The care and repair of sails 0914814060

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V

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'I-

Kj

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A

By

the

same author

Teach Your Child About

Sailing

(C Arthur Pearson Ltd) Sails

(Adlard Coles Ltd)

Racing Dinghy

Sails

(Adlard Coles Ltd)

Crewing

for Offshore Racing

(Adlard Coles Ltd)

Night Intruder (David and Charles)

Out

in

Front - Teehnieal Adviser

(Sailing film

by ICI Fibres)

V

1 «

l1

1

Jeremy Howard- Williams

Care and Repair of Sails

Boston, Massachusetts

9m »RUN0

PUBLIC LIBRARY. SAN BRUNO, CALIF.

First published in Great Britain 1976

Copyright

by Adlard Coles Limited

© 1976 by Jeremy Howard-Williams

U.S. edition published by

^

SAIL BOOKS, INC. 38 Commercial

.

Wharf

\ '

Boston, Massachusetts

Printed

in

\

Great Britain

ISDN 0-914814-06-0

No

part of this

book or

its

illustrations

Distributed to bookstores by

W. W. Norton &

Co., Inc.

500 Fifth Avenue

New York NY

10036

may be reproduced without permission

of the Publishers

CERTIFICATE Thefe Prefents are

a

to certify that

SAILOR OF GOOD REPORT,

borrowed, ftolen or otherwife acquired being

at all

prefumed digefted in

by

to have read,

and

and

for y® cloth, not to pull

in all

is

marked, learned and inwardly

teachynges, in particular not to ufe

windes too ftrong y® leech

this booke,

SOBER MIEN AND HABIT,

times of

all its

having begged,

ways

to

fails

them down

keep repair ftytches well-

fpaced and even, to y® content of him or herfelf. It

being defired to recognife this induftry fo that

citizens

ferved

fhall

an

know

SEVEN DAYS, we right

that

apprenticefhip

worthy

to

y®

of

aforefaid

SAILOR

all

has

NOT LESS THAN

declare withal that he or fhe

be

hight

a

is

DO-IT-THYSELF

SAILMAKER.

Given under our Articles and Seal

Jeremy Howard-Williams 1976 The Care and Repair of Sails

Acknowledgments

writing

In

enough

this

book

I

been

have

lucky

have two invaluable sources of

to

advice, widely different in origin.

From

the

vast resources of their Industrial Technical

Development laboratories, ICI Fibres have responded most generously to my various enquiries about cleaning

no

qualified,

less

sails.

my

old

Secondly, and friend

Ernie

Manager of Ratsey and Lapthorn, has drawn upon forty years as a practising sailmaker to pass comment on my work. To Vallender,

both these authorities

I

am

truly grateful; any

errors of fact or fancy which

remain are

entirely mine.

There

is

a

surprising

number

of differ-

ences between the English and American languages.

Bob Mamis of SAIL Books

Inc. has

kindly helped to give the text a mid-Atlantic flavour (flavor?). Finally,

I

also have to thank

my

wife,

once again has typed the words. I'his

is

who our

book on sails together, and fortunately she has become something of an authority herself, for she has sometimes had to use more than intuition to divine the meaning of third

my

handwriting.

Warsash 1976

JHW

Contents

one

Sailcloth

Construction

^e(\\i'\Temcn\.s

{Shape Control-, Modulus of

Extensibility, Stability, Tensile Strength-, Impermeability, Absorption-, Smoothness-,

Chemical Reaction)

Water

Bias Stretch

Cloth

Weight

two

Sailmaking

1

Rounding

the Luff and

Foot

Tapering the Panels (Broad Seam)

Tension on the Cloth (Cunningham Spreading

Panels

a Sail (Twine-,

Hole-, Headsails)

MainsaiT,

Jib-,

(Cut Tabling-, Rolled Tabling-, Tape Tabling)

Throwing three

Care of

sails

in

use

for Repairs

five

Typical Repairs — Basic Items

six

seven

Examining

for

Faulty Set

Down

Tape

6

Mildew-, Oil, Grease and

Wax;

Metallic Stains; Pitch

and Tar; Paint;

Note of Hope

Winter Storing

Ironing

19

Mainsails (Head; Luff; Tack; Foot; Clew; Leech; Bunt of the Sail)

Bunt of the Sail) Spinnakers (Head; Clews; Leeches; Foot; Bunt of the Sail) Headsails (Head; Luff; Tack; Foot; Clew; Leech;

Seams

Tablings

Batten Pockets

31

(Chafing Piece)

Spinnakers (Patches ;Leedhes; Chafe; Broken Wire; Replacing the Wire; Broken Tape)

(Chafe at the Head)

Repairs to Sail Accessories

Rubbing

the

Tablings

Handling (Chafe-, Mainsails-, Jibs-, Spinnakers) Stowing (Sail Covers) Washing C\t?ir\\ng(Wash-, Adhesive Numbers-, Blood-, Varnish)

four Examination

a

Lay of

Spinnaker)

Roping (Reroping; Casing; Tape)

Headboards

Vuii'Nircs (Stitching)

36

Eyes (Cunningham Hole; Reef Points) Slides Hanks or Snap hooks Windows Battens VnechWnes (Leech line Buttons) Tell-Tales Roller

Boom Vang

48

Zippers

Tune and Trim (Mainsail

Documentation (Photographs; Notes)

Luff; Mainsail Slides; Mainsail Clew; Battens; Main Halyard Tension; Jib Sheet Fairlead; Jib Luff Jib Sag; Jib Hanks or Snap ;

Checks Afloat (Slack Leech; Tight Leech; Clew Creases; Rope Creases; Batten Creases; Headboard Creases; Sail Too Full; Sail Too

hooks)

Checks Ashore {Test

Flat\ Spinnakers) Small-, Sail

Too

Large-,

Rip-, Leeches-, Draft-,

Cross Measurements-,

lYRU Method-,

Sail Too

Folded 62

Line-, Specified Points)

eight

Correcting Faults in Set

Tightening Scams

the

Size

Wire

l^Vires;

