Hello Dan, great service and answers, thanks.

We have a FP Belize 43 catamaran, and the fully battened main is attached to a track that is fitted into a track on the mast. We have recently been transatlantic and on arrival in the Caribbean found the cars badly worn, two of the end caps the battens fit into (mast end) broken in half, and the bearings of the cars mostly missing. On inspection the track running up the mast was worn heavily where the cars park when the main is fully raised.

We have had new cars sent out but do not want this to happen again. Does the track need replacement? How is this done (excuse our ignorance)? How do we prevent this problem? The boat is 3 years old. Best regards, John Jones

Hi John, The sequence of events that caused your worn track and sliders probably went like this:

1) End caps on the slider cars cracked.
2) Balls escaped from the slider car bearings through the cracked end caps.
3) Cars that are missing balls chewed up the track.

Most luff car systems are now available with either standard cars or high-load cars. Your cars are probably standard cars with plastic end caps. The high-load cars, if available for your system, will likely have aluminum end caps that will not crack. Catamaran mainsails need more robust parts than conventional monohull mainsails of the same sail area because there is typically more roach (more compression on the batten system) and more righting moment.

If your luff track is fastened to a groove in the mast extrusion, it is attached in one of two methods: The mast is drilled and tapped and the mast attached with machine screws directly into the extrusion, or the rigger used slugs that fit into the extrusions groove and short machine screws are threaded into the slugs. In either case, the machine screws are stainless and they are threaded into aluminum. You may have some trouble freeing up the fasteners after three years of ocean sailing.
The track is made up of several short sections. You may find that it is only damaged in a few places where the damaged cars sit while the sail is hoisted. If the damage is not significant, you might be able to clean up the track with a file and sand paper and consider moving the bad sections to different locations on the mast so that the cars do not sit right on the damaged spots on the track while sailing. Regards, Dan Neri

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Dear Dan, I read your answer to someone's question about sail slides on full batten mains and mizzens. You mentioned, as I interpreted, an approach by Harken which didn't include external track. Was I correct? We just purchased a 64' Sundeer and the sailmaker has recommended replacing the bronze slides (painted internal tracks) with some sort of external track car system. We don't really want to modify the masts (they are unstepped at the moment) due to weight, weight aloft, expense, and the modification of internal track to external track. He seems to think the current setup requires extra maintenance in lubrication, dirtier sails quicker, and extra effort to raise and lower and stow, particularly in a breeze. Any recommendations and information about the Harken system? Thanks, Wayne

Hi Wayne, Your sailmaker is correct. The internal slides need to be lubricated, and the grease or silicone that you use will get on the sail and your hands eventually. Your current internal track and slide system is functional and simple, but an external track and car system will slide much more freely at the expense of weight and cost.

There are maintenance issues with either system. With a Harken, Antal, Fredericson or other track and car system you need to carry some spares, as it is possible to bend some of the universal joint parts in extreme load conditions. Otherwise, the track and car systems are very robust and for the most part trouble-free. The Harken ball bearing cars in particular slide up and down with no friction, if the boat is pointed upwind. When the sail is against the spreaders, there will obviously be more friction. I don't think there is any car made to fit in an internal track on a boat as large as your Sundeer. Regards, Dan

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I've acquired a reasonable condition radial head spinnaker that's two feet too wide for my Ranger 33 (26.5'). I'm game to re-cut my own chute, but was wondering how bad it would be if I just took the width out of the centerline rather than the more elaborate luff/leech alteration? That way, there's no refinishing of the clews and tapes, just a seam down the middle (where there usually isn't one).

Hi Jim, The easiest way to reduce the spinnaker girth by 2' is as follows:

1) Cut the head off the sail.
2) Cut 2' out of the center of the bottom half of the sail, as you described.
3) Sew the head back on to the narrower bottom half.
4) Fair the leech by cutting one foot off of each side of the head, tapering the panel into the head patch, following the shape of the head panels. In other words, if the head panels are 2' wide, you are cutting 50% of the width away at the base of the panel. To taper the panel into the head, draw a line at 50% of the width for the entire length of the panel. You can fake it back out to the existing leech somewhere below the head grommet to avoid having to rework that area.
5) Sew on new leech tapes (or remove the old leech tapes before cutting off the head, and then sew them back on after refairing the leeches).

