Maisail Luff Tension

[Davydine]

Dear All,

I have a problem getting my mainsail up. I never seem to be able to get quite enough tension in the luff. This result in a baggy sail shape and I guess this is adding to the weather helm. Unfortunately i do not have a winch on that side of the mast and dont really fancy the work (and expense) of installing one.

The boat is a Macwester 26

Does anyone have any tips?

Many thanks
David

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[tillergirl]

I had this problem on my last boat and it was caused by a shrunk bolt rope in the luff. When replaced by the sailmaker, I found I could get a decent shape. If you are getting the luff tight but still have poor shape, this could be the cause. The sailmaker said it was a common problem. The second point is that it is much easier to get things tight using a downhaul. Don't ask me why, I don't know other than you can get a mechanical advantage using a 4 to 1 tackle. On my current boat, my gooseneck slides up a short channel, so I hoist it until I get the boom up to the top of its travel. Tie off the halliard and get the tension I want on it by pulling the boom back down on the 4 to 1 downhaul which has a jamcleat. All simple stuff but then this mailsail isn't old and the bolt rope is fine.

I hope this helps

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[Davydine]

Thanks for the advise. I will have a chat with the sailmaker but I don't think that the bolt rope is the problem, I just don't seem to be able to get the luff tight enough.

Unfortunately the goose neck is fixed so can't use that solution which is a pity as I had a similar arrangement on a previous boat and it worked well!

David

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[jimi]

Can't you lead the halyard aft via a turning block to a winch? Or perhaps use a cunningham, probably a reasonable solution as you can then start to flatten the sail when it starts getting a bit windier but befoore you need to reef ?

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[yoda]

Without a winch you will need to resort to old fashioned block and tackle to get the required tension. Several ways to achieve this.

1. start the halyard at the mast head and attach a block on the head of the mainsail through which the halyard runs before going back to the mast head and down again. Small advantage but quite simple.

2. adapt solution one so that a second block is placed at the mast head and the bitter end run through this and back down to the other side of the mast where it is finished off by attaching a 4 or 6 to 1 tackle. Mainsail is raised on the halyard and tensioned with the tackle.

3. make a halyard that is just long enough to lower the main and has a hard eye that ends up at the mast head when the sail is lowered. To the hard eye attache a tail for hoisting and then have a tackle that can be attached to provide tension once nearly up. Doesn't work well for reefing!

4. New winch and bracket will probably cost less than most of these, is simpler and works well for reefing. Well worth reconsidering.

Yoda

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[Oldhand]

If I remember correctly, in the days your Macwester was built, the mainsail luff was tensioned with a moveable gooseneck. One hauled the halyard as hard as possible, released the friction screw lock on the goose neck and pushed the boom down the mast before re-tightening the lock. If your boom is not adjustable. you need a luff eye 6" above the boom and attach a downward hauling tackle to it which is tensioned after the halyard is made fast. There used to be a name for this which escapes me, racers used it for flattening the main along with a flattener reef at the outer end of the boom.

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[jimi]

Its called a cunningham!

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[bigmart]

Its called a Cunningham.

Martin

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[bigmart]

Snap! Why don't you butt out when I'm being a smartass.

Martin

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[jimi]

I said it first offering it as a solution ... so there! and but in that context is spelt butt! na na na.

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[bigmart]

What do you know anyway. Everytime I see you your sailing a diferent boat & most of em don't sail right. I mean look at that new one you've got now. It bobs around a lot but it don't go nowhere.

Martin

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[jimi]

Got this one sorted though!

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[kingfisher]

Why are you sailing backwards?

Jimi. Your avater. The little piccie under your name. It's sailing backwards.

<hr width=100% size=1>Group of people on the pontoon: skipper is the one with the toolbox.
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[bigmart]

See. I told you. They never sail right.

Martin

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[Oldhand]

OK so I remembered it was a Cunningham too, while I painting the outside of the house. My mind was obviously not on the boring job!

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[tillergirl]

If Oldhand is right, is there a possibility that your gooseneck arrangement has been altered or you have a non-standard mailsail and you have come to the end of the halliard movement ie the eye is hard up against the block or sheave so that you have a mechanical problem? I have to say reverting to my earlier comment that my luff didn't look tight either because it was the boltrope that was tight not the fabric of the sail. Used to have a bag at the bottom of the sail as a result in which you could put the contents of a Tesco's shooping trolley!

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[onenyala]

I am heartened to see that someone else has a sliding goose neck. Its great for getting tension in the luff however reefing is something else.
Do you have some means of securing the boom( I have a screw clamp)
I have a problem with the gate on the track which prevents the luff sliders coming out of the track but restricts the movement between the slider above the reef cringle and the gooseneck
I would be interested to know your procedure for reefing mine goes something like this
Let the main sheet go
Let the kicker off
Tension the topping lift
Lift the sliding gooseneck up and clamp it off
Ease the halyard
Hook on the reefing cringle to the rams horn
Retension the halyard
Let the clamp off (weight comes on the luff) and haul down on the luff tackle
Haul in the reefing pennant
Let the topping lift off
Tighten up the kicker
Back to thje cockpit and sheet in
I do this single handed and by the time I get to the cockpit I'm steaming!


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[Davydine]

You are right it is not the original set up as we had to have a new mast about 18 months ago. The old one had a sliding gooseneck so no problem. The sail is not too long for the mast, in fact the gooseneck is actually lower than I would ideally have liked but when the new mast was made thats where it was fixed so I am stuck with the boom being low over the cockpit and not having enough room to fit a spray hood! but that is another story

I will try a cunningham. Also on reflection I think maybe I have too much tension on the outhall, which may be putting a lot of pressure on the last couple of sliders and not making life any easier for me! I guess tension the Halyard first and then the outhall.

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[davehu]

If you are getting the bottom sliders tightening on the luff groove when you tension the outhaul it suggests that the position of the tack fitting on the new boom is to far away from the mast. Suggest you try and get the tack closer to the mast.

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[Jacket]

Are you topping the boom well up when raising the sail? This can make it much easier to get some decent tension on the luff.

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