Sail

A

Repair

Equipment

Spinnaker Leech Curl 78

Enlarging Mainsails

Reducing Spinnakers

Spinnakers of Other Cuts

Reducing Headsails Enlarging Spinnakers

Altering a Mainsail from Slides to

88

Altering a Mainsail from Grooves to Slides

•

'Thread (Hand-, Machine)

Machine Sewing Die

the

Pulling on

Roping (Oversewing)

Enlarging Heatlsails

Needles

Easing

Too¥\ni (Moving

Clew Hoard

Reducing Mainsails

Fid or Spike

Seam

Soldcrinst Iron

'Tape

Appendix B Hand Work

Reducing Spinnaker Fullness

Tapes)

Grooves

Appendix

Easing Seams

•

Pleating

Headboard-, Moving the Tack-, Ileadsail)

(

nine Alterations to

'Tightening 'I'ablings

Reducing Mainsail Roach

'Tablings

Glue

Leather

Sail

Beeswax

Sailmaker’s Palm

Splicing 'Tools

IJnpicker

Eyelet Punch and

Bench Hook

Accessories

Adhesive 97

Sundries

Use of the Palm Hand Twine Round Stitch Tabling or Flat Seaming Stitch Machine Sewing Roping (Rope in Tape-, Taped Darning Sailmaker’s Darn Sailmaker’s Luff-, Hand Roping) Whipping RejiairTape Worked Eye Punched Eyelet Cringle •

•

(Eye

Patch

Appendix

C

Altering Sail Sizes

A 105

Splice-, Lo7ig Splice)

Mainsails (Shorten Luff and Leech-, Shorten Luff Only-, Shorten Luff and Leech-, Shorten Luff, Leech and Foot-, Shorten Foot-, Shorten Luff, Leech and P'oot-, Shorten Foot and Leech-, Shorten Leech Only-,

Lengthen Luff) Headsails (Shorten Luff Only-, Shorten Luff aJid Leech-, Shorten Luff, Leech and Foot-. Shorten Foot Only-, Shorten Leech Only-, Shorten Leech and Foot-, Enlarge Headsail) Headsail

Clew Angle

Flattening Mainsails and Headsails

and Headsails Fuller

Make

Wider-,

Make

Making Mainsails

Spinnakers (Make Narrower-,

Larger)

Make

Shorter-,

123

one

Sailcloth

Sails are

so inextricably linked in

their

all

from which they are no book which pretends to

facets to the material

fashioned, that

examine them

in

to discuss the

way

any depth could possibly in

which

sailcloth

and some of the qualities which possess.

There

is

much

is

fail

made

should

it

care and knowledge in

the selection by the sailmaker of the cloth he

use

will

your

for

is

therefore

sail,

wisdom when you

recognise this

some of

let’s

it,

to

for

Much

part and parcel of his calling.

depend on his choice, so

learn

see

it

will

have a look

at

T ension

the points he has to consider. (b)

1.

Construction

Crimp. The weft of any

tions)

is

sailcloth (hatched cross sec-

beaten up together in order to close the weave.

This causes the warp (black threads) to undulate

Sailcloth

is

normally woven by arranging

threads on the the

beam

of a

loom

to establish

warp, or lengthwise threads, and then^

passing the thread back and forth over and

under the warp to form what weft.

The

beating

up

resulting the

weave

weft

is is

known the

cross

threads hard up against each other) so that lies

close together, the tighter the

it

weave the

higher the cover factor as the weft causes the

warp

to

When

crimp

(fig.

tension

is

known as crimp

warp,

it

less

tension

is

chemical

fillers

individual

the

untwist stretch

warp

the

which may have been added; threads

slightly is

and

may thus

also

to

But

minimal and no great deformation

of the cloth takes place. However, as soon as

(i.e.

on the

is

at

an angle to the threadline

bias) the little squares

formed by

little

hold any

tend

elongate.

crimp and open the weft, which makes the less able to

and

any chemical fillers which may have

able to hold

the weave are pulled out of shape and

more porous and

what

This makes the cloth more porous

(b).

lengthwise threads tend to straighten their cloth

in

applied along the

been added.

the tension

1).

applied along the

When

tends to straighten, thereby reducing crimp

opening the weft

and

(a).

as the

tightened by

(pushing

is

become

diamonds, so that the cloth distorts by lengthening in the direction of tension and

2

Care and Repair of Sails

remain

permanently

distorted

such

after

loadings, but should recover its original shape

when

the tension

is

relaxed.

Requirements

The

finest cut sails in the

long

if

they are

summarise

made

good

world

will

of poor cloth.

sailcloth

by

I

not

last

can best

listing

the

requirements. 1.

Shape

control.

The shape

of the cloth

should be partly controllable through appropriate tension 2.

Modulus

high, that

is

when trimming

sails.

of extensibility. This should be

to say that there should be a high

resistance to stretch at low loads. 3. 2.

Bias Stretch.

the

little

When woven

squares

of the

cloth

is

pulled on the bias,

weave are distorted

into

diamonds and the cloth contracts across the line of tension. The sail gets no bigger when the luff and foot are stretched - it merely distorts into a different shape.

Stability.

should

It

recover

its

shape

after being subjected to loads. 4.

Tensile

strength.

It

should

absorb

energy and stand up to shock loads. 5.

Impermeability.

to pass

from one

It

should not allow

side to the other

air

through

the weave. 6.

narrowing across fore

moves

this line (fig. 2).

at right

bias tension,

Cloth there-

angles towards a line of

thus forming a fold of extra

material along this line; the result in a

sail is

extra draft along the line of tension and a

from which the cloth has been drawn. A good cloth should not flattening in the area

Water absorption.

water either through the thread 7.

a

It

should not absorb

porous weave or into

itself.

Smoothness.

A smooth

cloth

reduces

friction drag. 8.

Chemical

reaction. It should not be too

quickly degraded by ultraviolet rays, industrial

smoke or

dirt.