Don't sweat the details too much. Spinnakers are stretchy enough to mask a lot of errors. Regards, Dan Neri

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Hi, I am in the process of refitting a 1969 Cal 34 and would like to replace the wire/rope halyards. Do you have any recommendations regarding type and diameter of braided halyards?

Can the mast sheaves remains as is or does the groove diameter have to be increased to suit braid as opposed to the smaller diameter wire? - Regards, Peter

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Dear Dan, I am writing because I am trying to make the decision whether or not to go for a thread-aligned main sail or a tri radial sail and also what material I should be looking for? I own a Swan 68 and was wondering if you could give me some pointers with regards to this. I have been looking at some materials from Dimension Polyant. I would possibly like to do some racing this season, which is swaying my decision more toward a thread-aligned sail, and as I have been told the prices between the two are not massive. What do you think? Kind regards, John

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Dan, I just purchased a Hughes 40 and am going to replace the sails. My question is this: I have two fixed head stays and one removable baby stay. The foremost stay contains a large light air sail; the inner headstay is the one I'm concerned about. Should I put a 100 jib on this or a 130? This is a ketch.

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Hi Dan, We are buying new sails for our 27 foot Albin Vega for an extended cruise in the Caribbean. We are getting a new mainsail and a working jib to complement an older 135% genny (as well as a new storm jib and storm trysail). What size jib would you recommend for this kind of application? We were thinking about something in the order of a 100% jib. Thanks, Hans

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Dan: I have been researching sail repair methods. Some sailmakers offering sail repair services offer to "re-size" or "re-resin" old sails. While the majority of opinions I am discovering do not favor the usefulness of re-resining old sails, do you have any information about the actual type of resin that is used to re-resin Dacron sails? And the temperatures this process requires the sails to be baked at to cure the resin? Thanks, Bob

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After replacing the sail slides on my main sail, the "stack" of sail slides is now about 6' higher up the sail track. By removing the sail slide stop, I can drop the "stack" of sail slides lower on the mast. Are you aware of a part that can fill the access slot on the sail track so that the slides - now below the slot - will ride up the sail track without jamming?

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Dear Dan, We are looking to improve upwind performance on a full-keeled cruiser Cape Dory 45 cutter ketch, and would love some advice. We would like to introduce an inside sheeting position for the headsail. Here's how we thought of doing it: We make the inner forestay for the staysail removable, then use the staysail boom as a jib boom.

Could we control sail shape and angle using only the staysail sheet? Do you think this might improve upwind performance? What shape of sail could give us the best mainsail slot in a zero overlap situation? Thanks so much! - Mike

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Dear Dan, I have bought a used mainsail with shelf foot and flattening reef. Would you please explain to me how to rig and use the sail? Thanking you in advance for your reply. Regards, Pantelis

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I have got a used mainsail for my Beneteau first 26 which is 2-3 inches longer. If I cut the head 3 inches and install a wider headboard (existing 11.5cm new 15cm) will I have any problems with mainsail performance?

You can shorten the mainsail in one of two ways:

1) Cut off the headboard and install a wider headboard, lower on the sail, as you described. The potential problem with this method is that the new, wide headboard might interfere with your backstay. If the headboard hits the backstay, it will always stay on the side of the tack you were on when you hoisted it. Obviously that is not a workable situation.

2) Cut off the headboard, and mark the sail for a new headboard of the same width, installed lower on the luff. With this solution, you will have to also remove the leech tape between the head and the top batten, trim the sail from the back of the new headboard and the leech end of the top batten, and reinstall the leech tape. When you trim the sail away, the line you draw should have about -5mm of curve, centered between the two end points. Trimming the sail with a little bit of hollow between the batten and the head will eliminate the tendency of the sail to flutter. The leech tape should have slightly more tension than the sail fabric when you reinstall it. Finish the luff rope and head of the sail in the same way that you found it.

