Sailed the inter-18 for the second time this afternoon and we end-up with the same problem as last monday.
After the ride I tried to un-hook the main sail to lower it without succes. I pulled on the halyard but the sail didn't slide up to get free from the hook. I pulled, turn the mast but the ring was still on the hook.
Any suggestions?
Both time we lowered the mast with the sail on. Not a big deal but far from ideal.
Next time if we have more time we will laid the boat on the side and try to figure what's going on.
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AB
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Unable to un-hook the main sail
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Posted: Jun 29, 2014 - 05:31 PM
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Posted: Jun 29, 2014 - 06:21 PM
Could be several different things going on here. What style is your ring at the top? Where is it tied on that ring and is the knot forward or back? Mine has the Aussie ring tied in the center, The knot has to be facing aft or that sail is never coming down. Sounds like yours might be tied to the top of the ring and doesn't have enough room to slide up.
Cleaning up the mast track, lubing the bolt rope and replacing the sheeves top and bottom can make a huge difference as well in how easy it is to work the sail.
I would highly discourage lowering the mast with the sail up. That has the potential to go really bad, flipping the boat on its side is the safer solution IMO. Some large foam pads are nice to have around if your doing this in the parking lot. -
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Posted: Jun 29, 2014 - 06:27 PM
Get the Aussie ring ($25), keep knot aft & lubricate bolt rope on sail. Carolina is correct. Pete -
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Posted: Jun 29, 2014 - 07:52 PM
Here's the setup of the actual ring.
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AB
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Posted: Jun 29, 2014 - 07:56 PM
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Posted: Jun 29, 2014 - 08:29 PM
I prefer the Murrays ring with offset tit-off for $26.50 (paid $25 last time). Guess we call them all the "Aussie" ring. Pete -
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Posted: Jun 29, 2014 - 09:00 PM
Andre, that is the exact ring I use on the 6XL.
When I dry rigged the boat in the yard a couple times before bringing it to the lake, I could not get the sail off the hook either.
Two things,
1) Rather than tie the ring, as in your photo, dead end it onto the ring with a monkey fist or figure 8 stopper knot. As Pete said, keep the knot aft
2) The shackle that goes onto the ring,(to attach the sail) is critical. My boat came with a heavy bow shackle on the ring, it proved impossible to work.
I dropped the mast,(with sail on) leaving it attached at the base, & letting the top end sit on a tripod. I could then stand at the "top" & pull the halyard & see exactly what the problem was. As soon as I switched to a regular "U" shackle vs the heavy "bow", it unhooked everytime. I noticed the hook was bent slightly off center. Not sure if this is factory or a prang, but it means I must rotate the mast counterclockwise, then yank the halyard. Keep the mast rotated while the sail comes down the first few inches, then you can let it return to neutral. It works everytime, but the stopper knot orientation & shackle type were key.
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 04:45 AM
Ed,
As for the shackle, it was a twisted shackle. We lost it yesterday on the road.
I will try with the knots you suggest and a new shackle.
Thank you
Edited by coolhead on Jun 30, 2014 - 05:46 AM.
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AB
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 06:01 AM
Gentlemen,
When you say having the knot aft do you mean between the mast and the ring or on the other side of the ring?
Thank you so far.
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AB
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 09:39 AM
Here is a comprehensive coverage of the topic:
http://www.hobiecat.com/a…ng-and-halyard-locks,89/
Knot should to face the mast, which is a bit counter intuitive
The key is to point bows into the wind, even in light air. Another trick is to mark position of the main sail when hoisted all the way up. This way you know the main is pulled up sufficiently to unhook.
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Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 10:14 AM
It depends heavily on his ring system. The graphic shown by Jack is a relatively forgiving system that can work in either direction in a pinch. I use an Aussie ring like the ones linked above, however the halyard is tied around the weld between the ring and the shackle. It works great and allows a little extra lift to get the ring above the hook. With that system though the rope must be between the mast and the top of the ring, which leaves the knot facing away from the mast which is the opposite of what is in the image above.