3

Sailcloth

Polyester

its

country of origin)

is

its

from the

effects of water

lot,

name depends on virtually immune

chemical

or

and from

stretch or

make

a

this,

wide

The

can suffer

their

way

if

so)

if

damp

is

it

added

reduce

to

and

the cloth harder,

will tear like

deal

paper

of

a

in

sail’s

slackly arranged

dinghies

for a year or to

sailers,

is

then

a

good

initial

but they tend to

thus

additives,

giving

and

smaller

the

a

it

formed

soft,

sails for

day

one-design

on the other hand, do not

rely

on

induced draft for their shape and they get

the point

extreme

can give

fillers

a slack cloth,

pliable finish. Certain fully

prolonged sunlight or indus-

best

cases.

results

from

a

hard

precautions are taken

effectiveness

depends on the way the threads are woven into cloth. As we have seen above, if they are

up

chemical

present

can on glass under similar circum-

A good

fillers

may have

make for a hard finish and, if they crack and come out in use, the cloth deteriorates rapidly. The answer for general purposes lies in a tightly woven cloth which needs few

work

mildew can form around

smoke (constant exposure can weaken the material

where

appearance to

into the weave and then chafe the

stances). Finally, trial

far

bits of dirt or salt

the nucleus of a bit of dirt it

resin

together. Resin

you might wrong. How-

ideal sailcloth,

threads. In addition,

(as

dried,

thus helping the individual threads to lock

- and you wouldn’t be it

and

does not soak up water, and can

pretty airtight.

ever,

During

a finishing stage.

scoured

heat-relaxed to shrink and settle the material,

is

be woven close enough to be smooth and say

is

it

strong, does not

variety of chemicals. It

stretch a

loom goes through

Dacron,

(Terylene,

sailcloth

Tergal, even Lavsan -

,

to

finish,

providing

protect the

sails

from creasing or flogging too much.

on the loom and not banged

tightly together at each pass of the shuttle,

Bias Stretch

the resulting weave will be loose, porous and

The aim is for a firm cloth, which is woven under great tension with the weft, or

From

cross threads, banged

be used to draw draft to the correct place, but

stretchy.

close

together as

it

up on the warp. Even the highest tension on the most modern looms cannot get the weave tight enough to be acceptable without further builds

treatment. Therefore cloth straight from the

the above

it

will

be seen that bias

stretch plays a big part in sailmaking.

it

can play merry

hell

with the

set

It

can

and shape

not kept within proper limits.

of a

sail if it is

It is

the principal reason

why

leeches are such

troublemakers, because they are sometimes

not even strengthened by

a tabling, let

alone a

4

Care and Repair of Sails

length of rope or tape. If a panel runs at an

angle of as

little

as

€-

degrees from right

5

Square

angles to such an unsupported edge, tension

down

the

leech

will

yard

be marginally off the

enough

threadline; this will be

to cause bias

}

stretching.

Bias stretch that

why

is

it

is

important to see

any patches or reinforcing pieces have running

their threadlines

parallel to those of

the cloth they are being added to, so that they stretch

harmoniously.

Since

cloth

Yard

stretch

28 ^^

varies with the construction of the cloth (the

1

x in

\

denier of the individual threads which make

up the weave, together with the cover factor), the amount of chemical fillers which are added, and the weight of the cloth itself (the heavier cloths are naturally stretch),

it is

also

more

resistant to

important that any patches

are of a cloth as near in weight and construction to the original as possible.

Cloth Weight 3.

measured by the numweighs to each square yard.

In England sailcloth

ber of ounces In the

USA

it

is

the width of cloth to be measured

Old English standard for broadcloth - ask Robin Hood) and the ounces in every yard of this rather narrower is

Cloth Weight Measurement. Imagine two

identical sailcloth, one of which

fixed at 28| inches (an

other 28j inches wide.

is

rolls

of

36 inches wide and the

They both weigh

the

same as each

other per square inch, per square foot or per square yard.

But

the British grade sailcloth by the

yard of 36-inch

whereas the Americans weigh the yard of 28^inch material (b). There is thus more sailcloth to material

(a),

weigh under the British system, which results

in

an

material are weighed; this results in a figure

apparent difference, when describing the same cloth, of about 20 per cent. The metric system weighs grammes per

lower by some 20 per cent than

square metre

in

England

(c).

for exactly the

same piece of

material.

When

grading a particular cloth, therefore, you have to

weigh more actual material under the

system than you do under the American; countries using the metric system British

weigh the number of grammes per square metre (fig. 3). A look at the comparative scale (fig. 4) will

show

that a

normal dinghy weight of material

for a mainsail and jib of 44 ounces per square

yard (oz/yd^) in England,

over

3j

ounces

(oz/yd X 284 in) and 150

metre (gm/m^)

British

4.

American

Metric

Cloth Weight Conversion Table. This scale enables

comparative weights to be read off at a glance.

in the

is

per

equivalent to just

American

grammes

yard

per square

metric system.

two

Sailmaking

In any study of repairs sails, it is

and why

important to a sail is

made.

and faultfinding

know If

stand what the sailmaker

a bit

about

in

you do not under-

is

trying to achieve,

how he has set about it, you will probably do more harm than good as soon as you put a knife or a needle into your sail. There are four principal ways in which a and

sail

Rounding the LufT and Foot

how If the luff

and foot of

a straight

mast and

a mainsail

boom

destined for

are cut in a convex

curve, the surplus cloth will be pushed back

into the

sail

as draft

when

it

is

put on the

spars and the edges are forced into straight lines

(fig. 5).

can have draft designed or controlled:

1.

Rounding the

2.

Tapering the panels (broad seam).

3.

Tension on the

4.

Lay of the

luff

and

foot.

cloth.

cloth.

(b)

5.

LufT and Foot Rounds. Draft

adding extra cloth is set

is

built into the sail by

When

the sail

is forced

into the

to the luff and foot (a).

on straight spars, this extra cloth

sail in the form of fullness (b).

