Attaching sail to boom

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  • 06 Mar 2011 19:06
    Reply # 540107 on 540055
    Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Barry & Meps / Stellrecht & Schulte wrote: I'm going to sew batten pockets, as it sure looks nice and easy compared to the other choices when starting from blank canvas.  The only interesting thing I am going to do is make each pocket in a few sections two or three feet long with ~inch gaps between them.  I figure it will make it easier to use scraps from around my sail panels, and give me easy places to tie things to the battens (like lashing two adjacent battens together to fix a rip).

    But this does bring to mind another question:

    My boom is sized like just one more batten.  Could I just sew a pocket for it and slide the boom into it just the same way?  The pocket may need a few more holes in it for attaching the lazy jacks and perhaps other rigging.

    Am I missing something important that makes this a bad idea?

    Thanks,
    Barry

    Stavanger, Sunday

    Barry

    Although I have used batten pocket in all but one of my sails I have always laced the boom to the sail. This is to have freedom to attach the lazy jacks anywhere. However, if you already now are sure where you want to attach your lazy jacks, you could just place the gaps between the "boom pockets" there. I can’t see why it should not work.

    Good luck!

    Arne

  • 06 Mar 2011 16:27
    Reply # 540055 on 499446
    Deleted user
    I'm going to sew batten pockets, as it sure looks nice and easy compared to the other choices when starting from blank canvas.  The only interesting thing I am going to do is make each pocket in a few sections two or three feet long with ~inch gaps between them.  I figure it will make it easier to use scraps from around my sail panels, and give me easy places to tie things to the battens (like lashing two adjacent battens together to fix a rip).

    But this does bring to mind another question:

    My boom is sized like just one more batten.  Could I just sew a pocket for it and slide the boom into it just the same way?  The pocket may need a few more holes in it for attaching the lazy jacks and perhaps other rigging.

    Am I missing something important that makes this a bad idea?

    Thanks,
    Barry
  • 22 Feb 2011 07:51
    Reply # 530603 on 521570
    Deleted user
    Annie, thank you for your excellent pocket alternative, it sounds much more achievable for us.
    Slieve thank you for the 'batten grooves'. The lashings showed no real signs of wear but those holes did concern me - as much in terms of water ingress as the potential for wear on the lashings.  Annie's idea of eyebolts is
    David, I am somewhat relieved that the 'quarter' method applies to battens too!
    Gary, do you have any photos of your webbing??

    Thank you all once again.  And now onto our next 'challenge'....
  • 13 Feb 2011 22:05
    Reply # 521570 on 499446
    I fitted 50mm wide webbing loops for my battens instead of pockets but I have yet to try it out under sail. I will be using 50-40mm full length bamboo battens.
  • 12 Feb 2011 22:49
    Reply # 521186 on 499446
    Batten pockets make attaching the battens very easy, but attaching them to a pre-existing sail is a bit of a hassle. An easier way would be to put 50 mm wide straps every 80 cm or so - you could use webbing for this: cover it in UV stable fabric if the webbing isn't stabilised.

    Your bamboo battens should have nice knuckles on them, so you may not need any fittings if you brush up on your gripping knots, eg Prusick (which I have just learnt and am now besotted with!) 

    An alternative to pop-riveting your fittings, would be an eyebolt, or threaded rod with eyes at each end, if you don't have access to, or don't fancy using a pop-riveter.

    Just a few ideas - I haven't seen your rig so they may not work.
  • 12 Feb 2011 10:28
    Reply # 520890 on 520264
    Rene & Lesley Verbrugge wrote: Dear David, Arne and Slieve,

    Many thanks for your responses I do appreciate your help.

    David, you're right, I do so wish we had pockets. Would they have to be made of the same material as the sails?  Lashing a quarter of the sail at a time seems a really good idea, am I right in thinking that this would be only for the boom and not for the battens that will need to be lashed separately?
    I don't understand about the bamboo battens and the bolt rope. Can you put a photo of what you have in photo album in your profile, please?

    Lesley,
    Ideally, you would get hold of some tan sailcloth, but with old sails I would be a bit more pragmatic, and use whatever heavy-ish synthetic cloth came to hand. 
    I'd thought that you could use the "quarter length" lashings for both boom and battens.
    I've looked at your photos, and there seems to be a boltrope in the sail already, you certainly wouldn't want another. You have strong pressed eyes in the sail, which takes care of the strength there. It's the batten that needs a better means of passing the lashings through. A smooth groove in the end of the batten reinforced by GRP is all I can think of. Even on all-GRP or alloy battens, it's a good plan to plug the tube and cut and file a smooth groove. The photo of the old boom shows a small sharp edged hole, which is not good. I would pop rivet a stainless eye plate on for the end lashings.
  • 11 Feb 2011 13:39
    Reply # 520264 on 499446
    Deleted user
    Dear David, Arne and Slieve,

    Many thanks for your responses I do appreciate your help.