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Greenville SC
Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 10:19 AM
Had the same problem as you with my Mystere, the aussie ring helped a lot. Still have a hard time occasionally though if wind is from the side (i rig on a boatlift), or if on the water when tied to my mooring bouy.
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Jason Kasper
2000 Mystère 5.0XL
Lake St Francis (St Lawrence River)
Lancaster, Ontario, Canada
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 11:54 AM
Check this thread, there is an informative set of pics on page 2.
http://owners.aquarius-sail.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=170&p=986&hilit=aussie+ring#p986
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 12:57 PM
I found that if I put the knot facing the mast it can be difficult to hook. Facing or not facing depends on the position of the hook relative to the pivot point of the halyard at the top of the mast. For me the trick was to get rid of the twist shackle and go with a wide U shackle. -
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 02:12 PM
i rig my main with a figure 8 stopper knot that faces aft
I use this ring
my sail is fussy and can take up to 4 or 5 tries to lock up or come off the hook
ps i have to be dead center- head to wind to get my sail to lock up or come down...
Edited by MN3 on Jun 30, 2014 - 02:14 PM. -
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 05:12 PM
Try this as this is what worked for my Inter 20 (same mast head set up as your Inter 18, and with my NACRA F-18)
MAKE SURE YOUR DOWN HAUL HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED, and your MAST ROTATION LINES ARE FREE. Sorry, for the caps, but you would be surprised...
1.) Pull the halyard until it does not go any further... Don't honk on it...
2. Rotate the mast rotator wishbone to the left and take it beyond the main beam.... The main beam would be about 90 degrees rotation, you're gonna want to get at least 110 degrees or more rotation... If you can't do this your shrouds are too tight...
3.) While still over rotated, release the halyard and pull on the foot of the sail.... it should come down...
4.) If it does not come down, try again but this time turn - push the wishbone to the right and again keep it over-rotated and pull on the foot of the sail...
The trick is in the over-rotation and getting the mast hook out of the way...
Give it a run, and let us know if this works... You really don't need to over engineer or think this...
Edited by JohnES on Jun 30, 2014 - 05:24 PM.
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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014 - 07:43 PM
JohnEs,
Thanks for the tip. I will try it tomorrow since we are going to sail.
About the CAPS, no need to be sorry. I am not surprised and I am sure you can guess why.
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AB
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Posted: Jul 01, 2014 - 11:41 AM
Here's a homemade solution to the knot situation. By putting the knot to the side you eliminate the problem altogether. The ring slides up and over the mast hook and when it's time to let the sail down just pull on the main halyard.....turn the mast clockwise and down she comes. One caveat is the halyard must be to the right of the mast hook while raising.
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Posted: Jul 01, 2014 - 02:06 PM
I have been having problems with that the last few times that I have sailed.
While raising the sail, the halyard looped over the hook to the left and bound up. I brought the sail down and cleared it, and re raised it, but the halyard kept fouling the hook. I have given up the last 2 times and laid the boat down on the beach to solve the issue.
Any ideas?
I have thought of buying 50-60 feet of cheap line from walmart and looping it around the knot (holding both ends on the ground) so I can pull the halyard to the right side to clear the hook. Once the sail is up, I would let go of one end and pull it down.
One other thought is the method shown on the Aquarius link above.
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Jeff
Houston TX
1986 Hobie 18 Sail# 13031
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Posted: Jul 11, 2014 - 06:55 PM
Been sucessful today. Bought the aussie ring and attached it the way shown in gahamby link (aquarius sail).
Had some problem the first time. I think I pulled too hard on the halyard and hook the shackle instead of the ring. Once unhooked, I hooked it back carefully and 3 times in a row it unhooked without problem. Turn the mast 110 degree as per Johnes advice.
Thank you all for your assistance.
Edited by coolhead on Jul 11, 2014 - 08:23 PM.
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AB
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