7

Sailmaking

This draft

will lie fairly close to the

and boom, and the sailmaker control over where

it

will

mast

have no

settles unless he

adopts

arbitrarily designed in only this way.

round little

built into the

sail,

it

The

less

will be;

or none will be built in at the head,

other measures as well. There are, however,

which may even be

many

desired to keep the

successful sails which have their draft

the flatter

point. Sails for

slightly

sail

hollow

particularly

if

flat at

it

is

this

bendy spars must have more

round, so that they can take up the shape of spars under

the

maximum

curve and

still

provide the extra cloth required for camber.

A

headsail receives similar treatment along

its luff.

Round

is

built into the lower half of

it is taken away from the upper half where the sail needs to be flat. In the same way that a mainsail is cut to take up the curve of the mast it will use, so a headsail must be shaped to allow for the cur-

the

sail

to provide draft, and

vature of the stay. absolutely

straight,

No so

forestay can ever be the

sailmaker must

allow for the sag which will occur. Unlike that of the mast, this curve will be towards

the rear and to leeward, which will tend to throw cloth into the bunt of the sail and thus make it fuller. The luff must therefore be

hollowed to allow for

this.

The

longer the

more sag there will be to the stay, more allowance must be made (fig. 6).

luff the 6.

Allowance for Forestay Sag. All

forestays sag a

the

so

certain amount, so the luff of a headsail must take this into account.

half of the

The head should be flatter than

sail, so

the upper luff

suit the line of the stay;

the sail lower down, so

where the dotted forestay.

is

the lower

often cut hollow to

some fullness should be given

we

Tapering the Panels (Broad Seam)

to

get the curve shown here,

line represents a theoretically straight

If

some of

the panels are tapered, the sail will

alter shape accordingly, rather as a dress

is

(a)

(b)

(c)

7. Broad Seam. The static position of draft in a sail is governed by tapering the panels from which the sail is made. The horizontal cut (a) lends itself to this treatment hut, where seams are not conveniently placed for shaping, special

darts

may

be inserted as in (h) or

(c).

shaped by gussets and gores. the

sail

has

a certain

built in, in the

we have

If,

amount of

form of

luff

in addition,

and foot round as

point of

maximum

means of

taper-

ing the appropriate panels to a predetermined point. is

called

by

a var-

different sailmakers, but can

generically be termed ‘broad seam’, and

is

subdivided into luff seam, tack seam and foot

and foot round draft

-

its

will

have

its

powerpoint -

along the line where the inner end of the taper ceases.

The cient

names by

overall draft given to the sail in the

luff

just seen, the position of the result-

This tapering of panels

The

form of

ing draft can be controlled by

iety of

seam.

extra cloth

horizontal cut for a mainsail

as

regards broad

is effi-

seam, because

the

cloths arrive at the luff at a convenient angle for this purpose. It

cut

in

this

is

manner

for this reason that sails

usually

have a

exactly striking the tack, for this

is

seam where

9

Sailmaking

8.

Demonstration of Induced Draft. Fold a handkerchief diagonally and pull

the two corners

away from each

other.

This will put tension at 45 degrees to the threadline and will bring a fold of induced draft along the ‘luff; the harder you pull, the deeper will be the fold, and the two loose corners will rise as the ‘leech’ is drawn towards the ‘luff. Now pull

it

along one of the edges

maximum

{i.e.

on the threadline) and notice the difference.

required. Other cuts,

right out to the tabling should be suspect,

however, must inevitably rely more on darts

because they will tend to hold the leech to

shaping

is

specially put in for the

seam presents

itself,

purpose

if

no

suitable

wdth the attendant dan-

ger of small knuckles appearing where the darts end

The

(fig. 7).

leech can also be shaped by

these tapered seams. In this area

curvature which

is

means of it

is

not

required, but complete

some time

to rejoin the top of the mast and the outer end of the boom. Care must be taken not to overdo it, or the whole leech area will go

wind to run off cleanly. seams which have been altered at

slack

by tightening

sails,

flatness to allow the

Thus, leech

windward. Rather should we expect to find these seams eased slightly, particularly near the head and clew, to help free the leech where it has to come up to windward a little

in the life of the sail

and sag to leeward.

Similar broad seam can be put into head-

although they need

less draft or

camber.

•I

I

10

Care and Repair of Sails

and can usually be

more

upon

relied

take up

to

naturally their correct shape with the

minimum

necessary adjustment or darts.

A

than

nominal

its

induce draft near the rope or tape.

horizontally cut headsail will present plenty

tension

of scope for adjustment in this manner.

little

and broad seam also

We

have

seen

elsewhere

appear near the this,

it

cloth

as

that,

causes a fold to

To

line of tension.

illustrate

take a clean handkerchief and fold

corner to corner diagonally

forms

a triangle.

in half, so that

Let the two ends hang

while you pull on the

two

A

corners.

it it

down

fold will

appear

in

the Muff of the handkerchief as

tension

is

applied on the bias of the cloth by

pulling outwards, and this will deepen as you pull

harder.

hanging

and the the

to rise as the ‘luff stretches

‘leech’

extra

the corners

also cause

will

It

down

cloth

is

drawn across

(fig.

8).

Now

to

try

supply pulling

straight along the threadline, square with the

edge, and notice

how much

less stretch there

When

the cloth in a

bias in the

same way,

sail

is

pulled on the

a similar fold will ap-

pear along the line of tension.

If

it

is

cor-

rectly controlled, this tension can be used to

induce further draft in deliberately

a sail.

made shorter on

A

mainsail

is

the luff and foot

sail

nearer to

its

built

it

this draft will

and friction drag.

It

can be brought back

starting point again

by further

tension on the luff and foot.

To

be effective, induced draft must be

properly controlled. sail

It is

no good allowing

a

to be stretched as far as the cloth will go,

for this will almost always result in a fold

appearing

in the adjacent area. First

and fore-

most, allowance must be made by the

maker so

sail-

beyond its marks. Left to itself the cloth would pull out a great deal too much, especially under that a sail does not stretch

the influence of powerful halyard winches.

