Now I'm in a pickle... Main Sail Tear/ Need help getting the sail off

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by sail sfbay

Then slowly unfurl the main sail by pulling on the furl-out line while keeping tension on the furl-in line AND manually pulling or winching (without an electric winch) the outhaul.

There is no furl-out line on the Catalina 470 Charleston Spar furler, just the "furl-in" line, as you call it. The sail is unfurled by slacking the furler line and pulling on the outhaul. Just not with an electric winch ;-)

[sail sfbay]

Davidhoy..........thanks for the clarification...........good to know!! Hopefully the OP will get their sail out and report back what they did to accomplish that.

[GreenWave]

Yep- there is an outhaul to pull it out, and "in-haul" to pull it in. The inhaul turns the screw basically. I am hoping to try to get it out tomorrow. Will have to do it little by little... no way to do an emergency sew. I am resigned to burying the sail (it is 10 yrs old), just need to get it down.

[grahamj]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

I am resigned to burying the sail (it is 10 yrs old), just need to get it down.

+1 on the laminate versus Dacron choice. Laminate retains its shape much better than Dacron so is much less likely to jam as it matures.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by chrisr

we have a furling main which we tore a while ago. getting it off the mast is simple

unfurl the sail (obviously you need a quiet day and / or head to wind

drop the halyard and the sail will slide (perhaps with a little help) down the foil

there is a swivel between the sail and the halyard...disconnect

fold sail and hand to sailmaker along with your credit card

couldn't be easier

echo earlier post about putting stuff up the mast to stop the foil rattling. without a sail on it, it will wake the dead in the next state. one way is to put a downhaul on the swivel, and a line to say the end of the boom...hoist the swivel to half way, and then tension this line. this helps to stop the flop of the foil

cheers,

As I read the OP post, the sail is stuck in the mast, so it's not quite "simple" . They can't unfurl it, at all, right now as they already tore about 2 feet of it by using an electric winch.

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by waterman46

As I read the OP post, the sail is stuck in the mast, so it's not quite "simple" . They can't unfurl it, at all, right now as they already tore about 2 feet of it by using an electric winch.

not how i read the post but there you go

in any case a '2 foot tear just the sail side of the UV strip' is hardly a big deal. we ripped our main from leech to luff in a 25kt jibe. took an hour or so of poking around to unroll again. still not that big an issue.

mind you, we have electric furling so it's simply a matter of pushing buttons

cheers,

[GreenWave]

Got the sail down and off the furler with some gentle tugging. Now off to sail shop. And it looks like repair will be possible.

However found a new concern - a nearly brand new main halyard was worn half through where it attaches to shackle. Can be easily fixed but concerned as to why it wore so quickly (less than 2000 miles of sailing/1year).

[GreenWave]

Here is an update... Main sail is repaired and I will put it back up on Saturday. Was about a 3 hour job per the sail shop. Here is a pic of this worn halyard... cannot really explain it. Rigger is redoing the splice and will make it much smaller.

[Dsanduril]

Good job, glad the sail got saved.

Can't quite see inside the mast, but with the halyard pulled tight is it possible for the halyard to rub on the stainless slider plate? Looks like that might be possible. In that case a slightly longer shackle (if you have a slight bit more hoist available on the luff) would allow the halyard to clear the plate.

If that's not it would need to look inside the mast with the halyard in the hoisted position to see what's what.

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

Here is an update... Main sail is repaired and I will put it back up on Saturday. Was about a 3 hour job per the sail shop. Here is a pic of this worn halyard... cannot really explain it. Rigger is redoing the splice and will make it much smaller.

Yup, that halyard splice is way too long. Shortening it will make a big difference.

[mf70]

GreenWave, ...and I would DRAMATICALLY shorten the halyard inspection interval before you cut it again. I'd be tempted to pull the halyard to full hoist against a plain rope as downhaul, and go to the top while it's under full tension to inspect. Something is chafing!

If you thought pulling the clew off was trouble, imagine losing the halyard with the sail in the mast!

[GreenWave]

Here is the final update: Sail has been repaired and looks good. It is back on the mast.
Halyard slice redone and is much smaller and tighter. Rigger is convinced that old splice got nicked by a knife. He saw nothing wrong at top.


Will be doing our first sail since repair this weekend.
Thanks to all for your insight and suggestions. Regular inspections will become our future.

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by chrisr

we have a furling main which we tore a while ago. getting it off the mast is simple

unfurl the sail (obviously you need a quiet day and / or head to wind

drop the halyard and the sail will slide (perhaps with a little help) down the foil

there is a swivel between the sail and the halyard...disconnect

fold sail and hand to sailmaker along with your credit card

couldn't be easier

echo earlier post about putting stuff up the mast to stop the foil rattling. without a sail on it, it will wake the dead in the next state. one way is to put a downhaul on the swivel, and a line to say the end of the boom...hoist the swivel to half way, and then tension this line. this helps to stop the flop of the foil

cheers,

I have an in-mast furler as well, and the above is exactly how to remove the sail, when one tiny omission- first, free the tack of the sail to pull it down. It might have a small ss shackle or a soft shackle.

[mqbenedict]

I've had tons of difficulty on my Beneteau 323 with in-mast furling, but I think I have a system now, NONE of which will help you but...

I agree with DavidHoy. As I understand it, the problem is that the part you usually attach the outhaul to is now missing. IF some of the sail is sticking out, I'd roll or fold it up and clamp boards on either side and pull on the clamps gently. Hopefully this will pull more out and you can continue the process; rolling and pulling. A good calm day or facing into the wind is essential.

If there is nothing sticking out, then you'll have to rotate the foil until you can see some of it and work it out gently with 'something'.

Good luck. I know it's frustrating but you'll whip it and be a more confident and competent sailor to boot.

Now, let me tell you about sucking my dinghy under the transom...:whistling

Best wishes,
Mark