Bolt Rope vs Sail Slugs?

[ShawnL]

I have what I believe to be the original (or very close to it) on my '72. The only thing that makes me question that is that it has 2 reef points and a place to attach a cunningham. Though they always could have been added somewhere along the line.

In any case, it still has a bolt-rope for both the connection at the mast and at the boom. I'm trying to decide if the hassle of the bolt rope for the connection at the mast is worth it. We generally day sail (and it's usually me running to set the sail) and it's kind of a pain to have to run to the mast to raise, reef, and fight with the sail when I'm dousing. It'd be a lot easier if it stayed attached to the mast. The sail is old, but it's still in pretty decent shape, still has some crisp-ness to it (thank you Sail Care). I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to have sail slugs added. At this point, I'm not seeing a downside. But, as usual I'm probably missing something and hoping someone has some constructive input.

 

[jviss]

It's hard to believe that a 51 year old sail is still serviceable! But if it is, good for you!

Sail slugs would be an upgrade, in my opinion.

 

[Gene Neill]

Heck yes, slugs

 

[Gene Neill]

Once you have slugs, you will almost certainly want mast gates. Mastgates.com is my recommendation if he's still around.

 

[ShawnL]

It may not be original -- I'm just going by what the PO told me. Though, as I've said I haven't seen an original sail with more than one reef point. In any event, I'm going to look at having slugs added to it this winter. Wondering if it's easily DIY-ed, or if I should have a loft do it. There aren't any around here, so I would have to send it out (which I'm fine with).

 

[dlochner]

It may not be original -- I'm just going by what the PO told me. Though, as I've said I haven't seen an original sail with more than one reef point. In any event, I'm going to look at having slugs added to it this winter. Wondering if it's easily DIY-ed, or if I should have a loft do it. There aren't any around here, so I would have to send it out (which I'm fine with).

I wouldn't put money into sail slugs or any modifications on a sail that old. Put that money towards a new mainsail. The boat will sail better, have less heel, and last longer than the sail you have.

"Crispness" is not the best indicator of sail condition. The fabric will stretch and belly out resulting in too much draft which causes the boat to heel more and be more difficult to trim correctly. All this will happen while the sail will remain "crisp".

A new mainsail for a C22 can be had for a base price of $733 here in the SBO store. Adding sail slugs to your sail will easily cost you $200-$300 unless you do the conversion yourself. If you are ambitious and have a sewing machine that can handle sailcloth Sailrite.com will sell you a kit for under $600.