However, there

is

usually a rope or tape on

the luff and foot of a mainsail, and this will restrict the distance to

The

is.

called,

move aft and up under the influence of pressure

blows harder,

stretches on the bias, so

and the sail by the round into it. As the wind

it is

up the shape given

into the

will

If this

applied only lightly, there will be

is

induced draft, as

will take

Tension on the Cloth

so that tension applied

size,

by means of the halyard and outhaul

which the

sailmaker uses a rope with

ticity,

which he

first

of

all

sail

restricting

the

is less

amount

elas-

pulls to a certain

tension before sewing on to the

ensures that there

can go.

known

rope than w'hich

the

sail.

This

sail,

thus

sail

can

stretch.

Some

sailmakers prefer to use prestretched

11

Sailmaking

synthetic rope for the luff and foot of mainsails,

particularly for small

elasticity at

all,

and the

sails.

sail

This has no

can be cut to

its

exact shape without having to take account of

induced draft through bias stretch. be necessary to pull the

still

marks with

amount

certain

a

will its

of tension,

because the action of sewing the rope

It

out to

sail

drawn forward again by tension on the Cunningham hole if the wind increases. Equally,

heavy-weather

a

strong winds pushing the belly right aft can

be counteracted by harsh use of the device.

can sometimes give a

where the

new

to the

old

Alter-

with the passage of time;

that the cloth

sewn on

pulled a

is

little

slack, so

as the rope

sail

It

lease of life to an

blown

draft has been

sail

causes a degree of puckering.

natively the rope can be

should

mainsail

always have one, so that the effect of really

aft

also useful for

it is

removing the leech crease caused by bending the mast.

straightens under tension.

When

Headsails.

Cunningham Hole. A Cunningham hole is a means of putting more tension on a mainsail luff

which

is

already out to

its

racing marks

and so cannot be pulled further by without breaking the rules, as the

its

halyard

sail

would

be stretched beyond the permitted distance. It

consists of an eye

tabling anything

from the

luff

worked into the 6 inches to 2 feet

depending on the

tack,

through which pull

from

a line is

luff

up

size of boat,

passed so that

it

can

down on the hole to add tension to the when required, thus drawing the sail’s further

draft

Cunningham

forward. hole

will

Tension cause

a

on

the

bunch of

wrinkles in the tack area, but these are a small

main medium-weather sails, which can then be made right up to size for their normal use, but where the draft can be

price to pay for the benefits gained. Its

use

is

in

light-

or

a headsail is

made with

a

conventional luff wire, the sailmaker ensures length of the

the

that

sail

luff

shorter than the wire on which

The allowance

fitted. sail

slightly

is

it

has to be

varies with the type of

and with the sailmaker concerned, but order of 2 or 3 per cent.

is

in the

is

worked into

until

the

the sail and the luff

stretches the

cloth

along the wire.

The

The head

is

stretched position and the

is

pulled

distance

full

then seized at sail

made

a

fold.

If this

its

fast to

the head eye, so that the induced draft

along the luff as

it

tack eye

lies

seizing

is

released, the sail will fall back along the wire,

and the draft the

will disappear into the

bunt of

sail.

The

exact

depends on

amount which the sail is pulled number of factors, including

a

the weight and quality of the cloth, the type

and

role of the

sail,

the size of the

winch

12

Care and Repair of Sails

which the

will

sail

be used for the sheet and whether

should be

or

full

flat.

The

may

sail

then either be seized at intervals along the luff wire,

which

length so that tabling at lie

all

it

sewn close up

is

lies at

along

all

its

the outer edge of the

times, or else the wire

to

is left

freely inside the luff tabling. In either case,

when

the headsail

is

spread on the floor with-

out pulling the wire taut, the wire will

in a

lie

series of S-bends, either taking the luff with

maker can control how much a sail stretches This is specially important in mainsail and headsail leeches and in in a particular place.

spinnakers. Similarly, the faulty lay of a panel

by as

as

little

shape of

much

out by as

become

or 2 degrees can upset the

1

where

a sail and,

virtually

importance of tions to a

sail

this

alignment

is

as 5 degrees, the sail can

we shall see the when we come to altera-

useless;

this

which

affect the angle at

which

why

it,

or else lying loose inside the tabling. This

the panels strike the leech. This explains

is

because the cloth will only spread to a

most leeches have seams running away from them approximately at right angles, since

must

certain size and the wire, being longer,

zigzag to stay confined within the length of the unstretched

luff.

Not

pulled taut (with probably

sail is

undesirable,

and the threadline must be followed. The

more tension than

panels are therefore often rocked or tripped

you can produce by hand yard) will the luff of the

stretch on this part of the

is

until

needs

it

sail

the wire

its hal-

stretch to

its

designed length, producing induced draft as

it

round the roach of a mainsail or the hollow of a

headsail so that the weft follows approx-

imately the line of the leech.

goes.

Spreading a Sail

Lay of the Panels

When Because sailcloth stretches as soon as the strain

is

even the slightest

bit

on the

bias, the

sailmaker has to pay great attention to the

way

in

which he

Cloth stretch be considered

is

lays the panels of a

sail.

the greatest single factor to

when making

By man-

sailmakers talk about spreading a

mean

as possible

laying

-

it

out on the

sail,

loft floor as flat

usually with the starboard side

up - with the three sides under moderate tension and the rounds spread out so that the shape of the

sail

as cut out can be seen. This

either

done to a sail in the course of its manufacture, and before the rope or wire is fitted,

as required, the sail-

so that the final shaping can be checked, or to

sails.

ipulating his panels so that the strain

on or off the threadline

they

is

is

13

Sailmaking

Plate

Spreading a

The white mainsail has been spread on W. G. Lucas and Son’s loft floor {note the prickers They are both for the same size of boat - the being for one of the 14-ft dinghies used in Bermuda. Eastland.

1.