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I have a Hughes Northstar 80/20 ketch with a roller furled mainsail. This is obviously an aftermarket modification, and it is extremely difficult to unfurl and furl. The outhaul and furling lines by necessity are each routed around several blocks (around the boom, down the mast, across the deck, through a block, then to the cockpit) which greatly increases the mechanical
effort required to move the sail. At times we have had to use our large winch and are putting a lot of (hopefully) unnecessary strain on the lines, deck organizers and blocks. Our best efforts have resulted in still about a foot of slack in the outhaul line at the clew. This is my first experience with such a mainsail arrangement and I have no idea what is considered "normal" operation or configuration. In addition, the car to which the outhaul line is attached moved freely on the boom track until I hit on the idea to lock it in place using a second, locking slide. By keeping the car stationary, sail management improved a bit but it still seems to be much harder than it should be and requires two people pretty much dedicated to the mainsail during furling and unfurling. My original plan of sailing the boat shorthanded or singlehanded is now in question until I can resolve this
problem.

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Hi Dan: Is there a recommended setting to tension the battens within their pockets on a fully battened main? Thanks, Steve P

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On larger cruising catamarans, are Gennakers flown from the bow of the windward pontoon? Can they be safely and effectively?

Hi, The gennaker tack can be set on the windward hull bow, or on a bridle or double tack line between the headstay and windward hull bow. Moving the tack to windward has the same effect as pulling the spinnaker pole aft, and it will work to your advantage in conditions where the apparent wind is aft of the beam. Regards, Dan Neri

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Dear Dan, I am looking at sails for extended cruising. I wonder if you have any experience/views on Hydra-net from Dimension polyant. Your book has been very helpful already and will be coming sailing to help with repairs! Yours sincerely, Bruce C

Hi Bruce, I don't have any direct experience making sails from Hydra-net. However, I think it looks like a promising sailcloth style. The original, fill-oriented Hydra-net construction didn't make much sense because it was essentially a moderate-performance woven dacron product with the addition of a spectra rip stop pattern. It had excellent rip stop characteristics, but ripping is not a concern with dacron sails until they get old enough that you should be replacing them anyway.

The more recent, warp-oriented Hydra-net looks like a better product. Warp-oriented fabrics allow the sailmaker to use a radial construction, which makes a sail with much better shape-holding characteristics than is possible with cross-cut construction. Normally, woven dacron fabrics are not suitable for radial construction because it is not possible to get enough dacron yarn in the warp direction of the fabric for the loads on boats over about 30'. But the spectra reinforcement in the Hydra-net pushes the limits of the fabric up into the 45-50' range of boats.

Compared to a laminated spectra product, the Hydra-net styles can not offer as high a concentration of fiber, so the theoretical stretch and strength of the sails will be lower, but the Hydra-net construction will outperform laminated spectra fabrics in two ways that are important to many cruising sailors:

1) Mildew: Hydra-net is a single layer woven fabric, not a laminated fabric. Any mildew growth will be on the surfaces of the fabric and can be easily removed. Laminated fabrics tend to grow mildew in the adhesive layer, between the mylar films, where it can not be effectively cleaned out.

2) Durability: Like all woven dacron products, Hydranet will offer more years of service than laminated fabrics. The shape-holding characteristics of a woven product are not equal to a laminated product, but Hydranet in a radial construction will offer shape holding somewhere in between conventional cross-cut dacron and the best laminated spectra sail products. Regards,
Dan Neri

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Dan: I am rigging a staysail on my Sabre 452 using a tension release lever and running back stays with transatlantic cruising in mind. What is your feeling about hank-on vs roller furling and what is the best way to stow the stay when going to windward with the headsail? Thanks, Bill

Hi Bill, If you plan on removing the stay when using the primary headsail, I don't think you can also have a roller furling sail. Most new boats in the 45' range will use an Aramid stay with a hard plastic coating for a removable inner stay. Many boat owners and riggers are reluctant to use bronze piston hanks on a "soft" stay but we have seen many examples of ocean sailing boats successfully using this combination.

Regardless of whether you elect a soft stay or a 1X19 wire stay, if you use a release lever or a folding turnbuckle, you can set up the stay with a quick-pin between the stay and the turnbuckle. In that case the stay will end up short enough that you can lash it to a padeye somewhere near the chainplates when you are not using it.

