Is my Mainsail worn out?

[Doug J]

I'm wondering if my main is bagged out. If I hoist it all the way tight and loosen the topping lift so the sail is the only thing holding up the boom, the boom is drooping down probably about 6 inches from being level. Can someone tell me if this is normal for a H26? The cloth looks to my novice eye to be in okay shape, but the sail is probably original to this 94' boat.

 

[flynhi4u]

Doug,
Does your main look like ours in my profile pic? Ours was shot. Can't wait to hoist our new main for the first time this season.

Sam

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

is the sail orginal and if so, maybe a new sail and you can get it thru the store forum. Look at the bolt rope to see if is screwed up on the front of the sail and then weigh repair vs. new. Without being there nor a photo of it is difficult to say or what to suggest to you.

 

[Doug J]

is the sail orginal and if so, maybe a new sail and you can get it thru the store forum. Look at the bolt rope to see if is screwed up on the front of the sail and then weigh repair vs. new. Without being there nor a photo of it is difficult to say or what to suggest to you.

I took some pictures. It's kind of hard to see how the boom is drooping down in these pictures though. I guess I'm wondering, if the sail was new, would the boom droop like that with no wind, is it normal? I'm sure under power it will lift up. Is the sail cut that way to accommodate that while under power? There are no tears or any repairs to the sail. I was hoping I could sail with the bimini up, but the way it is it will hit. Because of the large roach I can't raise the boom with the topping lift as it would interfere with the sail during tacking.

Is re-conditioning worthwhile?

Was Doyle what was provided from the factory new?

I know I certainly could use a new sail, but I'm hoping I can get by with this one for a while. Since I got this boat a year ago, I've already spent a lot of money doing repairs and upgrades and can't afford a new main right now. What's your opinion, can I get by with this one for a while? Any recommendation on setup to make it better?

 

[Dennis Kitchen]

Do a search for images of the H26, H260, H23.5, Or H240. Scroll through until you find a "lines drawing" of the vessel and you will notice the boom slightly slopes aft. Also noticeable in some profile view photos.
I have the issue also on my 23.5 with OEM Doyle sails. I perceive the droop does get worse as the leech stretches. To make matters worse, when the sail is reefed my droop is different yet. As the OP said, it interferes with bimini placement.
I really hate this! When I have my new main designed I will have this corrected. I might lose a square foot of area but who cares. At least I'll have the noggin nocker where I want it.

 

[Jackdaw]

Doug,

Looking at your pictures, you are NO WHERE NEAR full hoist. That will cause droopy boom.

Probably your bolt rope has shrunk, and/or you need to tighten your halyard. Try more tension, on a winch. Most people do not put nearly enough tension on it. It has to be TIGHT.

In the pictures you can see how far it is from the top band on the mast.

As an editorial, you bought a boat with 20+ year old sails. That sail is clearly blown out. No more money for sails after 'upgrades'? New sails should have been your FIRST upgrade! ;-)

 

[Joe]

Your battens appear overly tensioned. This increases the draft depth (belly) and also brings the clew forward... just like when you adjust your jib cars. A fuller sail will have a shorter distance between tack and clew than a flat one. So.. you might remove the tension on your battens, allowing the sail to flatten, and then pull the outhaul out as far as you can. Also..... give it as much hoist as you can, using the winch, this will essentially increase the size of the triangle and it should raise the boom a bit.

In light air... keeping the sail relatively flat is important to maintain air flow attachment. As the breeze increases you can power up the sail by increasing draft depth... until you feel the weather helm increasing... then you start flattening it again... Once the breeze is up you don't have the drooping boom.. no matter what your trim.

You can also have a sail loft take a look at it... they may suggest a recut which could get you a couple more seasons.

 

[woodster]

you know i am having the same difficulty when i measure the luff i get 33' 6" and according to the specs its 34'..i am wondering if i need to cut the bottom or figure out some way to stretch the luff

 

[Doug J]

As an editorial, you bought a boat with 20+ year old sails. That sail is clearly blown out. No more money for sails after 'upgrades'? New sails should have been your FIRST upgrade! ;-)

Totally get your point Jack. I won't go into all the gory details of my upgrades, but let me say I was lucky to get the boat home from the 60 miles where I bought her, original tires, etc. So the trailer needed to be rebuilt. Then there was some wiring issues in the boat. Yes, I did buy some relatively unnecessary accessories. Not to mention the initial purchase price of the boat. I've been hoping the main will be okay.

Thanks to you and Joe for the suggestions. I did not use the winch as I was just trying to get some quick pictures. I don't think it will go much higher, but I'll give that a try. I think I will take the sail to a loft and see if they can do anything with it. Maybe it would be worth doing that, more affordable than buying a new sail right now.

 

[newsailor130]

I have a 1981 H22 with original Mainsail and , Yes, I kind of think I am ready for a new sail. Any recommendations about where to get one made?

 

[Tally Ho]

My 1988 O'Day 322 has the original (I think) mainsail. Yes, a new one would be nice, but I don't really race....so just get out there and sail.

Make sure you ease the mainsheet before you hoist, and put some good tension on the halyard. That should help flatten the sail.
Then trim the best you can and have some fun.

Enjoy your new boat.

Greg

 

[Doug J]

Good to hear others are in the same situation. As time goes on I'll improve the sails and the rigging. For now I like your advise Greg; "trim the best you can and have some fun."

Can anyone comment on the LaMauney Reconditioning Process?
http://www.sailcare.com/sail-cleaning.shtml

Looks like the price for my sail would be about $152. They do modifications and upgrades too. Might be a good option before I spend $1200+ for a new main.

 

[Bosman]

My suggestion:
- increase tension on the top batten
- lower tension on the middle batten
- release completely reefing line on 1st reef point clew
- increase mainsail halyard tension as well suggested in prior posts
- attach boom vang and tighten the line well
- release leech line, if equipped
- play with the foot tension to release wrinkles and obtain better shape

 

[jwing]

When I first started sailing my boat, I had mainsail issues, too. But I just sailed and had fun. Over time, I made incremental improvements on how I set and trimmed the sail. Yes, my sail is old and yes, I might see lots of improvement when I replace it. However...I'm glad I used the opportunity to learn how to properly rig the sail I have.

If your sail can't be raised higher than you show in your photos, you'd be wise to figure out why and fix that before you buy a new sail. My boat had that problem and it went away when I cleaned and dry-lubed the sail slugs. I also lifted the boom by hand so that is wasn't jamming in the mast slot or causing the lower slugs to be jammed. Now, I keep the boom set higher than it should be for sailing, and release it after I get the head fully raised to the top of the mast. Then I set the downhaul. Your boat may work differently; part of the fun is figuring it all out. After you've done that is the time to buy a new sail, IMO, but you may find that you don't need one to suit your purposes for several more years.

 

[Doug J]

Bosman, jwing; all good comments and suggestions - much appreciated! I will try all.

 

[newsailor130]

How does one "release tension" on a batten?