Sail.

at each corner); the darker sail has merely been laid on top for comparison.

larger

a sail in for examination, so that

an idea of

its

general shape and likely characteristics can be reached.

To

spread a

sail

properly requires

mention your wife’s temper) but, if you are like major sur-

to

ever going to tackle anything

gery on your

sails,

I

screwdrivers with the tips sharpened to a

you to use an

which are pushed through the sail - at or cringles wherever possible, but

shall

this

eyes

An

This may not be easy for the amateur sailmaker (think of the living-room carpet, not

the

attic or other

it is

possible for

wooden

floor in

way without incurring somebody’s wrath.

point),

through the rope or even the sail itself if nothing else offers - and then into the floor.

here and there in this book

have to assume that

the use of spikes, or prickers (awls or small

alternative sail

out

is

flat,

to use heavy weights to hold

but these are not so secure as

prickers and they tend to be clumsy and get in the

way. They also do not enable twine to

be stretched round the three corners.

14

Care and Repair of

When any

Twine.

spread,

sail is

it

Sails

may

be

amounts of round leech or foot. Take a

desired to check the exact

or hollow to the

luff,

length of twine or cord with a loop at one end, and put the loop over the pricker at the tack. Stretch this

and put

twine tight up to the head

a half hitch

over the pricker there,

followed by the same

at

the clew and then

back to the tack again. You basic triangle of the

sail,

and

now a

have the

datum from

which to work.

The boltrope

Mainsail.

and foot of

a mainsail

deployment of the you have

that

cloth,

tack eye and floor.

Then

and you

will find

to persuade the sail to take

proper shape. Put

its

or tape on the luff

restricts the natural

a pricker

make sure

it

pull the sail out

is

up

through the

firmly in the

on the

luff,

hard

remove most of the wrinkles from

enough

to

the

near the rope, but not so hard as to

sail

cause too big a fold to appear just behind the luff;

pricker

it

down through

the head eye.

9.

Spreading a Mainsail. Pricker

the three corners

firmly into the fioor, pulling luff and foot hard enough to remove most of the wrinkles next to the rope or tape (this

may

take more effort than you would imagine). Stretch

twine all round this basic triangle and adjust the luff round so that it shows outside the twine; pricker down.

do the same for the foot and then stretch the twine round so that the sail is basically spread. But you will find that you

Pull the leech across and stick a couple of prickers

can adjust the cloth to either side of the twine

leech ready for marking.

by simply pulling it back and forth. It matter of experience to decide when the

amount of

Now

is

weft will usually help decide when there

When

you

have

the

sail in the

ing has been spread for roach reduction, or linen tape has been ‘thrown’ along the

draw-

and a webbing line of the new

is a

sail

lying naturally, but close inspection of the

distortion.

through the tabling into the floor. The

is

no

correct

luff

and foot round,

stick a pricker

into the floor through the boltrope at the

points of the

maximum

amount

round;

this will decide

of leech roach present

(fig.

9).

15

Sailmaking

you

If

need

really

amount of round on

know

exact

other. Prickers should be stuck through the

the three edges of a

leeches at half and three-quarter height, and

to

the

mainsail, possibly to reduce or increase

the cloth in the middle should be lightly ten-

it,

you must first take off the boltrope. Released from its constriction, the sail will then fall naturally into place without trouble, and you will be able to spread it easily and

sioned

across

the

sail

through the fold to hold not to tear the

and it

put

prickers

tight, taking care

sail.

exactly.

A

Jib.

to spread. Pull the wire out until

out the clew. great, is

and the

pulled tight

wire

is

as tight

it is

and pricker both ends; then

as possible

not

The

variation possible

sail will lie

is

A

pull

not

tabling

of a

evenly once the luff

- but you should check

still

Tablings

than a mainsail

w'ire luff jib is easier

sail.

is

an important part of the makeup

It is

the

that the

Heavy duty

sails

too much. Lighter

Due

to its almost hemispher-

shape, a spinnaker

to spread

lie

down

on

may appear awkward

a flat floor.

But

if it is

the middle, so that the

one on top of the other, the

substantially

flat.

folded in

two clews

sail will lie

Pricker the head eye firmly

and then pull out the two clews to the full extent of the leeches and to the ground,

pricker

them down together.

middle of the foot and pull prickering

it

down through

Now it

take the

out, before

the foot tape.

Join the three prickers with twine or cord as before,

need a stout tabling to

prevent the leech and foot from stretching

Spinnaker.

half

turned over to rein-

its role is useful.

lying slack inside the luff

tabling.

ical

hem

force the edge, and a proper understanding of

and you can then adjust the leeches to

one side and the middle of the

sail

to the

tabling, so that ,

sails

should have a narrow

both tabling and leech or foot

can stretch equally but within limits.

If a sail

has panels arriving at the free edge on the bias,

a

wider tabling

stretch, but

there

is

it

stop

too

much

noticeably less stretch of tabling than

the cloth underneath will

form

will

be tight

sails

will

should not be so wide that

a

it.

If this occurs, the sail

bag just inside the tabling, but at the

very edge. Certain dinghy

can do away with the tabling altogether,

leaving

the

leech and, less

commonly,

the

foot with a heat-sealed raw edge. Such an

edge will never curl through being too

tight,

but might easily go slack (apart from the

16

Care and Repair of Sails

problems

may experience from

it

frayed

ends).

Cut Tabling. The and

We know

angle.

most mainsails

at

an appreciable

that sailcloth elongates

on

we want to keep stretch up the constant, we should avoid any alteration

the bias so, luff

luffs of

have panels arriving

jibs

if

of this angle

means

that

simply

be

forming the

in

the edge of the

folded

over

tabling.

This

should not

sail

form the hem,

to

because this would double the bias angle at the luff; sail

must be cut

it

on to the

off, lifted

and sewn back on again without being

turned over

(fig.

