Mainsail came down during sailing

[Sailingbluew]

I tried the mainsail for the first time on my recently bought sailboat. It is in mast furling system. Sail is North Sails.

I did a tack in 20 knot wind and noticed that the bottom of the sail had come down a meter. The waves were too rough to go forward at that point.

I tried to raise it again with the halyard on the winch but it didn't move. I then pulled on the mainsail and it came down easily

It was chaffed of. So I guess I have to find a sail maker to repair it when I get back to civilization. Or can I fix it myself with a speedy stitch?

How do I retrieve the halyard? Climbing the mast and pull the halyard down inside the mast (in mast furling)?

It is my first sailboat. The sail is now tied to the boom

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Sailingbluew

I tried the mainsail for the first time on my recently bought sailboat. It is in mast furling system. Sail is North Sails.

I did a tack in 20 knot wind and noticed that the bottom of the sail had come down a meter. The waves were too rough to go forward at that point.

I tried to raise it again with the halyard on the winch but it didn't move. I then pulled on the mainsail and it came down easily

It was chaffed of. So I guess I have to find a sail maker to repair it when I get back to civilization. Or can I fix it myself with a speedy stitch?

How do I retrieve the halyard? Climbing the mast and pull the halyard down inside the mast (in mast furling)?

It is my first sailboat. The sail is now tied to the boom

<interesting stuff. Is it the halyard that is chaffed or the sail? Sounds like the halyard is chaffed and stuck, probably in the block at the top of the mast.

there is no other solution to the halyard than to climb the mast. first you will need to unstick it (this can be a nasty process), then run a new halyard. Do not attempt to use the old one. If it has chaffed, then it should not be used again - it is old and tired.

If the sail has chaffed, yes, if you know what you are doing, you may be able to repair it with a speedy stich, although were it me, I would pay the money and have a pro do it

[Sailingbluew]

It looks like it is the sail that has been chaffed at the loop or whatever it is that goes to the halyard

[JPA Cate]

@Sailingbluew:

It looks to me that what is chafed is the "eye" --the loop of webbing at the top of the sail, to which the halyard attaches. That needs to be re-applied. As an emergency repair, if you have that kind of webbing aboard, you could hand sew it over the existing webbing, so that it can be hoisted.

fwiw, I have never seen that kind of chafe, and I have over 180,000 n. mi. So, something is probably wrong inside the mast somewhere.

Carsten's, right, nothing for it but to go aloft to deal with the halyard, and entirely appropriate to check the block up there while you're at it, because you need to be assured that it all is working well.

In mast furling has some pretty tight clearances. There is some thin sticky-back sailcloth that can be applied over a chafed area. Best to also sew down the perimeter, but the cloth sticks pretty well. Wipe area with acetone or meths to clean it first because it will stick better, and stay longer. Usually the head of the sail is pretty thick and strong. And there might be enough clearance inside , if the head of the sail is also compromised. You can check for that, while it is on the boom. If you're concerned about the clearance issue, take a good clear picture of the chafed area and go talk directly with the sailmaker.

One can usually sail on the headsail alone. It is slow, and you can't point as high, but just be patient and you'll get there eventually.

Good luck with it.

Ann

[Sailingbluew]

Yeah, the loop was chaffed right thru. I removed the sail and packed it together in the wind on the deck. It is not looking pretty 😂

[JPA Cate]

Might want to stash it below. It is likely to get very salty on deck. If you're new to sailing, you may not be aware that when you get a chance (in light airs), wash down your sails with fresh water. It will melt the salt crystals, and lowers chafe. I don't your problem was due to salt, however, but possibly not having enough halyard tension, so that the shackle was loose and rubbing back and forth; and over time, it ate its way through the webbing.

Ann

[Sailingbluew]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

If you're new to sailing, you may not be aware that when you get a chance (in light airs), wash down your sails with fresh water. It will melt the salt crystals, and lowers chafe.

Ann

Thanks for the good advice, I will do that

I'm storing the sail below btw

[Jim Cate]

FWIW: Nothing that has been posted yet suggests that the halyard has been damaged or that it should be replaced immediately. A careful inspection of the halyard shackle is, however, indicated, as is an inspection of the interior of the mast where the head of the sail resides once hoisted, for something unusual caused that severe chafing.

A professional repair of the loop seems desirable, for sewing through the heavily reinforced material at the head of the sail will be difficult for an amateur, and the join is subject to big loads.

Good luck with it!

