Wrinkly mainsail

Beadle

Beadle

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I have a problem with the gaff mainsail on my CW34.

The sail has wrinkles, lots of them and quite big ones too.

In direction they run from the middle of the gaff to the end of the boom.

I would expect to be able to get rid of them by tweaking the peak and throat halyards, but in practice they make little or no difference.

I sort of hoped someone might have a cure.
 
Throat to end of boom is not enough on the peak halyard but from the middle of the gaff to the end of the boom...

- gaff bending, perhaps the gaff span not in the correct position?

- something odd about the tension of the head along the gaff or the way the head is made up to the gaff?

What happens if you hoist more on the peak halyard? You should get crease from peak to tack but what happens to this other crease?
 
Is the sail tension (lashings) equal all the way along the gaff?

Is the peak outhaul really tight?

Raise the topping lifts, then raise the peak as high as it will go then release the topping lifts.
 
Bloody 'ell this is bad, a man can put up with wrinkles in his wife, but his mainsail, never!! Help the poor man, quick!!
 
I'd go along with Rum Pirate, get the Head outhaul lashing really tight. I use a continuous spiral to secure the head to the gaff, not too tight, and any tension is evened out over the whole length.
 
Thanks to all

I'll start with the lashing and the gaff outhaul.

And then work down the list.

COLVICWATSON34OLIVEsailjpg-1.jpg


This was taken before I bought her - and the mainsail looks ok here - so either something has gone wrong or I'm doing something wrong
 
It certainly has wrinkles at the peak and the tack, all of which is good, when there is no wind. How does it set when you have a decent wind filling it? That should iron out a lot of those wrinkles.
Peter.
 
Good

You lose.

Whoever did last take the main off laced it to the gaff far too tight.

The outhaul would not pull the top of the sail tight alongg the gaff, and when I tightened up on the halyards each time the lacing passed through the sail it was actually twisting the top of the sail.

I eased the lacing (would a running spiral be better) and tightened nearly a foot on the outhaul. Not really enough wind on Sunday to fill it properly, but certaily looked more promising.

Thanks guys.
 
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I eased the lacing (would a running spiral be better)

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I use a spiral lacing but it goes on after the outhaul tension is setup. Then the lacing is only tight enough to hold the sail in that position - it is not further tightened to pull the sail onto the yard.
I can't remember the arguments between spiral lacing and marling(?) but it seems to work. I think individual grommets at each cringle is the pukka way but life is far too short!
 
It's supposed to be a spiral with a sort of back-loop at each cringle, isn't it? Then you get a nice straight line along the spar, and all the turns at 90 degrees.
Or so I was taught in the RN cadets. Simple spirals on spars or mast were beyond the pale.
 
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