full length battens. The mast track is fairly new and the batten cars are new. It's still not easy to drop. Easiest way is have a bit of a floppy boom, carefully, and pull down the cars with a boat hook. Have tried lots of other things but that guarantees success. ?
Slowboat35
Well-Known Member
Ah! Full length battens? That might well make a difference. Hadn't thought of that.
PetiteFleur
Well-Known Member
On my previous boat which had a fully battened main, the local sail maker at SYH fitted some low friction (black) sail sliders, sail dropped immediately when head to wind.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
Not on mine (3) it does/did not
I can only speak from my experience
The backed jib does not drive the boat forward, it turns it away from the wind filling the mainsail. In normal hove to conditions the main would then push the boat back to windward,
But now as soon as one releases the halyard the main goes floppy & the jib then pushes the bow away. The wind pushes the slack mainsail onto the shrouds. It is Ok if one has a crew to pull the boom in but not if one is SH.
My current boat has 4 full length battens & if the sail is not in line with the mast the cars jam in the track. That means that I must line sail head to wind, unless a zephyr breeze
Last edited:
Caraway
Well-Known Member
The replies show that no one solution can apply to a variety of boats. Using your own experience can only be a suggestion. Championing your own method is very subjective.
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
Hiya. These aren't sliders. They are cars. The track is bolted on the back of the mast. Bit of a pain to be honest. I used the same system on a catamaran I delivered earlier this year, same problem.,
Koeketiene
Well-Known Member
It all depends on your boat setup.
1. Do you have a reliable autopilot?
2. Do you have lazyjacks? Or even better a lazybag?
FWIW: I just motor dead into the wind. Engage the autopilot and walk foward to the mast.
There I realease the jammer holding the main halyard and the main just drops into the lazybag.
Then I walk back to the cockpit, disengage the autopilot and proceed to moor or berth the boat.
I flake the sail once I'm tied up.
The whole process of dropping the mainsail takes less than a minute.
1. Do you have a reliable autopilot?
2. Do you have lazyjacks? Or even better a lazybag?
FWIW: I just motor dead into the wind. Engage the autopilot and walk foward to the mast.
There I realease the jammer holding the main halyard and the main just drops into the lazybag.
Then I walk back to the cockpit, disengage the autopilot and proceed to moor or berth the boat.
I flake the sail once I'm tied up.
The whole process of dropping the mainsail takes less than a minute.
Koeketiene
Well-Known Member
Comes as a surprise to me.
I have Frederiksen cars and they work a treat. (see also #29)
https://www.westawaysails.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/frederiksenballslide.pdf
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
Every day a school day. ?
Even replacing the track is a pain. Not my fave design. Dunno the manufacturer but as well as Hanse it's on a Lagoon cat too. Extra special super duper care to be taken if you got an electric halyard winch!
Babylon
Well-Known Member
First lube the track/sliders, and blocks etc.
Ease mainsheet slightly. Motor a few degrees off dead into wind so that boom slightly out to one side. Release main halyard. Sail drops down track - should go at least most of the way down under its own weight. Tighten mainsheet. Go forward to tidy up sail - either tucking fully into bag or flaking neatly and attaching ties.
Ease mainsheet slightly. Motor a few degrees off dead into wind so that boom slightly out to one side. Release main halyard. Sail drops down track - should go at least most of the way down under its own weight. Tighten mainsheet. Go forward to tidy up sail - either tucking fully into bag or flaking neatly and attaching ties.
dunedin
Well-Known Member
Eh, what track? As the words on the link say - “Frederiksen Ballslide is a very low friction mainsail batten system that does not require an external track as the slides have a lug that sits in the integral mast track; the cars have recirculating Torlon balls that bear on the aft face of the mast.”
We have the same cars and can also blow the halyard and let sail fall straight. into the lazybag.
However, I also have a down haul rope from the headboard to the third car - which can use to pull the last bit down if needed, then tie off to hold sail down. As was initially worried about the downhaul snagging on something and jamming up the mast, it is attached with Velcro “fuses”, but never has jammed.
Re electric halyard winch, agree used wrongly they can break things. But our rule is only two turns and hand tailed (never in self tailer) as then rope slips if something is wrong, in which case know to go sort it. Winch final 6 inches by hand.
jwfrary
Well-Known Member
I thought a downhaul is just for sail shape? To tighten the luff. Well, alright then. Guess I'll just rig that up. Guess I can use the old halyard for that when the new one arrives.
Don't have a Ridgeway Pirate, Caraway. Just called cause all the other names were taken
Cunningham is for sail shape, actually causes the top of the leech to fall away and the draft to move forward. Down haul as Paul says.
I think it's an Americanism mixing of the terms!
cherod
N/A
why ? ,, wheras all solutions may not accommodate all boats , a properly ( simply ) rigged down haul should accommodate all ,, whiter that be from a 24 ' ( that someone mentioned ) or from a 36 ' fully battened pain in the arse ( like i have )
zoidberg
Well-Known Member
Cherod and others agree. A simple mainsail downhaul is 'cheap as chips' to install and try. If it doesn't suit - for any reason or none - it's even easier to uninstall.
Yon famous ould seaman William of Occam believed firmly in a goodly helping of KISS....
Yon famous ould seaman William of Occam believed firmly in a goodly helping of KISS....
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
I have never used one, but would want to see if there are any downsides involved first.
With a down haul is there not a danger that the sail may fall part of the way a bit quicker than the operator can get the slack of the down haul in? This could lead to a loop of the line going round a spreader, decklight on the front of the mast, radar reflector etc & preventing the sail from being dropped all together. Sod's law dictates that this would happen just the once- when it mattered the most & causes the greates conflict ie entering a river full of moored boats with no room to manouver, a marina, or simply horrid rough weather.
I would look at it as just another thing to go wrong & sort the underlying problem first. ie why does the sail not come down as it should?
With a down haul is there not a danger that the sail may fall part of the way a bit quicker than the operator can get the slack of the down haul in? This could lead to a loop of the line going round a spreader, decklight on the front of the mast, radar reflector etc & preventing the sail from being dropped all together. Sod's law dictates that this would happen just the once- when it mattered the most & causes the greates conflict ie entering a river full of moored boats with no room to manouver, a marina, or simply horrid rough weather.
I would look at it as just another thing to go wrong & sort the underlying problem first. ie why does the sail not come down as it should?
bitbaltic
Well-Known Member
Whatever the boat size the proper answer is to kill the friction that is causing the sail to resist the drop. A Teflon track is one very effective way to do this. Adding another line, which increases the friction on raising the sail in order to haul against much the same friction on the way down, seems the wrong approach to me unless all friction-fighting solutions have been tried.
DangerousPirate
Well-Known Member
What options do I have for that then? I could lubricate it, obviously. Or I just saw that there are like plastic tracks you can slide into (?) the regular track and that is supposed to help with friction? Not sure about that option, just saw it by coincidence. Doesn't seem overly expensive. Like 22quid per metre or so. Here a video:
What else can I do to reduce friction so the sail just drops on its own?
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
Did not like the way that 3rd reef did not seem to be tied down to the boom. Just hauled in from the end of the boom.
When sheeting in the mainsheet the load reef point on the sail would increase too much & the boom would just drop lower in the boat.
Needs a line from the reef point round & under the boom.
When sheeting in the mainsheet the load reef point on the sail would increase too much & the boom would just drop lower in the boat.
Needs a line from the reef point round & under the boom.
