Quote:
Originally Posted by George_SD
Hi all,
Got a Beneteau 323 recently. One thing that is comming up on the trips is that the tack of the in-mast furling main has some slack in it, which causes is to bow out a little when fully unfurled. The problem is that when it's time to reef or fully furl it - that crease needs to be tucked in manually by hand in order for the sail to go in and not jam.
I'm trying to figure out a way to tighten that corner (tack) so there is no slack in it. I'm still new to this and inspecting how it is rigged up and where that corner is connected, but so far have not found a way to pull that bit of slack out.
Does anyone know how this can be done?
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Yes, it's just the halyard tension. When the sail is up and working, you can cause damage trying to pull it on hard, but when you are
rigging the sail from the
deck, in no
wind, you can think you have the halyard correct until you go for a sail .......
The friction of the bolt rope in the foil channel is the issue. Get the halyard onto a
winch, and pointing into the wind, with enough wind to flutter the sail, that fluttering will jiggle the bolt rope enough to allow you to tension correctly. You should be fine after that.
Just a few points with in-mast:
When you furl, keep some tension on the
outhaul, so that you get a reasonable furl around the foil in the mast. A loose furl will run the risk of the sail bunching up in the slot when bringing out again, and you having a jam.
If that happens, don't force it, but try bit by bit to get it wound back in again, then keeping a close eye on the slot, slowly unfurl - if you see some bunching happening, bring back in a little, then try again. With persistence and lack of brute force, most jams can be overcome, but having said that, proper furling should mean no jams (we've not had any in nine years touch wood).
The other potential issue is a stretched sail. In-mast
sails are not as well shaped as a normal main for this very reason, and when they are stretched, you are increasing the risk of a jam.
Some say vertical battens are the answer - some say they are a problem. If/when the time comes for us to replace the main, I would want to do a lot more
research before choosing that way.