luff tape

[robbie196]

Hi guys cant find a secondhand head sail with 6.5-7mm luff rope is it poss to conver 8mm to 7mm with new luff tape
cheers

 

[greeny]

I would say so. At a price at the sailmaker.

 

[justanothersailboat]

Sailmakers will do this for you and many of them will do a nice job quite cheaply. I had to get this done when I changed my roller furler and it was not a big deal (unlike changing the furler!)

 

[Roberto]

If you have time, you might be able to negotiate a discount if you remove the existing luff tape before bringing the sail to the loft; it frequently happens here with UV strips, people get rid of the old one by themselves and the sailmaker just has to cut and sew the nex one.

 

[justanothersailboat]

That's probably true Roberto, but I paid something like 60 quid per sail (for a 26'er, so perhaps smaller than the sails robbie wants to change) including some very helpful advice, so I would have felt like a twerp arguing for less.

 

[William_H]

I would imagine the ail maker would simply add more tape around the bolt rope to increase the size of the bolt rope. So perhaps no need to remove the old tape. ol'will

 

[robbie196]

Thanks for all the advice i just need to find a head sail to fit my Dockrell 27 if anyone knows the size could you please let me know regards Rob

 

[Daydream believer]

Thanks for all the advice i just need to find a head sail to fit my Dockrell 27 if anyone knows the size could you please let me know regards Rob

I think relying on dimensions from someone else (other than a sailmaker who may have the rig plans) would be risky. Personally I would ask a sailmaker to visit & take dimensions of the boat if I felt unable to do myself. But it is not actually that hard.

 

[robbie196]

Thanks for reply

 

[justanothersailboat]

Daydream Believer is 100% right about relying on dimension data. Published data online is sometimes just wrong, or doesn't account for some boats being sold with two sizes of mast, etc. Then not all models of boat are equally standardised when new, and ones that have been around a while might have changed since. So unless you can find a reasonably active owner's association and ask them if they know what's normal, asking for data is a bit risky.

Boltrope size is the last thing I'd worry about. Find something with the correct dimensions and condition and get the boltrope changed if needed. That will only depend on your roller furler (or luff foil) model anyway.

Your boat is a cutter right? Do you have a damaged foresail to measure or are you trying to replace one that's completely missing? Do you have a sense of whether you're looking for something biggish for more flexibility in area, or for a yankee sail small enough to be easy(ish) to tack past the staysail?

 

[robbie196]

Hi my sail was trashed in the storm eairlier this year
I think I need somthing like 7.900 luff 3.66 foot
but your right im looking for anything that size and i will alter to suit

 

[justanothersailboat]

Good that you have those numbers to start from. With a roller it seems to me that there is a practical max luff length after which the top swivel gets too high, and this is quite specific to the installation. So as long as you get something very slightly shorter rather than slightly longer you are probably going to be ok. Good luck

 

[robbie196]

Thanks for your valued advice I have to move my boat at the end of the month so gettig a sail to suit is quite inportant
Will keep on looking you never know something may turn up
kind regards Rob

 

[Puffin10032]

Hi my sail was trashed in the storm eairlier this year
I think I need somthing like 7.900 luff 3.66 foot
but your right im looking for anything that size and i will alter to suit

You need the leech measurement too. That's equally as important.