The YHP is going to pull the sail forward, so that will be OK. Having extra long masts means that the halyard is not pulling the sail forward, but that's really only the same case as when deeply reefed. The YHP has to do the job then, so it's no different from the situation you have under full sail. The only down side is that when you are hoisting, and have not yet taken in the YHP, the sail has more freedom to swing back and fore in a seaway. I wouldn't change the halyard bridle just yet.

"... boy does it go down like a freight train - that may be a reason to switch to a 2x1 halyard."

Yes!!!

We've been busy since completing the sewing of the sail so ithas not been until this week that I actually got it on the boat and hoisted.  LOTS to learn for sure.   

Some pictures are posted in my album.   Full host with no BP, YP, YHP, nor LHP.

The whole package does go up with our 1x1 halyard and winch OK, and boy does it go down like a freight train - that may be a reason to switch to a 2x1 halyard.  The diagonal creases are there for the usual reasons so no worries there.  I made the top full, thus the bagginess there. 

The last two days I've been tweaking the lazyjacks, attached all the batten parallels, and started now working on the YHP and LHP.  One issue I've been battling is getting the sail forward.  I have the yard on a bridal that I've adjusted such that the yard will hang at approximately the designed 45 deg angle.  Maybe because of my very long drift (masts are extra tall) the sail sets further aft than I would like.  Sorry that the following pictures are not rotated properly.

So tonights assignment is to dig into PJR and look at the YHP there.  And possibly switch to a center support for the yard rather than the bridal.  

I have some added feedback based on my limited experience that I will summarize in a later post.   

Erik

David Tyler wrote:

Erik,

Please could you say what percentage area of cloth you used, over and above the designed area of the sail? That is, designed area + % extra for pockets, tablings etc + 10% wastage = ? This may help others to work out how much cloth to buy.

 I know the projected area of the sail, which is obviously different from the actual area since this is a cambered sail.   Flat was 37.8 sq. meters.  Actual sail area - shelves and chamber - is approx 43.8 sq meters (if I clicked on all the right surfaces in SketchUp).  So that part was easy.  What I have not quantified is...   

• seam allowance of 20 mm.   
  
• flat batten pockets. For 20 mm diameter battens I allowed 70 mm of a flat backing and 140 mm to cover the batten circumferentially.
  
• 200 mm tabbing along the leech.
  
• 100 mm wide luff and leech tape (folded in half).
  
•  200 mm wide vertical wear patches along the mast for panels 1 and 2.  
  
• Double thickness in the yard pocket along the top.  Because I had my design printed on the cloth I was requested to leave a 25 mm margin along the edge
  
• And whatever else I am forgetting :)
  

"I suppose the general point I'm making is this: make no assumptions, make no guesses. Draw out all the components of the sail you're going to need, and lay them out onto a drawing of the cloth, and add everything up.

Leeway came as a staysail schooner with a combination of rope and webbing that lashed the sails to the mast.  Under the right conditions, either could grab the mast and make raising the sail a bear.  When I saw Paul Fay's idea of using tubing around the parrel lines it was a bit of a Eureka moment.  

I've used the Clamptite tool a fair bit, here are my thoughts.  As you tighten the wire the point loading can get very high.  Depending on the material, the wire can start to cut through whatever you are tightening it on.  So, you have to be a bit careful about tensioning the clamptite and it would be preferable to use a webbing material like Spectra/Dyneema that is really cut resistant.  After cutting off the excess wire you are left with two very sharp ends.  They can be bent under, but sometimes manage to find their way out again.  I would worry about the sharp ends playing havoc as they run against the sail cloth.  Finally, you'll need to be sure to keep the stainless wire insulated from the aluminum batten.  

The sails look great Erik and I've enjoyed watching your process.

Your YHP is adjusted every time the sail is raised or reefed, so keeps the yard topped up.

I like a mast lift, myself - putting a metre of soft garden hose on it vastly reduces chafe.  It's handy to grab hold of if you're climbing up the mast or via the battens, too.

Polyester webbing seems best for batten parrels, but the cheap stuff can fall apart in the sun.  If rope is working for you, Phil, stick with it!  I sailed for years and years with rope batten parrels.