Just had a frustrating experience hoisting the furling mainsail on my Oceanis 37. The openings on the mast are so small, there is limited visibility and extremely limited space for fingers. What should have been a simple exercise turned into a lengthy and unsatisfactory process. Any tips from other sailors experienced with this type of system?
Hoisting furling mainsail
- Thread starter JRahmberg
- Start date
First try to put a rag in the mast below the lower shackle, in hopes that it will catch anything you drop.
I find it's easiest to get the tack into the lower slot before starting to put the head into the upper part. For the head, I've had good luck putting the shackle onto the webbing first, then sliding it through the slot and installing the bolt. I found that was easier than trying to put the shackle into the webbing after it was already inside the mast. Have the furling line a little slack so that you can turn the foil to line up the shackles with whatever opening you want to work through. The hoist itself should be pretty easy once you have everything attached - just help guide the sail into position to enter the track.
Oh, and have an extra set of Allen wrenches, just in case one finds its way to the bottom of the mast step.
The good thing is, once it's done you don't have to think about it for about 6 months.
I find it's easiest to get the tack into the lower slot before starting to put the head into the upper part. For the head, I've had good luck putting the shackle onto the webbing first, then sliding it through the slot and installing the bolt. I found that was easier than trying to put the shackle into the webbing after it was already inside the mast. Have the furling line a little slack so that you can turn the foil to line up the shackles with whatever opening you want to work through. The hoist itself should be pretty easy once you have everything attached - just help guide the sail into position to enter the track.
Oh, and have an extra set of Allen wrenches, just in case one finds its way to the bottom of the mast step.
The good thing is, once it's done you don't have to think about it for about 6 months.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has trouble with this issue. I did a couple of things. I ordered a spare for the head and tack shackles from US Spar. Relieves some of the anxiety over a mast drop. Also, I attack a long plastic wire tie toe the shackles while I m attaching them. Easy to hang onto or retrieve in case of the mast drop. I then cut it off before hoisting. I will try the tack first method. Sounds good. Do anyone else's fingers cramp while doing this maneuver?
. I use paper towels that can dissolve away if not retrievable.It took 2 people's hands in the tiny access ports. One sitting on the boom and the other using the fold up steps provided OEM. Since it was the Sailmaker and his helper. I didn't have a tough time.
Jim...
I had a sailmaker and his assistant ask me to help them bend one on a Beneteau, we managed to do it with ONLY 3 people, two at the mast and one on the halyard. None of us could see a way to make it easier, one guy had to keep it from pulling out of the "groove" immediately after the other guy fed it in.
Bringing this thread back up because I just when through this process for the first time on my 2016 B37.
I had the sail removed last fall for the first time and I reinstalled this past weekend.
Besides being a pain to get the head and tack shackles attached I had a couple of issues, questions, comments.
1. My US Spars mast has the upper tack track but also a small lower tack track. A short 12 inch section of luff tape near the tack on the sail is supposed to be inserted in the lower track to keep lower part of sail from coming out of track, but there is no access to that section track at all. Has any one had experience inserting this lower luff tape into place. I was not able to get this done. There are five access points with plastic covers on the bottom sail for rigging. I am thinking about cutting another access point to make this easier. Has anyone done this?
2. I attempted to raise the main before attaching the tack shackle. Found out the with out the tack shackle in place on the furling drum, the entire foil will lift up out of the drum as you raise the main. (Not good) Be sure to insert the shackle or a bolt through the drum to lock the foil down when raising the main.
3. I raised the main to the top of the foil and found the main sail tack to be a good 12-18 inches higher than the tack connection point on the furling drum. Had to lower the sail back down from top to connect. Seem the main sail luff could be extended a bit and still leave room to tension the luff sufficiently on the foil. Is this amount of gap standard on all furling mains.
Thanks in advance for any comments.
CW
I had the sail removed last fall for the first time and I reinstalled this past weekend.
Besides being a pain to get the head and tack shackles attached I had a couple of issues, questions, comments.
1. My US Spars mast has the upper tack track but also a small lower tack track. A short 12 inch section of luff tape near the tack on the sail is supposed to be inserted in the lower track to keep lower part of sail from coming out of track, but there is no access to that section track at all. Has any one had experience inserting this lower luff tape into place. I was not able to get this done. There are five access points with plastic covers on the bottom sail for rigging. I am thinking about cutting another access point to make this easier. Has anyone done this?
2. I attempted to raise the main before attaching the tack shackle. Found out the with out the tack shackle in place on the furling drum, the entire foil will lift up out of the drum as you raise the main. (Not good) Be sure to insert the shackle or a bolt through the drum to lock the foil down when raising the main.
3. I raised the main to the top of the foil and found the main sail tack to be a good 12-18 inches higher than the tack connection point on the furling drum. Had to lower the sail back down from top to connect. Seem the main sail luff could be extended a bit and still leave room to tension the luff sufficiently on the foil. Is this amount of gap standard on all furling mains.
