Foot Marks On Head Sail

[stevewitt1]

Hello all fellow Sailors!!!

I must tap the collective knowledge of all you experienced sailboat skippers.

Last year I ordered a new 150% Genoa. Part of my order was to include 3 marks on the foot of the sail designating '130', 110', and 100% as a guide to tell me where I happen to furl the sail. I've had these added to head sails that I've had made for my 27' Catalina and my 31' Allmand in the past.

Previously these marks were on the foot of the sail starting from the tack working back towards the clew. When I furled to the first mark, I still had 130%, the second 110% and 100% when furled to the last.

On my new sail, the marks start close to the clew and work towards the tack. I called the sail-maker and was told many sailors like the marks that way. I have yet to figure out what to reference them to.


Does anyone here have furling marks on the foot of their sail from the clew working forward? If so, what do you reference them too.

If my pic makes it: I expected the foot marks where the blue marks are but they came where the red marks are. How would I reference these to be useful?


Sincerely
Steve

visit us at: http://www.ocontoyachtclub.com and http://www.warbirdsix.com

 

[Roadking Larry]

I guess you would have to reference them off your mast. I can see where your going with it but when I was running a roller furler I'd just roll it up to "that feels about right". Modern adhesives on sail tapes are pretty darn good. If it was me I'd just order some in the colors you want from Sailrite and put them on yourself where you want them.

 

[Joe]

You can use any fixed point on the boat... a shroud or a stanchion would be easy to see against the mark, for instance. Or some tape on the life line. The forward mark on the sail would be the largest size. As you roll the sail up the subsequent marks will align with your fixed mark...

You can also use your jib car track as a guide by marking positions for the lead block adjustment when you reef the headsail.

 

[shemandr]

Or, you could go back to the sailmaker and tell him that's not what you wanted and to please re-do it the way you expected it to be. If necessary offer to split the cost and mark it off to mis-communication. It's maybe a small thing, but if it irritates you every time you use the boat, why have that irritation?

 

[Jackdaw]

I've never seen that.

Are they vertical? If so then he's probably being straight with you, even if strange. If they are angled, they would make a crappy reference line against anything and I'm guessing that he put them on the wrong side of the foot and now don't want to cover the cost of making it right.

 

[woodster]

wouldn't this come under the use of sail trim ...what i mean is would you just adjust the sail for the conditions you are sailing under sorta like reffing to match the wind at hand

 

[Gunni]

I like to place my own headsail reefing marks based on how the boat trims out, and the location of my luff tapes. Whether it ends up 130, or 122.5 is useless information to me. If I call for a headsail reef it is very useful to say roll to the first hash-mark. There is no quibbling about what that means.

BTW, I think your sailmaker is making stuff up.

 

[Jackdaw]

wouldn't this come under the use of sail trim ...what i mean is would you just adjust the sail for the conditions you are sailing under sorta like reffing to match the wind at hand

Woody,

Two reasons:

First, what Gunni said. Marking them allows you to go to pre-set spots, where OTHER trims can be preset, like jib car position. We have tape and marks all over the boat for such presets. Of course you still can make other finer adjustments are needed.

The other would be for racing. You can have a bigger roller sail, but might to declare to race (with say) your 135. Just like the black bands on your spars to mark sail extents, black bands mark LP sizes. Many places give PHRF rating credit for this, but you usually have to declare the size once a season!

 

[Bill Roosa]

The only way to be sure is to furl the sail to each % using a measuring tape (at the slip of course) and see where the marks fall. I'm thinking duct tape would be a cost effective solution if the marks don't line up with anything useful.

 

[Jackdaw]

I'm thinking duct tape would be a cost effective solution if the marks don't line up with anything useful.

Wide Sharpie.

 

[Brian S]

Shouldn't a roller furling headsail have had reinforcement patches sewn into the leech and foot at the percentages you've enumerated? Otherwise, you will stretch out the foot and leech very quickly when reefed, shortening the life of the sail significantly.

I know when I get a roller furling headsail on my boat, I will get a 135% genoa, and have reef points at 110/100% and 90%. There will be reinforcement patches at those settings, as well as the UV protectant strip...

 

[Jackdaw]

Shouldn't a roller furling headsail have had reinforcement patches sewn into the leech and foot at the percentages you've enumerated? Otherwise, you will stretch out the foot and leech very quickly when reefed, shortening the life of the sail significantly.

If a headsail is planned/designed to be reefed then the sailmaker will make sure the luff and the foot are strong enough to deal with that over the entire length. The rolling 105% jib on or 260 is NOT designed to be reefed; that shows in the construction.