Boltrope

[Pink Flamingo]

With a stiff breeze the boltrope pulls slowly out of the slot on the boom.
Is there a quick fix or do I have to replace the boltrope.

Thanks,George.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

is there no outhaul line on the sail to hold it in tension? This would prevent the main from sliding up the boom.

 

[RichH]

"Two options":
1. build-up the diameter of the boltrope by 'overlaying' with a sleeve (or 2 or 3) of 'dacron sail tape' ... or make/sew on a sleeve of dacron tape ... one or two layers usually work. 3 & 4 " dacron tape is available from sailmakers supply (Sailrite, etc.)
2. Fly the sail 'loose footed' ... dont insert the boltrope into the boom's slot; will make outhaul adjustment easier. Wont 'look as good' as when the rope is in the slot but the function will be the same (or better).

Could also be that the slot has 'stress relieved' from all the tension over the years that has slowly spread the slot 'wider'. Take a look to see if the slot has the same 'opening' all along its distance. If the slot opening is now 'tapered' or wider near the gooseneck end than the outhaul end, take it to a metal fabricator ... possibly the slot opening can be corrected by 'rolling' or 'pressing' the slot opening back down.

 

[Mac Daddy]

Go loose footed you get much better sail shape and you won't have to mess with the bolt rope. Make sure you have a good outhaul setup.

 

[sinnettc]

Go loose footed you get much better sail shape and you won't have to mess with the bolt rope. Make sure you have a good outhaul setup.

Ditto. I've got a bolt rope in my main that I never even thought about running in the channel.

 

[Ross]

Is the tack shackled to the boom? There just isn't very much of a load on the foot of the sail. My boom is quite long by today's standards but only weighs about 3 pounds per foot. The tack is shackled to the gooseneck and the clew is hauled tight at the boom end.

 

[Pink Flamingo]

Thanks for the reply's,I'll beef up the outhaul and try loose footed.
George.

 

[sailingdog]

One worry about flying the mainsail as a loose footed main, especially if the mainsail wasn't designed to be flown like and you have mid-boom sheeting, is that you may be more likely to snap the boom. A loose-footed main applies the loads to the tack and clew alone, where a bolt-rope equipped main spreads the load along the boom a bit more. If the boom is mid-boom sheeted, point loading the tack and clew can cause it to "fold" at the mid-boom sheeting point.