10).

keep the threadlines parallel to

The

effect of this is to

in the sail and the tabling

one another.

takes a

It

little

longer

than folding, and means that there are two

rows of stitching down the edge of the sail instead of one, one of which runs right along the outside edge. This can in the case of a

become

wire luff jib

if

significant

this particular

row of stitches gets weakened and way (see Chapter 5).

starts to

give

Rolled Tabling. There

is

no harm

in

form-

ing the tabling by folding or rolling the hem,

when

the cloth threadlines run parallel and at

right angles to the edge of the sail in question

Cut Tabling. All curves fit exactly and the threadparticularly at the luff, coincide when the tabling lifted straight back on to the sail. The system leads to

10.

lines,

(fig. 11).

In this

way

angle, the operation

there is

is

no change

in bias

simple and there are

few stitches to cause trouble

later. It is par-

is

four thicknesses

if

the edges have to be turned under (c)

instead of being heat sealed

(d).

17

Sailmaking

ticularly

suited

to

weather

light

and

sails

those for dinghies, which have tablings only

Some

about half an inch wide. rolled tablings line,

and you

all

sails

have

round, regardless of thread-

running off

will find small girts

those which are on the doubled bias, due to the changed angle

we have

discussed.

Tape Tabling. The different stretch characteristics of a rolled tabling can be avoided

by the use of Terylene or Dacron

tape.

It

tends to be heavier than sailcloth, however, so

it is

best suited to the luff of a

sail

(and the

we have

foot of a mainsail) which, as

already

where conflicting bias angles are most likely to occur. It is easy to attach, and is folded in half down the middle and sewn to seen,

is

each side of the be enclosed the

sail if

Rubbing

When

11.

Rolled Tabling.

A

at

all

in

small puckers

if

round or

the curve

is

marked; note how the bias angle at the luff

changes. is

rolled tabling with

lighter

is much less - an important factor

But there

stitching involved at times.

and

it

A

rope or wire can easily before

it is

attached to

desired (see Appendix B).

Down and

a piece of sailcloth has to be folded

sewn, as with

hollow will tend to gather

sail.

in the tape

a tabling,

it

can be given

its

shape and marked for sewing by creasing along the line in question. This is called rubbing down, and it is also done to a sail which has reached the stage of having

sewn together, so

that ragged

all its

panels

ends are

left.

18

Care and Repair of Sails

but the

sail

down

bing

dimensions. this job

is

is

roughly the correct

'I'here

down

size; rub-

Throwing a Tape

the final shaping to its exact

have been special tools for

the centuries, but any hard

flat

If

the edge of a

sail,

spread without

or wire, has to be given a fair curve,

two

marking

its

rope

it is

done

datum

surface will do, such as the handle of a knife

by

or the back of a pair of scissors.

(usually in relation to the straight twine) and

You can rub down underneath the

floor

pencil on the cloth

to a line to

sail,

itself,

marked on the one marked

or else to a

in

row of

holes pricked along the cloth to form the line in question. If a sail luff,

has to be reshaped at the

for example, the rope

is

taken

off,

then

the tabling unpicked and finally the line of the luff

round

is

rerubbed - either

fuller

as required. 'The resulting crease as the

mark

to

sew

to.

is

or flatter

then used

or

three

then joining them by eye.

To mark

points

in a leech

roach, a webbing tape or soft linen tape meas-

ure

is

anchored

‘thrown’ to

lie

at

the head

and the tape

along the curve of the required

roach, passing through the appropriate points. This like

many

is

datum

matter of judgement and,

jobs connected with sailmaking,

the description

thrown,

a

the

meticulously

is

an anomaly;

tape (fig. 9).

is

laid

far

from being

carefully

and

three

Care of Sails

in

maintenance starts with the proper care

Sail

The

of them during their normal use.

not only ensure their long

sails will

will also see that they are kept in

do

correct

stowing, cleaning and storing of

handling,

to

Use

life,

but

good shape

their job properly. Prevention is better

its own problems as it is being hoisted. Always support the main boom as the halyard is hauled, either by the topping lift or by hand, or else the weight of the boom, coupled

has

with the flogging of the

sail

as

it

goes up,

will

overstress the leech.

than cure.

Try to avoid point loading wherever it may occur. A genoa clew pulled too hard down over the lifeline, a mainsail which is

Handling

allowed to bear too hard on the spreader ends, a spinnaker pole which

In Chapter

woven

we saw

1

poked vigor-

cause localised

stretching which will never recover. These are obvious examples, but a similar kind of

open to exces-

problem can arise from treading on a sail which is lying over the engine control levers in a cockpit or is in the bottom of a dinghy, or in pulling too hard on a sail which has got caught up inside its bag. Also under the category of mishandling is

Leeches

in

in particular are

if

they are subjected to abnormal

strain because, unlike luffs, they are unsup-

ported by rope, wire or tape. Therefore the

remember

point to

is

never to pull on

leeches by hand.

Elementary, you

common

sins

of

hundreds of times

say.

But one of the most

mishandling, a

leech.

committed

day by sailors of every

standing and experience,

by the

is

all

mind when handling

sive stretch

first

ously into the jib foot, can

material to bias stretch, and this must

be constantly borne sails.

the vulnerability of any

is

to pull jibs

Repeated treatment of

down

this kind

too harsh use of sheets, principally with headsails.

This

will overstretch the

clew and may

also affect the leech or foot, depending on the

sheeting angle. But by far the most distortion in use

is

common

caused by holding on to

wind gets up above

will cause localised stretching of the cloth,

light-weather

resulting in a juddering

needing the

the strength for which they were designed.

lesson,

When a boat is going well under light genoa, and the wind gradually increases, the tempta-

attentions of a sailmaker. therefore,

is

The

first

more than lip-service to the which we all learned as soon as

to pay

cardinal rule

we

leech

started sailing: never pull on a leech. Still

on the subject of leeches, the mainsail

tion

is

sails as

the

to leave well alone.

