"Thom Stewart" wrote in message ...
Neal,

I meant to reply about the Vortec shedding. I have no proof, it is only
a gut feeling, but it truly seems that as the boat heals the shedding
isn't any problem. The air seems to rise up the sail rather than down

Glad you're back and glad we are talking about sails.

I will install tell tails along the foot of my sail to see if what I'm
saying can be detected.

I'm probably on my last main but I really don't think I'd ever have
anything but a free footed main again.

Reefed, with the reef tied to the bottom of the sail rather than the
boom, makes for a much better sail.

Ole Thom

I'll certainly agree with you on that last point.

The reef points are not beefy enough to have them
tied around the boom. Tie them too tightly and you
could rip or damage the sail. I keep mine real loose
just in case and it does not make as smart a package
as you are able to have tying the reefs under the foot
of the sail but above the boom.

CN

Capt.Neal, a bit of clarification on your reef comment.
A Sloops Main has only 2 positions for reef points, the luff and the
leach. The intermediate "reef points" as you call them , are not. They
are only there to tie up the bunt or loose sail and are never to be
used to secure the foot of the reefed main to the boom, as you stated.

A reefed main is by definition a loose footed main.
For those with loose footed mains, the ties are not a problem.
The same applies for those with slug footed mains.
Those with bolt roped mains can either secure the ties extra loose
around the boom as you did previously, or can make a slit in the bolt
rope tab with a hot knife and pass the ties through in that fashion.







On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 15:14:27 -0500, Capt. Neal®
wrote:


"Thom Stewart" wrote in message ...
Neal,

I meant to reply about the Vortec shedding. I have no proof, it is only
a gut feeling, but it truly seems that as the boat heals the shedding
isn't any problem. The air seems to rise up the sail rather than down

Glad you're back and glad we are talking about sails.

I will install tell tails along the foot of my sail to see if what I'm
saying can be detected.

I'm probably on my last main but I really don't think I'd ever have
anything but a free footed main again.

Reefed, with the reef tied to the bottom of the sail rather than the
boom, makes for a much better sail.

Ole Thom

I'll certainly agree with you on that last point.

The reef points are not beefy enough to have them
tied around the boom. Tie them too tightly and you
could rip or damage the sail. I keep mine real loose
just in case and it does not make as smart a package
as you are able to have tying the reefs under the foot
of the sail but above the boom.

CN

You are correct. However, picture a shelf-footed mainsail where
there is no space between its foot and the boom because the
shelf attaches to the slot in the boom via a bolt rope.

There is no way to tie the intermediate reefing cringle lines
with this set-up other than under the boom because no gap
exists between the boom and the sail. It's either leave the
big flap flapping or tie the intermediate reef point lines
under the boom. There is no harm done as long as they
are not tied too tightly as to pull hard on the cringles.

CN


"Marc" wrote in message ...
Capt.Neal, a bit of clarification on your reef comment.
A Sloops Main has only 2 positions for reef points, the luff and the
leach. The intermediate "reef points" as you call them , are not. They
are only there to tie up the bunt or loose sail and are never to be
used to secure the foot of the reefed main to the boom, as you stated.

A reefed main is by definition a loose footed main.
For those with loose footed mains, the ties are not a problem.
The same applies for those with slug footed mains.
Those with bolt roped mains can either secure the ties extra loose
around the boom as you did previously, or can make a slit in the bolt
rope tab with a hot knife and pass the ties through in that fashion.







On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 15:14:27 -0500, Capt. Neal®
wrote:


"Thom Stewart" wrote in message ...
Neal,

I meant to reply about the Vortec shedding. I have no proof, it is only
a gut feeling, but it truly seems that as the boat heals the shedding
isn't any problem. The air seems to rise up the sail rather than down

Glad you're back and glad we are talking about sails.

I will install tell tails along the foot of my sail to see if what I'm
saying can be detected.

I'm probably on my last main but I really don't think I'd ever have
anything but a free footed main again.

Reefed, with the reef tied to the bottom of the sail rather than the
boom, makes for a much better sail.

Ole Thom

I'll certainly agree with you on that last point.

The reef points are not beefy enough to have them
tied around the boom. Tie them too tightly and you
could rip or damage the sail. I keep mine real loose
just in case and it does not make as smart a package
as you are able to have tying the reefs under the foot
of the sail but above the boom.

CN

I might also add that small bungees in place of lines in
the intermediate cringles would make it completely safe
for the sail.

CN

"Capt. Neal®" wrote in message ...
You are correct. However, picture a shelf-footed mainsail where
there is no space between its foot and the boom because the
shelf attaches to the slot in the boom via a bolt rope.

There is no way to tie the intermediate reefing cringle lines
with this set-up other than under the boom because no gap
exists between the boom and the sail. It's either leave the
big flap flapping or tie the intermediate reef point lines
under the boom. There is no harm done as long as they
are not tied too tightly as to pull hard on the cringles.

CN


"Marc" wrote in message ...
Capt.Neal, a bit of clarification on your reef comment.
A Sloops Main has only 2 positions for reef points, the luff and the
leach. The intermediate "reef points" as you call them , are not. They
are only there to tie up the bunt or loose sail and are never to be
used to secure the foot of the reefed main to the boom, as you stated.

A reefed main is by definition a loose footed main.
For those with loose footed mains, the ties are not a problem.
The same applies for those with slug footed mains.
Those with bolt roped mains can either secure the ties extra loose
around the boom as you did previously, or can make a slit in the bolt
rope tab with a hot knife and pass the ties through in that fashion.







On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 15:14:27 -0500, Capt. Neal®
wrote:


"Thom Stewart" wrote in message ...
Neal,

I meant to reply about the Vortec shedding. I have no proof, it is only
a gut feeling, but it truly seems that as the boat heals the shedding
isn't any problem. The air seems to rise up the sail rather than down

Glad you're back and glad we are talking about sails.

I will install tell tails along the foot of my sail to see if what I'm
saying can be detected.

I'm probably on my last main but I really don't think I'd ever have
anything but a free footed main again.

Reefed, with the reef tied to the bottom of the sail rather than the
boom, makes for a much better sail.

Ole Thom

I'll certainly agree with you on that last point.

The reef points are not beefy enough to have them
tied around the boom. Tie them too tightly and you
could rip or damage the sail. I keep mine real loose
just in case and it does not make as smart a package
as you are able to have tying the reefs under the foot
of the sail but above the boom.

CN

Capt. Neal® wrote:
I might also add that small bungees in place of lines in
the intermediate cringles would make it completely safe
for the sail.

Unless the wind was blowing hard enough to make it necessary to reef in
the first place.

If you're concerned about "safe for the sail" and yet too dumb to learn
proper sail-handling (your case in a nutshell), then the best thing
would be to leave the sail in a bag stowed carefully ashore.

DSK

Marc,

My old Main was a loose footed main, as Neal has, with a shelve. When I
reefed that sail I never tied the reef points. Just left the sail slab
reefed. Worked OK except when sailing reefed in the rain. There wasn't
nearly enough cockpit to dodge the water dumped when Tacking.

I do have a Pilothouse sloop, so we were usually on the inside helm in
the rain. I could see it as a problem with a single helm boat.

Ole Thom