A friend of mine has a issue with the headboard ripping on his Code 0 spinnaker which is rigged with roller furling. I'm wondering if the luff tension is too tight or is it just a new sail issue? It's needs tension to furl it but should it be eased when flying it?
How tight the luff on a code Zero
- Thread starter Bazzer
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Since no one has answered .... look for sharp edges on that headboard. All the edges of the headboard should be well chamfered with a rounded edge.
Usually code zeros and other spinns dont have 'metallic' headboards, just many layers of 'patch material' which tend to 'stiffen' all the corners of such sails. Its always the corners of spinnakers which are the most vulnerable to 'ripping out' because the corners are where all the wind pressure from the center panels are eventually 'concentrated'.
A ripped out 'corner' is quite rare on a 'NEW' nylon sail ... suggest that your friend 'negotiate' with his sailmaker. If this were an old sail with lots of UV exposure, the corner is invariably where a UV burned sail will 'let go'. Ripstop nylon is a relatively lousy material vs. UV ... and the 'whiter' or lighter colored the sail the faster the UV burn.
Just a 'few weeks' of UV exposure can surely destroy any strength of sails made from NYLON - especially 'white' nylon; if this sail was left on its furler for that amount of time .... there will or should be no recompense by the sailmaker.
;-)
Usually code zeros and other spinns dont have 'metallic' headboards, just many layers of 'patch material' which tend to 'stiffen' all the corners of such sails. Its always the corners of spinnakers which are the most vulnerable to 'ripping out' because the corners are where all the wind pressure from the center panels are eventually 'concentrated'.
A ripped out 'corner' is quite rare on a 'NEW' nylon sail ... suggest that your friend 'negotiate' with his sailmaker. If this were an old sail with lots of UV exposure, the corner is invariably where a UV burned sail will 'let go'. Ripstop nylon is a relatively lousy material vs. UV ... and the 'whiter' or lighter colored the sail the faster the UV burn.
Just a 'few weeks' of UV exposure can surely destroy any strength of sails made from NYLON - especially 'white' nylon; if this sail was left on its furler for that amount of time .... there will or should be no recompense by the sailmaker.
;-)
It's actually a brand new sail, it's not the headboard that is ripping but the thimble on the bolt rope. The boat has electric winches and I suspect way to much tension is being put on it.
Usually can be remedied by installing two more thimbles 'next to' and connected to the OEM thimble with waxed sail twine. The usual course is to totally rebuild the corner .... new reinforcement corner patches, new thimbles, new webbing and D-rings .... and a total rebuild of the 'opposite' corner, too. Expensive to repair as such involves a lot of 'hand work'.
You're probably correct about too much winch tension.
You're probably correct about too much winch tension.
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