Neal,

Let's try again! The shelf is much more like a pleat in a pair of
pants. When pressure is put on them (Pants) the pleat opens and when the
pressure is released the pleat folds. There is no stretching. It is
simply opening and closing.

Now, you take your stupid experiment of a piece of dacron sail cloth.
Neal, if it is decent sail cloth, you damn well won't be able to stretch
it at all. When your sails start to stretch it is time to replace them.
Your experiment is FU in concept.

Your shelf folds and unfolds. Your outhaul doesn't stretch your sails
foot, it tension it.
If you are stretching the foot DON"T!!




http://community.webtv.net/tassail/ThomsPage