Thanks in advance for any comments.
CW
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CW,
We have the same furler on our 2014 37, and I remove the sail each winter. The key to the lower section of track is to slide the sail into there sort-of from the top down before dealing with the rest of the sail. You should be able to take the very bottom of the luff tape, just above the tack, and feed it into the track just below the prefeeder for the upper track. There is no prefeed for the lower track, but it's a small enough length that you should be able to slide it in just by pushing the sail through the slot in the mast. There should be an access panel or two where the shackle then connects to the bottom of the furler (just above the boom).
I've never had that happen, and intuitively I don't know that the bottom shackle would really lock the foil down. Like I said I always put the lower luff in first so maybe it does hold everything down and I just never noticed. Either that or there is excessive friction or something else wrong with your installation that's allowing the foil to lift.
Here is a picture of our main fully hoisted -
At the top of the mast you can get an idea for where the top shackle goes relative to the black band, and where the band is relative to the masthead. There is certainly some space there. I don't know whether that's to prevent interference with the backstay or to accommodate future stretching or measurement imperfections.
I have taken the mast down every year for the last 10 years. I hook up the swivel and feed the luff rope up the track and hoist away using McLube occasionally and keeping the luff close to the mast. When I reach the tack I continue to raise the sail until the tack luff rope is level with the lower track opening. Then just lower the sail, guiding the luff rope into the lower track.
Then take out the tack shackle, insert the tack loop into the slot, slip in the shackle and connect to track. Takes one person 1 to 1-1/2 hours max. Never lost any hardware.
Then take out the tack shackle, insert the tack loop into the slot, slip in the shackle and connect to track. Takes one person 1 to 1-1/2 hours max. Never lost any hardware.
lots of good ideas.
We had the same issue. We had sails for 20 years before replacing last year. At about year 12, we had a sailmaker replace the luff tape with the next size smaller which ran up the mast (and jib furler) much easier. New sails were ordered the same way.
3rd season with my inmast 2005 US spar. I seem to have no problems once I get it set..... I attach the head and clew first then have wife, with electric winch pull sail into place doing this part through the access holes with fingers..... tight. Once I have about a foot in the track I just bring 2 foot sections below the slot pull taught and have her hoist. We have a system that works good. Last thing I do is remove tack shakle (yes has to remain in or foil will pull out). And attach........
First year with boat was not so smooth.....
Good luck
Greg
First year with boat was not so smooth.....
Good luck
Greg
Great input.
I spoke to the Neil Pryde rep (Bruce Empey) in Annapolis yesterday and got some great additional pointers.
1. He recommended a thin curved hemostat to help get the lower luff tape into the track. Grab the sail right behind the luff line and work it into place. $10.50 for a set at Amazon. I will give this a try.
He is also going to send me a high tech upgrade that can be used to hold the tack shackle tight against the foil even when you crank out the outhaul... It is a custom cut length of 1 inch wide Velcro.
2. What NYSail said.
3. His explanation as to why the sail looks to be 12 inches short of the top, is as David suggested above "future stretching or measurement imperfections." He said they have a % calculation that tends to leave the sail a little shorter than it needs to be.
He did mention that this calculation could be tweaked for some added length when I replace/upgrade my sails $$$$.
All good, sail is up (finally!) and we will be out on the bay this weekend.
Thanks all.
cw
I spoke to the Neil Pryde rep (Bruce Empey) in Annapolis yesterday and got some great additional pointers.
1. He recommended a thin curved hemostat to help get the lower luff tape into the track. Grab the sail right behind the luff line and work it into place. $10.50 for a set at Amazon. I will give this a try.
He is also going to send me a high tech upgrade that can be used to hold the tack shackle tight against the foil even when you crank out the outhaul... It is a custom cut length of 1 inch wide Velcro.
2. What NYSail said.
3. His explanation as to why the sail looks to be 12 inches short of the top, is as David suggested above "future stretching or measurement imperfections." He said they have a % calculation that tends to leave the sail a little shorter than it needs to be.
He did mention that this calculation could be tweaked for some added length when I replace/upgrade my sails $$$$.
All good, sail is up (finally!) and we will be out on the bay this weekend.
Thanks all.
cw
Interesting. Let us know how that works. I would think your 2016 and my 2014 would already have the extrusion / sail adjustments mentioned in Joker460's 2009 bulletin, so I'm curious to know what the Velcro would really do for us.
Not sure I understand how the hemostat will help. The lower luff tape just slides into the track as the sail goes up.
Relative to the outhaul: I replaced the original track with new one and with a ball bearing car and it works so much better.
If the sail is installed with the upgraded extrusion then no need for the Velcro. Velcro was listed as an "alternative" solution if you have not installed the upgrade or (in my case) I removed sail and can not get the sail reinstalled in the upgraded extrusion.