Sunday, December 16, 2012

Let's get these sails on





Today was the day I thought I'd figure out these sails. The previous owner is on his way to Spain so there won't be much in the way of advice on this.   Remember - I'm a rookie.  I could put the sails on a 16.5' Catalina no problem.  But this is a little bigger boat.  And I've never put a sail on a roller furler before.  

One of the old slides



Step one - figure out this rigging.  The main sail has these sail slides on them.  Some of them are missing.  Some of them are cracked.  You know what that means, yep - an excuse to go to West Marine!  Hey it's Christmas time - other people get to shop.  This is where I like to go.  A little pack of like 4 slides is $9.   They are just plastic right?  Oh wait I forgot - they have that it's for sailors so let's tack on some more money on that price!






The new one looks better




So I replace some of the missing ones, and one of the cracked slides.   I still need another trip to West Marine (I get the feeling there are going to be many trips in the future) to pick up a pack of plastic shackles (right term?) to connect the slide to the sail.











With the new slides in place all that is left is to hook the sail up to the halyard, and feed the slides into the mast.






The roller furling was a little more fun, but in the end I got it up.   It doesn't look as nice as the other boats,  But I think that's because I don't have the proper sun protection on my sail to protect it when it's rolled up.   Something to research on how to attach to the sail.

Sail is fed into the furler track




This sail was a bit more fun.  I had to raise it all the way (feeding it through the track in the furler) so that I could then furl it up.  It's kind of a fun process to try when the wind is blowing a bit and you are doing it by yourself.   But hey - that's part of the joy of owning a boat!







Not super pretty - but I'm just learning :)



3 comments:

  1. Hello,

    Something looks off with your headsail. Typically the sacrificial fabric/UV protection (the brown in your case) is on two sides of the sail, the foot and the leach. Yours only appears to have it on the foot.

    Also, the wrap doesn't seem correct including the way the clew is sitting.

    What does the headsail look like when it is completely unfurled?

    If you post a picture, I could help you figure out what is off.

    Otherwise, great job on getting her rigged up. When are you going for your first sail?

    Fair winds,

    Jesse

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  2. How well I remember trying to figure out these things, step by step. Once you're underway, there's a whole new set of lessons. Just think of all the new neuron pathways you're creating! Cheers, Tammy

    p.s. -- If you ever have questions, just come on over to our blog and ask!

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  3. What are your tips or thoughts about live aboard

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