Jim

[fxykty]

We had to repair the top of our mainsail (not in mast furling though) when the webbing holding the head ring (to which the halyard attaches) failed. We repaired it by using the webbing for our jack stays and basically replicating the original webbing that failed. Had to use a drill to make the hole, then push the needle through, repeat several hundred times. Broke three drill bits but luckily had a whole bunch of the small sizes available. Photos are before and after. You can do this yourself!

Since it’s the webbing loop that failed your halyard is probably OK. It is worth checking carefully what could have caused the head loop to chafe through like that.

[Nicholson58]

The fabric loops at all points of the sail are always prone to UV degradation. Replace them all every 3-5 years.

Yes, you will need to go up the mast to get the halyard.

I use a product called SuperLube in a grey squeeze tube to lubricate the bolt rope and track. It helps.

[Sailingbluew]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

The fabric loops at all points of the sail are always prone to UV degradation. Replace them all every 3-5 years.

Yes, you will need to go up the mast to get the halyard.

I use a product called SuperLube in a grey squeeze tube to lubricate the bolt rope and track. It helps.

This is in-mast sail though, so it is protected from UV, mostly.

I already found someone brave enough to retrieve the halyard

[Ltfdrebbin]

I'm not as experienced as those that posted above, but I do have in mast furling. Your halyard connects to the furler, and then that webbing eye that is chafed attaches lower onto a different spot on the furler.

Release the slack end of the halyard from your cleat or clutch. Lightly pull on it. If it comes to you easily, your halyard may be broken. If not, it is likely at the top of your mast attached to the furler.

There are 2 removable black plastic covers at about head height on your mast. Probably on the port side. Remove those and look for your halyard. If you don't see it, make sure the slack end of the halyard is not tied down anywhere and then feed the slack towards the mast. The weight of the furler might be enough to slide it down as you feed it more slack.

Like others said- get your sail fixed and then put it back inside your mast. Be careful not to use the slot (luff groove) on the outisde of your mast for your sail if you want to use your furler. Use the groove inside the mast on your furling system.

Hope that helps,
Sam

[thinwater]

I'm just an old fart, and this is not meant to be snarky, but if it was slab reefed ...

• You would have seen the chafe and repaired it proactively. No incident, just a repair at anchor.
• There would be no fooling inside the mast. Much easier to repair.
• The sail would have come down easily and been neatly stowed on the boom until you could sew it (lazy jacks help with this).

The key problem seems to be that the chafe proceeded, in visibly, with no easy inspection method, until it failed.



You really should be able to go forward to the mast in any weather. Stuff happens, some of which won't wait. What if there had been a building storm? Jacklines and a tether. If it is scary, something is not rigged correctly.

In most cases (fxykty has a big boat) this repair is simpler with a stitching palm, and pliers. That, of course, depends on the thickness of the head patch.

[Ltfdrebbin]

I don't take your comments as snarky, just close minded.
That being said- I have been lurking here for years and I typically appreciate your wisdom and experience.

Originally Posted by thinwater

I'm just an old fart, and this is not meant to be snarky, but if it was slab reefed ...

• You would have seen the chafe and repaired it proactively. No incident, just a repair at anchor.
• There would be no fooling inside the mast. Much easier to repair.
• The sail would have come down easily and been neatly stowed on the boom until you could sew it (lazy jacks help with this).

The key problem seems to be that the chafe proceeded, in visibly, with no easy inspection method, until it failed.



You really should be able to go forward to the mast in any weather. Stuff happens, some of which won't wait. What if there had been a building storm? Jacklines and a tether. If it is scary, something is not rigged correctly.

In most cases (fxykty has a big boat) this repair is simpler with a stitching palm, and pliers. That, of course, depends on the thickness of the head patch.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Ltfdrebbin

I don't take your comments as snarky, just close minded.
That being said- I have been lurking here for years and I typically appreciate your wisdom and experience.

I'm glad I did not offend.


But not closed minded, just a different view. I've sailed with in-mast furling. I love jib furlers ... but if they were inside a tube like a main, I'd probably opt for hank-on. Too much potential for aggravation IMO. Often it is user error, but that happens. Also, I like full batten sails for other reasons, so that kills that. Full batten sails are also easier to slab reef. I suspect there will always be two points of view on this.

The real point, of course, is that if a sail is hidden inside the mast, it sounds like it still needs to come out annually for inspection if one is to avoid one of several mishaps. I think we can agree on that. Similarly, furling head sails need to come down annually for inspection, or at least they should. Same reason. I usually have them down anyway to replace ribbons. Takes minutes.