Tried out my older but never used Smyth sails yesterday. Had some trouble with the downhaul - initially couldn't get it pulled down below the entry slot on the mast. After it was under tension for a couple of hours, I was able to pull it down just below the slot. Should I expect it to behave more normally after a few more uses?
Your 'slot' might have some metal (aluminum) burrs that are preventing a smooth bolt rope entry and tension. Explore the area inside and outside of the track with your finger or tissue paper. If there is any areas that are less than very smooth, take a small diamond file (Harbor Fright has a nice set of good inexpensive small, thin, diamond files -- I use them for all sorts of projects) and remove any burr the best you can without taking off any other aluminum. Then very lightly touch it up with 600 grit Wet/Dry paper. Get some pure silicone spray from Ace Hardware that is truly pure silicone. Don't use WD40 brand nor other brands of their 'silicone' spray as they are mostly petroleum based, which is no good for your sails. Spray sparingly into the full length of the sail track of the mast after you've washed/rinsed/dried it well with soap and water with a cloth or even a 3M fine Scotch-Brite pad run up and down the sail track to get out the accumulated gunk. Don't be too aggressive with the 3M pad, but you do want the full sail track to be clean and smooth.
Hi -
It's not friction or resistance in the track, it's just that the bolt rope is resistant to being pulled in the downward direction.
Hi -
It's not friction or resistance in the track, it's just that the bolt rope is resistant to being pulled in the downward direction.
Ok, it's not resistance, but it is resistance. Got it. 😀
There's obviously friction from something. Either the bolt-rope is larger diameter compared to the sail track, or the sail track is dirty or somewhat corroded. Try to be more exact in your description of the problem. 😊
Also, I forgot that I used Collinite 845 Insulator Wax for a lot of things that had 'stiction.' The stuff is crazy-amazing in that things feel like they're on ball bearings when coated with the stuff. I applied this to sail tracks, jib luff zips, traveler tracks, hull bottoms, etc. One very funny (if not possibly dangerous) example was I tried it on the bottom of my H18. When I put the cat on a sandy beach with a very shallow slope to the water, the dang cat slid right down to the water like it was on ball bearings. Everybody there that took notice was like 'what the heck did you put on your boat?!?!' It also helped a lot with sliding the heavy cat onto and off the trailer single-handedly. I also use it on my V12 surfski seat bucket so that my butt can swivel and slide around super-easily with leg-drive for a more powerful paddle stroke, much like the older-style Olympic K1 swiveling seat.
Collinite 845 goes on just like any other wax. It's normally a thick liquid, but can become a bit like paste in colder weather. Let it dry once applied, then wipe off the residue. It might help you get your sail downhauled.
Another thought would be to slide only the tack of the sail into the sail track and leave it there for a while to see if the bolt rope might compact enough to allow easier operation.
Another option might be to try compacting the bolt rope at the tack with a rubber mallet against a hard work-bench or floor. The bolt rope might be quite stiff since it's not been used before. If the rubber mallet leaves any marks from rubber-residue on anything else you have used it on, I'd put a plastic bag over your target on the sail.
It's not the track. The sail slides nicely up into the track. It slides nicely down the track. It's not friction. It's not the track.
Yet another thought..... I think you mentioned before that the sail is of heavier material than stock. It could be that this sail requires more luff tension from the downhaul than the purchase that you have now can provide.
When all else fails to describe the problem, post some pictures with detailed descriptions!
The 'problem' could also be that you merely need to go sailing with it and break it in a bit. Just because the tack doesn't quite go as low as the original old sail does doesn't mean that there is a real problem.
hey, I'm just pulling at straws attempting to give you some ideas to try. Give us some pictures if you believe it's a problem.
Tried out my older but never used Smyth sails yesterday.
There is your problem, the bolt rope has shrunk, it is natural. How much downhaul purchase do you have? Can you add more?
Sail a few times and see if it stretches back out. Bolt ropes can be replaced by a sailmaker but hopefully not neccessary.
The downhaul is 5:1.
I thought maybe it had shrunk but wasn't sure that was a thing. As I mentioned, it did seem to loosen up a little after it had been under tension, so maybe a few more trips will bring it back to its original state.
Thanks Damon.
Just a thought...If you're able to do so, maybe soak it down good to help the boltrope (and the surrounding sailcloth) stretch to the desired length easier\more uniformly, then let it dry under load? My gut tells me that mght be better than just forcing the dry boltrope.
Referring to my comments in the other thread about your newer sails...When I first got a newer set for my H16, I was amazed at where the mainsail tack sat as compared to my older stretched/blown ones.
Have you asked Randy?
this is a very common problem with older main sails... cut the stitching at the bottom of the bolt rope. You will see some hand stitching cross wise... cut that.. the bolt rope will suck up inside the luff tape. The bolt ropes shrink more than the sails, causing the wrinkles along the luff... So, when you go to pull the downhaul, you are pulling mainly on the bolt rope and not the sail... therefore you are not really adjusting the sail shape; you're just getting a good arm workout. My cruising main is a cut down Danger Tornado main ('84) and the bolt rope has sucked up about 12". You can slide a short chunk of rope in the luff tape at the tack to help keep it near the mast, or don't worry about it. You can also use a sail slide sewn or secured with dyneema to the tack grommet.
Echo on the bolt rope. Something I just found out is that on even laminate sails, you may need to relieve the bolt rope every couple of years. I had problems shaping my main effectively and then got the bright idea to get the resting bolt rope wrinkles out of the sail by picking out the stitching at the tack. Milked the bolt rope a mere 1 inch up and restitched it with a speedy stitcher. HUGE difference! Likely because on newer laminates, it doesn’t take much to shape the material that doesn’t stretch. I was surprised.
A friend told me that he just pulls the bottom stitching and doesn’t restitch since the downhaul is pulling on sail material, not bolt rope…
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I’ve had luck rubbing a little dry lubricant on the bolt rope and feeding it in slowly while someone eases the downhaul. Letting the sail sit in the track helps it settle.
Yup. My new-to-me 1993 Mystere 6.0's fat-head main's (North Sails laminate) bolt rope shrank over ~15 yrs of non-use. Full-on 8:1 downhaul didn't do nuffin' for the sail's wrinkles.
I ain't skeered.
I'll merely soak the luff of the rolled-up sail in a bucket of water for a day or so, then bend the sail on the mast while laying on sawhorses and periodically re-tension the downhaul throughout a cloudy day.
If that doesn't do the trick, then I'll cut the tack's bolt rope anchoring threads and allow the bolt rope to suck up the luff a few inches.
It's might be a while until that lil' kitty sees water again. The F18 C2's hull refinishing and refit is taking too much attention away from her.
After several uses and liberal application of Mclube to the luff and track, mine's perfect now, thankfully.