Hi,

the work is in good progress, and this week I will probably finish the mast step. While preparing this step, a question came to my mind: How is a possible upward movement being prevented with the "Arne-style-maststep"? It would not be too nice I guess to drill a hole through the mast above the step, to fasten a steel angle there...

Thanks for any comments on this!

Paul

Hi Arne,

thanks for sharing your experience. I'll will try and stick will plain aluminium then. If necessary, I could still paint it after one season.

Your suggestion of the stopping line is as brilliant as simple. Much appreciated!

Cheers,

Paul

Hi,

I can't believe I finished the sailmaking and assembling today! Another step checked off the list :) After everything was finished, I just stood there for half an hour and stared at the bundle, in total disbelieve what I have created. Amazing feeling.

I sticked very close to your incredibly helpful documents, Arne. Thank you for all the work you put in them! It took me about 70-80h to sew the sail, which is a bit longer than the numbers Arne estimated for his sails - which comes probably due to me not beeing able to suppres some perfectionistic issues... However, I did change some minor changes:

• when delivered, the color of the 50 mm webbing was unbearable - very different to the color displayed in the online shop. It happens. That's why I wrapped the hem around the whole webbing, instead of sewing the webbing onto the hem.
• I guess one sticks to the tools one knows: As I am quite familiar with CAD (and there was no way to get a 5m wooden spline to where I cut the panels), I draw the round edges for the barrel type camber with CAD. I then linearized the curve, so that the deviation between round curve and linearized curve was below 3mm. The rest was diligent work: marking those point on the template. I guess it's just another way to make things more complicated...
• As I did not have any spare batten tube for fitting the batten loops on the sail, I made cardboard dummies: just wrapped some thin cardboard around the actual battens to get the correct dimensions and fixated them with tesa. Worked as charm.
  

In the process, some questions arose:

• As I understand, the aluminium battens are usually not seawater resistant grade nor painted or sealed or so. At least that is what I used. Any problems with corrosion?
• Is there a good knot to secure batten parrels and HK parrels to the aluminium battens? I did some tests with the prusik knot: it holds well, as long as loaded. I imagine when the parrels are slack and flogging, the Prusik will losen and slip. Any experience with this? Alternatively I would stick with Arnes way of using hose clamps, but would rather stay with strings only if possible.
• I find it quite expensive to let the mast head and mast collar be manufactured. Also, the workshops I asked are quite busy and it would take too long. So, I was thinking to build those from grp by myself. It would be very helpful if someone would be so kind to share some working designs. (I've been searching in the knowledge base: the only relevant article I found should be in issue 66 - which is unfortunately not available online...)

The next steps will be ordering those expensive ball bearing blocks for the halyard, and attaching as many rigging to the sail bundle as possible by now. Then store it away until slip day. And of course, manufacture the mast head and collar.

Cheers,

Paul

PS: The whole sail was sewed by a standard sewing machine: Pfaff Hobbymaster 917. Needle size: 120 or 130 standard universal needles (no needles were broken at all - but some got blunt). Worked okay, not perfect! I got the sewing machine from ebay for almost nothing - if it would have been anything expensive, I wouldn't dare it. 4 Layers of Swela Outgaard are just okay, 6 Layers almost fried the machine - it helped to partly sew inside the roof top at around 0°C... Interestingly, when there was webbing involved it was a lot easier to sew, 6 layers fabric + webbing was no problem at all. Most frightening was 3 layers of webbing + 9 layers of fabric (luckily, only about 10 cm of sewing): It took combined effort of the motor and the hand crank wheel - and the wheel almost cracked of. But it worked.

Hi Paul!

It is a nice coincidence, I wouldn't dare to be a pioneer with my Maxi :)

I bought the boat in October 2022, replaced some small parts, rebuilt the whole electrical system (it hasn't burnt down yet knock-knock), changed some lines; I tore the very old mainsail so had to order a new in the autumn. My rollerfurler genoa is in pretty bad shape too, it should be replaced too, but I wait and see, even if I can't convert the boat this winter, it should last one last season and I convert the boat after season.

This winter I gutted out the whole cabin just like you, I haven't removed the toilet yet, but I plan to anyway with or without conversion. I scraped off the white-grey linig, it was covered with mold in all the hidden inner curves where it didn't stick to the GRP. Best way I found to remove the lining was a putty knife with it's corners slightly rounded so it didn't tear that badly the lining.

Removing the glue is easiest (for me) with isopropyl-alcohol brushed over a small area (like two palms) then wire brushing with an accu drill with an ca. 25 mm diameter brush. Larger diameter brushes bit into the GRP, the small one doesn't. I shouldn's say, but wear a proper mask.

Scraping the lining took maybe 3-4 days, cleaning the glue is taking even more, it's not yet finished. It got cold here too, maybe I ice the project until March.

I'm rebuilding the two closets too, in an open interior style, up to the inner shell only. Probably I spare the kitchen, it's in better shape, I only change some doors probably.

Hi István,

welcome! What an nice coincidence that the two of us are tackling a Maxi 77 conversion just about the same time. Will be good for learning from comparison!

My two cents about Nedal: When I contacted them and described my needs, they pointed their reseller in my homecountry directly to me, which I think is a very good service. Only, it took 3 weeks. Might be the same for your case, so keep your hopes high if you don't get an immediate response from them.

What do mean by the glued inner liner? The white/grey linoleum on the walls? The inner grp shell of the hull? Of these two options, I'm afraid I already removed parts of both... ups.

You mentioned your cabin refit. May I ask what you are changing? Probably we are in a pretty similar situation, as I also stripped out almost everything.

Cheers,

Paul