Rigger took mainsail out then ghosted. Went to put it back in (1st for this newbie), which appeared to go fine...then wasn't going in right. Bottom of sail was bunching. Kicker boom vang tightened down...not truly perpendicular but close. On review, the hook for the tack is 90 degrees off from the groove the sail is going into...so it doesn't start twisting at the same time...appears to be my issue. Am I missing something? The head goes straight on just fine. If 90 off on tack is OK, do I need to start wrapped in a certain direction first? I see no immediate path to fix this, since the set screw on the threaded part appears bent over ATM and jammed..probably why the rigger bailed. Wonder if he did that or previous owner. Any thoughts people? If you look at the attached pics, you'll see in the mast openings for setting up the sail, that the groove is 90 degrees off the tack hook...
Selden in mast question
- Thread starter Believe H46
- Start date
Free up the boom vang, and make sure you have the ratchet at the mast engaged before you wind it in( it only winds in one way). Keep a little tension on the outhaul and it should wind in fine. I do not use a cockpit furling line, rather I stand at the mast and winch it in from there. I have found vang tension will cause all sorts of problems. Also, make sure you have the luff well tensioned before winding it in.
A common problem is not having the boom at a right angle to the mast. This can be caused by a topping lift, boom vang or main sheet. Even a little off can cause problems furling and unfurling.
Yes. I turn on ratchet at the mast so it will only furl in counterclockwise, and even did have wife keep tension on outhaul and tried unwinding and winding again on the mast rachet head, but it doesn't seem to feed right at the bottom of the sail and wondered if the misalignment of the tack hook on the furler to the groove(and thus the luff edge itself) might be the reason. It winds in way too hard so we stopped. Wirhout the sail, it all turns just fine. Checked the furler, it isn't bouncing around and seems snug up the mast hollow and not moving around as we furl. Maybe we just need to keep a LOT of tension to get it tight onto the furler as we start out...
It shouldn't need much tension, just make sure the boom is level. Even a few degrees off will cause the sail to jam or not furl.
Well, that might be tough. The boom is mounted to not be true perpendicular tot he mast. The free end of the booms drop is limited by the arch, and isn't true level. I took a walk around the marina. Most sailboats are. The 3 hunter models that are the same as mine all have the same limitation mine has. Not level. Hm.
The only time the angle matters is when furling or unfurling the sail. In the marina, get it high enough to get it out of the way. If the boom is moved off center, is there room to lower it to level?
The SS tack hook should be aligned with the groove. If the rigger tried to adjust the foil tension, he removed a set screw, lifted the locking tube, and got the locking tube out of alignment with the SS tack hook.
Go to Selden.com and get the document for adjusting the foil extrusion and you will see how to align the SS tack hook with the extrusion.
Once this is corrected I set the boom height with the topping lift. To do this mainsail halyard to be tight so no horizontal wrinkles at the bottom of the luff tape. Loosen the topping lift so it is loose and the sail is holding the boom. Outhaul to be tight. Mainsheet to be snug. Now tighten the topping lift. MARK THE ROPE AT THE CLEAT OR ROPE CLUTCH. This method works for most all sails. If the boom ends up with an angle greater than 87 degrees, it will not furl smooth.
To furl the mainsail, be on a starboard tack slightly is best. Loosen the mainsheet. SLIGHTLY loosen the outhaul and keep some tension. Pull furling line to roll so extrusion turns COUNTER CLOCKWISE. Let the outhaul out as you furl the mainsail but keep some outhaul tension. Sail should roll up fine.
Mast should be very straight with no PRE-BEND.
If the mainsail is DACRON, and over 5 years old, have a qualified sailmaker with furling mainsail building experience check the shape. You can take photos of the sail from under the boom with the outhaul tight and post it here and I can
let you know about your sail camber.
Morsail779 has all the steps. One thing I have not seen in the responses so far is maybe, just maybe, you have some battens in the sail that are getting caught. Especially if the hook is 90 degrees out, there will be a twist that will bugger the battens
Hello, not sure if this is helpful as my boat is much smaller. Here are pictures from my Hunter e36 with a Selden mast. I took these before I took the sail down for cleaning. Connected it up the same way after cleaning and it furls in just fine.