One minor problem with using a lever or turnbuckle at the base of the stay is that the hanks can not drop below the top of the turnbuckle. If you hank on the sail at the beginning of a passage, the weight of the sail will be suspended a foot off the deck. Regards, Dan Neri

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Hello Dan, I have a new, full battened (6) sail which I managed (with the help of 3 other people) to raise once and lower once, and it took a couple of hours to do it. I can't do it by myself. The problem is that the new round slug/sliders twist with the batten compression and the sail gets stuck. My old sail did not have full battens so I did not have this problem. I have been looking for LONG slug/sliders but with no luck so far. The additional problem is that if I were to fit a sail track on the mast, (as I was told by Harken) it would add distance from the mast to the sail, making the sail too large at the foot, so that is not a good solution.

The good solution, I think, would be to find slug/slider that is 2" to 3" long--I know that these would add to the stack and I will have to modify the sail cover, but that is not a problem. I asked Schaefer if they would sell me the slider that they have with their battslides, but they said that they only sell the complete system. That is also a problem since I have a PERMEX batten hardware already on the sail.

I even told the Schaeffer tech person that I read that Steve Dashew gets long sliders form Battslide...anyway, Schaeffer said that they do not sell the slides alone.

I guess I could have a "metal fabricator" make some slugs for me but I want to do that as the last resort. So, do you know where I can find a slug/slider that would work for me? The slug/slider needs to be round, 1/2" in diameter and at least 2" long, (2.5" would be better, I think). Thanks for your help!
Felipe
SV Renegade

Hi Felipe, The Dashews' masts are equipped with tracks for flat slides. It sounds like your mast is set up to accept a round slide, often called a slug slide. As you have learned, slug slides do not work in compression. Assuming that you are not going to install a new track, you should first try replacing the 6 slides at the batten ends with Allslip slides. The Allslip slide is made of dense plastic, and they have flanges on the outside of the mast track that accept the compression load and allow the slide to run on the outside of the mast. This flange also keeps the slug from tipping and binding in the slot of the track. A track and car system is the best solution for a full batten sail. Depending on the size of your boat, you might be able to get away with a Tides Marine track. If not, an Antel or Harken system could be fit to your mast. The sail will be set back about 2" more. Any sail can be recut to shorten it on the foot dimension but you may find that you can get away without recutting. Good Luck, Dan Neri

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Hi Dan, I recently read an article in the November issue of Sail Magazine re: attaching the asymmetric tack to a spinnaker pole to windward to increase its range (80 true to 180) any thoughts? Gary G

Hi Gary, The farther aft the apparent wind, the more benefit there will be to setting the asymmetric spinnaker on a pole and squaring the pole to the wind direction. Even on a pole, a good asymmetric spinnaker is more efficient than a conventional, symmetric spinnaker. However, gybing an asymmetric and a spinnaker pole is a more complicated maneuver. The pole will have to be carried lower on the mast track than it is with a conventional spinnaker. Most centerline asymmetric cruising spinnakers are designed so that the tack will fly 1-2' above the bow pulpit. As the sail is squared back the tack can be flown a little higher. Regards, Dan Neri

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Hi Dan,
I have a Catalina 25 (fixed lead keel--1978) that I have completely refitted--all new rigging--winches, paint, etc. Now it is time to consider sails. It has a harken roller on the boat and I have heard different stories on Genoa size and design. Some say a 150 overpowers the boat and others say it is necessary to get the biggest genoa on the boat as possible. I like the look of the Tri-radial sails but since I will not be racing--just bay and coastal day sailing mostly (in decent weather conditions) what you would suggest for a new Main and a new roller Genoa for the boat. Durability is important--I'm not too concerned with the cost. I would rather put out more dollars and get sails that I do not need to replace in the near future. What materials? Airforce sails suggested a Coastal tri-radial of ACL 60 6.3 oz 1 mil polyester. Anodized headboard, 2 row stitching up to 35 feet and 3 rows over 35 feet, webbed o ring and pressed stainless ring at leech, tapered epoxy battens--4 full length, large roach and one reef. I look forward to your comments.
Best Regards, Jeff K

Hi Jeff,

The question of headsail LP is 100% related to the wind strength you intend to use the sail in. The Catalina 25 has a relatively small rig so in conditions under 14 knots of wind, it will perform better with the bigger sail. On the other hand, the boat will heel too much and slide sideways if you are trying to sail to windward in much stronger winds with the 150%. If you sail in a predominately windy area, a smaller sail like a 130% might be a better choice. You can set the sail up to allow it to roller reef with a flattening pad along the luff. That will help increase the wind range of either sail, although the shape of the sail will be somewhat compromised as soon as you reef, and increasingly compromise with each additional wrap.

