Sail storage on boom revisited...

Moderator: GreenLake

Sail storage on boom revisited...

Postby hectoretc » Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:18 am

Hi Jay,

When you have time to check in... I've been looking (without success) for your posting on how you layered, folded and bungee'd your sail to the boom for storage and transport.
901 900
If you remember what it was called, I'll find it, if not, my big question is, where did you get a 6 foot bungee (that's what I seem to think it was) for this setup?

Thanks - Scott
DS #6127 - Breakin' Wind - From the land of 10,000 lakes, which spend 80% of the year frozen it seems...
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Postby TIM WEBB » Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:31 pm

Here's one source we use at work:

http://www.superiorbungee.com
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Postby hectoretc » Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:33 pm

TIM WEBB wrote:Here's one source we use at work:

http://www.superiorbungee.com


Thanks Tim, Their website looks kind of "high volume" to me. (call for quotes kind of thing)
Do you have reason to believe they would sell one 6 foot bungee to me?

Thanks,
DS #6127 - Breakin' Wind - From the land of 10,000 lakes, which spend 80% of the year frozen it seems...
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Postby TIM WEBB » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:14 am

Yeah, they're a distributor, but you might con them into sending you a 6' sample, or I could get a sample for you if you'd like?

Another one we use for smaller volumes is www.paragear.com
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Postby GreenLake » Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:41 am

Scott,

here's a site that sells bungee (shock cord) by the foot. Search for the stuff you want on
Fischeries Supply.
They have a nice selection of sailing-related gear, materials and equipment as well.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Postby jdoorly » Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:51 am

Hi Scott, sorry to be away but it's the FIRST robot building season. We have 6 weeks to design and build a mobile robot that plays basketball, and I'm involved during most of my waking hours.

I used 10 feet of 1/4" unstretched shock cord with closed hooks (plastic) on the ends. That's the same length as the boom, just pulled tight enough not to hang down under the boom. When you pull it over the boom and sail is where you need the stretch.

The technique is called 'skinning the bunt' as I recall. My only complaint with the technique is I usually pull it so tight the mainsail gets pretty wrinked and fast looses it's 'new' look and feel.

I get my shock cord (bungy) at West Marine but these guys are good too:
http://www.duckworksbbs.com/line/shock/index.htm
http://search.sailrite.com/category/Shock-Cord
http://search.defender.com/?expression=shock%20cord
DS2 #6408 "Desperado"
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Postby hectoretc » Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:36 pm

Hi Jay,
I recall a post some time back, in which you'd mentioned that you were in the process of sewing a sail/boom cover for Desperado. I don't remember anything subsequent to that, and was wondering if you'd #completed the task successfully, and also if you had worked from a pattern, or followed the make it up as you go method?

I purchased some sunbrella (or the generic equivalent) fabric on ebay and have searched for sail cover patterns on the internet without much luck. I thought I'd check in with you for any suggestions before reverting to draping, pinning, cutting and sewing on the boat itself.

Also, if you commented, I'm sorry I missed it. How did the robot project go this winter? (if it's done)

Thanks - Scott
DS #6127 - Breakin' Wind - From the land of 10,000 lakes, which spend 80% of the year frozen it seems...
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'furling'

Postby dannyb9 » Wed Apr 04, 2012 12:56 pm

i roll my sails, not fold. i detach the halyard and roll from the top down along the leech. maybe more tedious than flaking (?) but few wrinlkes and makes very neat furls.
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Postby jdoorly » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:01 am

Hi Scott,

I made what Doyle Sails calls a 'Stack-pack'. I includes a lazy-jack system for managing the mainsail as it is lowered, and a mainsail cover to protect the main from the sun. The stack-pack mainsail cover in made of fabric that is held in the boom track/slot along it's longitudinal center. The fabric is taller near the boom (about 2') and has 1/4" dia fiberglass rods installed in the hems which are tied to the lazy-jacks.

I hated both the lazy-jacks as the mainsail would become entangled in the lazy-jacks during both raising and lowering and the mainsail cover didn't work as I hoped and got in the way of setting and reefing the mainsail. I ripped these mods off after the first sail with them.