    David, you're right, I do so wish we had pockets. Would they have to be made of the same material as the sails?  Lashing a quarter of the sail at a time seems a really good idea, am I right in thinking that this would be only for the boom and not for the battens that will need to be lashed separately?
    I don't understand about the bamboo battens and the bolt rope. Can you put a photo of what you have in photo album in your profile, please?
    I assumed from Arne's files that as you sew on the bolt rope and reach the batten position, you splice in a loop into which the end of the batten sits. With regular sized alloy battens, these loops are regular sizes. Our bamboo battens are all slightly different sizes, so I figured that part would be a real pain.! I've some pictures of the original lashings, showing the battens -I'll post those.
    Arne's idea of attaching boltrope and then adding small loops above the batten positions and attaching the battens to these makes sense. (waddya mean was I kidding about the tapered splices, Arne?!)
    "It appears to me that you (may) want to rope most of the sail with a boltrope and then tie the batten ends to it."
    The yard has a track on it, so I think I'm now looking at bolt-roping just the luff and leach? Would you recommend I attach the boltrope to the yard and the boom at each end or should I just finish the boltrope around the corner of the sail (or, heaven forbid, taper it even??!!)
    I would do one and cut it off the roll, then untie it and measure it and cut and seal the ends of the rest of them in a warm place. Then you could do them a few at a time without getting too cold.
    Excellent idea! I have to admit we had 23 degrees last week and our cockpit is now painted, but cold and damp is forecast now that the Chinese New Year is over!!

    Many thanks for all your help
    Lesley
  • 19 Jan 2011 16:43
    Reply # 500289 on 499446

    Hi Lesley

    On Poppy I used 3mm polyester because I had a roll of it, but would suggest 4mm as the grommets may tend to eat the line. I would lash the tack and clew securely, and then tie each grommet with a round turn and my version of a surgeon’s knot which is a reef knot with an extra turn on each half. In other words, left over right over right and then right over left over left. My son in law helped me to do these initially and a year later he asked what I’d done with these temporary lashings and I had to admit, “Upgraded them to permanent”.

    I would do one and cut it off the roll, then untie it and measure it and cut and seal the ends of the rest of them in a warm place. Then you could do them a few at a time without getting too cold.

    Cheers

    Slieve

  • 19 Jan 2011 16:16
    Reply # 500279 on 499446
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Stavanger, Wed. 20110119

    Lesley

    It appears to me that you (may) want to rope most of the sail with a boltrope and then tie the batten ends to it. This was the way I fitted the bolt-rope and batten ends to Malena’s cambered panel sail. I actually copied Vincent Reddish’s method described in NL 22 p.19, para. 3. To take the vertical component of the sheet forces I spliced in hoops on the boltrope for the battens to rest in as I worked my way around the sail. I guess it is these hoops that worry you. An alternative would be to splice (or just knot) in a little loop about 5cm above each batten station. The battens could then be laced to the bolt rope and with an extra lacing up to that loop. This method would not give problems with varying sizes of battens.

    Another way would be to tie the batten ends to existing grommets at luff and leech. An extra bolt-rope is then just fitted to the backside of the sail to strengthen the tabling of the sail and avoid any critical ripping to start there.

    The forces along the boom are next to nil. On my first flat sail (from W.G. Lucas Sails) the tack and clew had been reinforced with several patches and huge (hydraulic) grommets were fitted. I reckon this was a 100 times overkill. For the whole summer I had the clew tied to the boom with just one single, waxed lacing thread and it never broke! So you can safely skip the boltrope along the boom and just lace it to the grommets as David suggests above. His way of lacing the battens also makes sense to me.

    Good luck!

    Arne

    PS: Tapered splices?? You're kidding, right???

    Last modified: 19 Jan 2011 16:16 | Anonymous member (Administrator)
  • 19 Jan 2011 10:44
    Reply # 500080 on 499446
    I think you'll have to stay with the grommets for the moment, and consider changing to pockets if you re-work a sail. They're so much easier!
    First, lash out both ends, otherwise you can't get the tension even.
    It's a pain to use one continuous lashing, threading it through all the grommets and getting the tension even. And if it chafes through, the whole lot unravels.
    It's a pain to use one lashing per grommet, cutting and heat-sealing many small pieces,  and tying all those knots (which uses a lot more cord). And then watching all those knots for signs of coming undone.
    I'd try measuring a length of cord sufficient to do about one quarter of the sail width, or about 5 grommets. Then repeat 3 times.
    I don't understand about the bamboo battens and the bolt rope. Can you put a photo of what you have in photo album in your profile, please?
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