Luff tape

[Jack B]

Hi,
I am converting my jib to fit to an old roller furling gear and need to change from a wire luff to a rope one or similar is it possible to use luff tape and what exactly is luff tape.
jack

 

[Tranona]

Not only possible but probably essential. Luff tape is just what it says - a tape sewn into the luff. Its dimensions vary depending on the type of furling extrusion so your sailmaker will need to know what that is to fit the correct tape. Converting existing sails is not always successful or economic - talk to your sailmaker.

 

[Jack B]

I am doing the conversion myself, so will not be seeing a sail maker,
Thanks jack

 

[Juggler7823]

I have tried sewing rope into sail cloth to make a luff tape. It pulls out where there is a strong point pull eg at the reef point due to the rope compressing. The professional name for luff tape is keder. It can be bought from sail makers or Point North etc.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Pic of luff tape. Comes in different diameters, depending on the size of the groove in the headfoil.

 

[dt4134]

I am doing the conversion myself, so will not be seeing a sail maker,
Thanks jack

Make sure you get the diameter right as it'll either pull out in heavy weather if too small or jam when you hoist.

Stitching will be under a lot of load too.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Try to get one with two lines sewn in. One needs to be a good fit inside the luff groove and a second, thinner one, sits outside the groove. This helps to keep the sail in between stiffer and thus easier to hoist the sail. Try to obtain a couple of samples, say 6" long, so that you can check the fit. If you cannot get samples try wrapping a length of line in a fold of (sail)cloth and feeding it into the groove. When you establish the best fit - thin enough to slide easily yet thick enough not to pull out of the groove - measure the thickness and procure luff tape to that measurement.

Re tension: stretch the luff tape using moderate force along the length of the stretched sail. Make marks with a pencil every two feet or so on the tape and on the sail. At this stage you can rip the sail carefully along the existing luff tabling. Insert the ripped edge of the sail into the new luff tape, matching the pencil marks, and tuck it well in. Fix with staples every few inches, making sure that the sail lies naturally without any ripples. Sew along the inside, preferably using a zig-zag stitch. Remove the staples and run another row of stitching along the edges of the tape. You can add a third row in between, if you wish, for added strength. Trim the excess tape at head and tack using a hot knife. Sew a loop from strong webbing at head and tack, reinforcing as necessary with trebled hand sewing. These loops are for the shackles that attach the sail to the drum and to the swivel.

You will then have a beautifully fitted furling genoa that will only require a UV strip when you feel up to it...but that's for another episode.

Apologies if all this was boring and unnecessary.

 

[SamSalter]

What roller furler (make and model) have you got?
I can probably tell you what size luff tape to get.
I can also tell you how to do the mod.

 

[lustyd]

Also if the existing sail is not the full length of the furler, you need the tape to extend to the top of the roller reefing to avoid halyard wrap when in use. Don't try to use one too short as it just doesn't work (hmm how do I know this...)

 

[savageseadog]

There is a cheaper(?) product made for tent construction.

 

[Twister_Ken]

There is a cheaper(?) product made for tent construction.

If so I wouldn't rely on it unless I was sure it would take the loads a foresail halyard can transmit. You don't really want a luff tape tearing in a bit of breeze.

 

[Jack B]

Thanks for the help, My furler has a 3mm wide gate, I haven't a clue what make it is. The jib is a ctually to big for the furler so I am cutting part of it out. Luckly it isn't mitre seam and the seams lie nearly parrell to the foot.
Thanks again
Jack

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

The jib is a ctually to big for the furler so I am cutting part of it out. Luckly it isn't mitre seam and the seams lie nearly parrell to the foot.
Thanks again
Jack

I don't know why that is significant Jack. You will be removing a strip along the luff and not along the foot. Remember that the luff is not a straight line when you are preparing to cut. After deciding how far inwards you need to cut so that you'll obtain the required luff length, you need to lay the sail out flat and with no tension on the luff. You then plot marks at the required distance from the edge, say two feet apart, and later join the marks so that you will reproduce the same S-curve that the luff has. Otherwise, the sail will never set properly.

Again, apologies if I have blundered into a "Teaching grandmother how to suck eggs" situation.

 

[SamSalter]

Jack,
It's obvious from your posts that you're not a sailmaker - There's more to this than meets the eye.
A sail is not a flat piece of material, like a bed sheet. It has curvature that the sailmaker spent a lot of time building in.
When cutting down a sail - and it's not rocket science - there are methods that retain the shape originally designed in by the sailmaker.
Puff is right - Get a book out of the library!!!
sam