I maid another mainsail cover, a standard design, but it didn't come out nice since I re-used the stack-pack cover and had to sew extension panels to the front and rear of the cover. I works very well but looks a bit rag-tag.

I suggest you download Sailrite's instructions for making a sail cover, I haven't read it but I'm sure it's better than anything I would write (13 pages for $5)...

http://www.sailrite.com/Sail-Cover-Instructions-Downloadable

Hi Danny, Using the roller furling boom function for storing the mainsail is a great idea. I would do it except I have a center boom mainsheet and slab-reefing (jiffy-reefing).
DS2 #6408 "Desperado"
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Postby GreenLake » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:21 am

Jay, Danny's not rolling his sail around the boom, but creating a roll on top of the boom. Downside with that method is that you need to take the whole sail of of the mast slot, so it spills into the cockpit just as if you were to take it down. Sliding it on and off the boom track isn't all that much extra work at that point, so you might as well take it off entirely. Especially, when you have to first unroll it completely before you can raise it.

Your suggestion to roll it onto the boom should work, as long as you can remove the main sheet block in the center (you don't need it with the sail down, but you may have to some lines rigged to keep the boom centered. That could be a temporary thin line from each of the stern cleats.

However, how easy is the turning action of the boom? I've never tried to use mine that way, even though it has the spring-loaded gooseneck for that purpose and a quick disconnect for the center block. It would also make raising the sail a two person job, because I believe the boom has to be pulled back to be able to rotate.

I guess, if you really take down your sail a lot, without taking it off, then sail slides and flaking it on the boom remain the best options.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Postby hectoretc » Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:58 am

jdoorly wrote:I suggest you download Sailrite's instructions for making a sail cover, I haven't read it but I'm sure it's better than anything I would write (13 pages for $5)...
http://www.sailrite.com/Sail-Cover-Instructions-Downloadable


Thanks Jay, Flying home from Kentucky this morning (work) so appreciated your link. Downloaded it in the airport and it'll give me something to read on the plane. It looks very complete and informative.

Thanks again - Scott
DS #6127 - Breakin' Wind - From the land of 10,000 lakes, which spend 80% of the year frozen it seems...
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Postby talbot » Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:07 pm

In defense of lazy jacks -- Small differences in the system matter. I use a sail cover with plastic snap buckles that avoid the jacks. If your halyard runs through a cam cleat, you can raise the main while standing aft where you can pull the leech clear of the jacks. I could improve my system by moving the boom attachment points farther forward than most diagrams recommend. (I now realize the diagrams anticipate a big-boat rig that has a relatively shorter foot than the DS). The jacks make it much simpler on voyages where you have to raise and lower the sail repeatedly for reefing, lunching, camping, etc.

That said, they are a tangle to set up. I managed to loft the jack halyard twice last night during my seasonal launch, each time requiring me to lower and re-lift the mast. I would not use lazy jacks if I were trailering my boat all the time. They are most convenent when the boat lives on the water with the sails bent onto the spars.
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Re: Sail storage on boom revisited...

Postby cwhite » Mon Jun 16, 2014 1:20 pm

Does anybody have dimensions for a mainsail cover? I just added a topping lift and would like to store the sail on the boom.

Thanks and best regards,
Chris
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Re: Sail storage on boom revisited...

Postby jeadstx » Mon Jun 16, 2014 4:42 pm

I don't have exact dimensions, but the boom is 10'-4" long. A sail cover would have to be that long plus some length to tie around the mast.

John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas
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Re: Sail storage on boom revisited...

Postby GreenLake » Mon Jun 16, 2014 7:13 pm

When I roll may sail I can fit it and the boom in the bag that came with the sail (11' x 11" approx). If you have sail slugs and leave the sail on the mast, their number will determine how tall the stack is that you need to cover and you generally get an asymmetrical shape. If you flake a sail on the mast that has a boltrope, you'll get a stack that's not as tall.

(I keep boom and sail in the bag, but take the boom off and use a cover over the boat).
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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