Mail sail cut down

[Guest]

I am the owner of an '79 E-boat with a standard topsail configuration.
The sails are the same age as the boat.
I now have an opportunity to buy a mail sail for a 3/4 rigged E-boat.
The height of the sail is 100cm too much for my mast.
The same goes for the bottom of the sail.
The measures my boat can handle is 7.2 m x 1.9 m
The sail I can get is measured 8.3 m x 2.2 m
What is the best way to cut down the sail to fit on my boat?
Cut the backside of the bottom side?

 

[vyv_cox]

Cutting the foot is a much easier job and the sail should set OK afterwards. The problem you face is that you will lose some of the deepest camber that is near the foot of a sail. This could reduce your power off the wind but may improve pointing a little.

Cutting the leech is a skilled job, every seam needs to be cut and re-made. In the end, unless the sail is virtually remade, the maximum camber will be too far aft and the sail will not set properly. Your pointing will then be very poor and offwind sailing will not be that good either.

 

[Strathglass]

Re: Main sail cut down

Jan,
I sailed an E boat for several years. They are well balanced with the correct sails. At one time Julian Everett was sugesting a longer boom and change to the keel to add speed off wind. Perhaps this sail was made for this?.
To answer your original question I would think that you drop the sail and remove material from the foot. The line you cut from the foot would not be straight as you would require to maintain some fullness for drive in light conditions.
If the new sail has a lens foot with lighter material added at the foot to give control of camber perhaps you could use this to give you the necessary shape.

 

[castaway]

Have you tried the EBoat Assoc? There are a few members in the Nederlands. I had an Eboat until very recently and loved it but I would be very cautious about altering the sail plan unless you know what you,re about.. Mainly because the balance is quite critical to performance but also it is possible to capsize and sink these boats.. I think this has only happened in tests and racing. In case yr interested I have a near new spinnaker and a good road trailer for an EBoat send me a P/msg.

Enjoy yr EB......best trailer sailer around. regds Nick

 

[Strathglass]

Jan. Sorry I did not finish my last posting a thins called work got in the way. It is very interesting that both Vyv and myself independantly came up with the same solution. I was still writing my post as she was posting. One way to do it is to fit two new eyes on the sail at the new tack and the clew positions then rig the sail using the new eyes and ignore the original tack and clew. Use the sail initially as loose fitted and fit a powerfull outhaul adjuster on the clew. Try sailing like this until you are quite happy with it.
You will have an extra meter of sail hanging below the boom to contend with, but, that is no more than a reef. When you are quite happy at how the boat is sailing you will have to decide where the rope needs re-sewing on or perhaps you could hot cut the foot and go loose footed. (is that allowed in the class rules?)
I have several E-Boat sails spare. if they would be any use to you let me know.
Iain

 

[Guest]

I must say that I did not expect so soon a reply. This is great! It seams that a question about cutting down sails can end up from a trailer to other sails vary from spinnakers to other e-boat sails. The idea of trying this sail as it was reefed did come up by me after I read my own question. The fact that I could gain “pointing” is not a thing to worry about because when racing on the river with locals the start is mostly with wind in the back up stream and ending up down stream tacking our selves back to the finish line. The other offer of used sails is also interesting. Because I did not yet bought this sail. Can you give me an indication what kind of price you are thinking of?