Leech line problems

[Weyalan]

Ah, sorry - I misunderstood. I get it now. I shall consult with my boss, who was a sailmaker for many years, and get back to you.

[Jim Cate]

NIck,

Well, I dunno! What he said was:

"Thoroughly soak all three leach lines with sailKote and then draw them back through the flap at the clew to the head and thence down through the luff flap to the tack. Do not disconnect the messenger."

So, I think that he meant to bring separate LL around the head and to the appropriate luff locations.

But, I'm interested in your idea as well. I'm trying to visualize what happens along the leach when reefed. On first thought it just might work!! And it would surely be less of a mess...

Hmmm...

Thanks for the idea, Nick.

Cheers,

Jim

[Weyalan]

Word from my ex-sailmaking boss is that they used to start the leech line at the 2nd reef ring on the leech . Mostly they were making racing sails with 2 reef points and, in general, leech flutter tends to be a problem in the top half of the sail, so that was the best solution in those days. Whether this is still the case...

[svHyLyte]

Jim--

FWIW I don't think a little block at the masthead is really necessary. You could just as easily use a polished SS ring suspended from a small strap sewn into the head of the sail with a wear patch on the sail under it to protect the fabric from chafe. The diameter of the leach line is so small and it would have so little contact with the ring, the friction would be negligable.

With the idea I described earlier, you could add a 3rd reef line just as easily. They could all pass through a single ring together as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd reef leach lines would be slack when the sail is not reefed and each subsequent line would slacken as the next in order is taken up (i.e. the standard leach line would go slack as the 1st Reef is taken; the 1st Reef as the second reef is taken, etc. etc.). If necessary, you could also have four over lapping rings at the masthead with the lines led through them starting with the full sail leach line on the bottom then 1st reef, 2nd etc.

The one benefit to the foregoing arrangement is that one would be less inclined to forget to release each leach line in turn as the reefs are shaken out as they would be right in front of one's eyes. I could see one overlooking a tightened leach line secured above each leach reef cringle, however.

Forgetting the foregoing, after pondering the matter somewhat more, it seems to me that you may just not have taken up enough of the single leech line while reefed. I can see the sail gathering up somewhat but eventually, the cloth cannot be further compressed at which point the line has to start tightening the leech above the cringle. The only thing is that you might end up with rather a lot of spaghetti at the mast by the time you get to the 3rd reef.

FWIW...

s/v HyLyte

[Sail Warehouse]

I am hearing a lot of good ideas on this topic. You guys are sharp. Jim you did not say if the sail is under warranty and I assume you have considered it but I will go ahead and say the obvious. If you are going to all the trouble of removing the sail and modifying the leech line it may just be better to take it back to the sail maker and have them do the job. While they are at it they could scallop the leech a little to stop the flutter. If you are not near the original sail maker then someone else could do the work and bill the loft who is responsible for warranty.

[Sail Warehouse]

Forgetting the foregoing, after pondering the matter somewhat more, it seems to me that you may just not have taken up enough of the single leech line while reefed. I can see the sail gathering up somewhat but eventually, the cloth cannot be further compressed at which point the line has to start tightening the leech above the cringle. The only thing is that you might end up with rather a lot of spaghetti at the mast by the time you get to the 3rd reef.

Definitely worth a try. Seems like it should work but you know how boat problems are, the simple way rarely pans out! Creeping will probably continue way past the point that you give up on re-tensioning it!

[Idlegreg]

How about this, if it works - have only just got my new main and when ordering it I had asked about using an overhead leech line when reefed.

Sailmaker said they use a single line but at each reef point on the leech they attach a short line to the sail which is then joined onto the primary line (all within the sleeve so out of sight). The short lines are arranged so that they remain slack when using the leech line under full sail but when the first reef is in the relevant line comes tight before too much of the sail is bunched up on the line below the reef - with some slack still in the upper ones. Then on the next reef its line becomes tight, and so on.

Hope I understood (and described) it correctly and it works in practice - I was convinced and ordred it but have not yet had a chance to try. It certainly sounds like it would achieve much the same result as the suggested 3 seperate lines with a lot less string

[s/v Jedi]

IdleGreg: Yep, that was what I was thinking of in post #15 in this thread. This seems the best solution to me.

ciao!
Nick.

[Jim Cate]

Greg, Nick, et al,

That is a good description of what seems like a good solution to my problem. When we get back to Oz (soon, I hope) I will give it a go, and will reopen the thread with a report.

Thanks to you both, and to all the others who replied.

Cheers,

Jim