Dacron sails will last longer than a laminated sail like the one you described. On the other hand, the laminated sail will give you much better shape holding. It is safe to say that a well made laminated sail will have a better shape even after 2-3 years of use than a 1/2 year old dacron sail.

Regards,Dan Neri
North Sails
401-366-6009

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Hi Dan, I have a new trisail with slides for a 7/8" external track. The metal fasteners which secure the track slides to the sail sometimes catch the screw heads in the external track when the sail is raised or lowered. My sailmaker is going to change to a web type fastener which will probably take care of the problem. Got any suggestions for more appropriate 7/8 sail slides and/or fasteners?--Carl

Hi Carl, It sounds like your sailmaker is onto the problem. When the 7/8 external slides hang up on the screw heads, it is invariably because the webbing is too thick and it is actually the webbing that is hanging up. The external slide and track system was designed a long time ago when sailmakers lashed the slides to the sail with many passes of heavy waxed thread. The waxed thread makes a tighter bundle where it goes through the slide, so there is more clearance with the screw heads on the track. I am not sure why we don't do it the same way today. It might take 30 minutes longer. Regards, Dan Neri

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Hi, I'm going to change my mainsail halyard, which is part rope and part steel rope, and I thought to replace it with a full rope, like spectra. Is this a good idea? And, if it is ok, which diameter of rope I should use? My boat is a Hallberg Rassy 352 and my mainsail is 27 mq (290,63 sq ft). Thank you and fair winds.--Gennaro

Hi Gennaro, A 3/8" line, with a spectra core and polyester cover, will make a durable and relatively low stretch halyard for your boat. However, you will need to replace the sheave at the top of the mast and possibly the exit liner where the halyard comes out of the mast near the deck. The wire part of your current halyard will have scored a groove in the sheave and exit over the years of use. If you put a rope halyard in the mast it will get chewed up in a hurry where it rubs on the metal parts that have been scored by the old halyard. Regards, Dan Neri

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Is there an optimum width of slot opening for headsail and mainsail ?

Hi John: I don't think there is a "one size fits all" answer for the width of the slot between the mainsail and headsail. The optimum space will vary depending on the boat's pointing ability, the amount of overlap between the mainsail luff and headsail leech, and the condition and depth of the two sails. Also, the width of the slot will change with the wind velocity. In my opinion, it is more practical to focus on the amount of backwinding in the mainsail. In general, the ideal set up between mainsail and headsail is when the boat is sailing at an appropriate angle of heel (15-25 degrees when hard on the wind), the headsail is sheeted in so that the leech is pointing straight back (parallel to the boats centerline) about half way up, and the mainsail has a very small or no backwind bubble in the luff. If the mainsail shows just a slight amount of backwind, you are trimmed with the correct slot.

If the mainsail has a large backwind bubble you can make the following adjustments to widen the slot:

1) Increase the halyard tension in the headsail. This will flatten the headsail and at the same time make the draft location move forward. When the draft moves forward, the leech becomes more "open" which means it is not turning in towards the mainsail as much. In effect, the headsail leech is moving away from the mainsail, widening the slot.

2) Increase the cunningham or mainsail halyard tension. This flattens the mainsail overall, and opens the leech. Those changes allow you to move the traveler to windward without making the boat heel more. Moving the traveler to windward increases the slot.

3) Increase the tension on the backstay. Increased backstay tension translates into a tighter headstay, which flattens the headsail. If your mast bend can be increased through greater backstay tension, the increased bend will dramatically flatten the mainsail, allowing you to sheet harder and move the traveler to windward.

4) Move the headsail to a more outboard jib track. This will directly increase the width of the slot.

5) Reduce the size of the headsail. A smaller headsail will overlap the mainsail less.

6) Reef the mainsail. The reefed mainsail can be sheeted harder and the traveler can be moved further towards the centerline to increase the width of the slot. Regards, Dan Neri

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