‘She’s going like a

to change

down

bomb, so it seems moment.’

right at this

a pity

20 Care and Repair of Sails

result

will

'I’his

the light cloth being

in

subjected to increasing loadings, so that the

weave the

draft

and the boat

We

Chafe.

never again go properly to

will

windward with

with direct

forced towards the leech,

is

and backwinds the mainsail,

bellies

sail

distorted beyond the yield

finally

is

The

point.

that sail in that condition.

see

shall

later,

when

dealing

repairs, that chafe is

sail

one of

When

the main bugbears of the sailing man. sails

bear against standing or running rigging,

ropes

or

movement of the softer.

upperworks,

or

spars

wires,

of the boat will cause the harder

two surfaces

in

the

nature of stitching and the fact that

not bed into synthetic cloth as

most,

if

is

not

it

does

it

used to

in

it

is

not difficult to

going to be damaged. Indeed of the objects mentioned

all,

above are also harder than the sailcloth so

not

only the stitching will

damage can

itself,

wear.

start after quite a short time,

the size of the

The

problem and the extensive

surprising to the serious

man who

blue-water

wrinkle anti-chafe

is

has never done

cruising.

Baggy-

not for the birds.

points to watch for in particular are as lows:

A

jib can quickly chafe stitching if the

when

off the wind.

Mainsails.

when running

Lee

and

spreaders

shrouds

free; a slack

topping

attached to the outer end of the

left

lift,

boom;

run-

ning or adjustable backstays which are not carried right forward on the lee side; battens at

both ends of the pockets; the part of the

sail

which runs

in

the mast,

boom

or stay

groove, particularly at the head and, in the case of mainsails, the clew.

and

precautions which have to be taken can be

any

Chafe.

Author.

delicate

the days of cotton, but sits proud and ex-

guess which

2.

contact to chafe the

When you remember

posed on the surface,

Plate

foot bears on the pulpit or lifeline

The fol-

fibs.

The

leech of overlapping headsails

the lee shrouds,

jumper

ends when closehauled

(split tennis balls

the ends of spreaders are quick to

and

effective); the foot

the pulpit or lifeline

where

it

on

stays and spreader

where

when

it

fit,

on

cheap

passes over

off the wind, and

bears against the lee shroud

when

21

Care of Sails

in

Use

going to windward (wrap shroud turnbuckles have

in tape, particularly if they

the leech where

about (the clew

one of creases. the light of

split pins);

chafes the mast on going

it

ging a

particularly vulnerable).

is

it

The

foot which bears on the

forestay on a dead run

if it is

sheeted; the clew in the the head through

working from light

winds,

same way on

particularly

shackled on and

is

with

and collapsing if

the

swivel

to have

has to be used;

the

a

lot

of chemical

in the finishing stage

readily than a softer material it.

latter

The modern tendency

finish,

therefore,

con-

siderably lessens the danger. In addition, a

is

cloth of under about 5 ounces will crease

thus slack.

more

Not

more

less dressing in

towards

in

which

to

have been added

will crease

a reach;

it

two are not necessarily incompatible. Polv-

fillers

the action of the swivel

side to side

from the point of how best

sail

ester sailcloth

kept too tightly

speaking here purely in

care and not as regards bag-

ready for the next time

the

Spinnakers.

am

I

sail

than a heavier one, and the

readily

chafing their pockets, or the genoa foot foul-

winds mally exposed again. Nylon

ing the pulpit. But they

spinnakers are not prone to this problem

all

the

above

are

avoidable,

lighter

for

instance nothing can be done about battens

all

give rise to trouble

from time to time and,

(which

rig

are

if you can’t retrim or shockcord to avoid them, they show you

what to look for when examining for wear and tear.

.

is

to

which these sails are nornot blow the creases out

will

soft

a

is

elastic

material,

way

fortunate, considering the

bunched

into

turtles

and

so

they

launching

tubes).

Straightforward stuffing of a

sail

into a

sailbag can therefore be better accepted for a

heavier cloth, or for one of the softer mater-

Stowing

ials.

to

Even

so, the

avoid having

bag should be large enough to

compress the

sail

too

You may be tempted to think that no harm can come to your sails once they are safely down and not subjected to the wind. True,

does not get covered by the spare anchor or a

they will not chafe but they can be creased or

couple of heavy mooring lines -

weakened by the effect of sunlight or industrial smoke. The problem of bagging sails is, of course.

will cause creases

torn, or even

tightly.

Don’t forget to see that the

plenty of

room

in the sail locker,

Sails for boats

one-design day

result has

and that

all

it

of which

through the bag.

up to about the size of a such as the Dragon or

sailer,

22

Care and Repair of

12.

Folding a Mainsail.

A

mainsail

is

best

two people, one working along each

edge.

and horizontal

in (b).

will be vertical in (a)

Soling,

Sails

folded by

The

creases

can be folded with advantage and

without too much inconvenience.

A

mainsail

should be flaked back and forth, either horizontally or vertically (if you do it alternate ways each week, the risk of establishing a permanent crease will be reduced), and then 13.

rolled to suitable size sail is

(fig. 12).

A dinghy

stowed virtually without creases

mainat all

Folding a

Jib.

The

roll is started

down the luff {a). The completed from luff to clew (b).

from

the head,

roll is then rolled

again

23

Care of Sails

by rolling

it

round

own boom. A

its

should be rolled into a hoop along luff wire

from head to

from the

luff

it

tightly

(fig.

Use

out to form a neat parcel round the rest of

headsail

own

its

the

tack, then rolled again

come

component,

Take particular care to see that leeches are from accidental creasing or repeated folds in the same place. If your time and large

a

light-weather

cloth itself will weaken and easily tear. good cover, therefore, will quickly pay

sail.

creased.

It

way.

This

made

will usually be

goes without

saying

is

that

easily

that

you

all

this is

going on.

chemicals can degrade synthetic

both

polyester

(Terylene

or

Dacron) and nylon, to the point where

becomes should

brittle

and

will tear like paper. Sails

therefore

be

protected

from

prolonged exposure to sunlight or smoke

am

it

(I

talking here about a year’s constant ex-

posure). This

means regular use of covers for left on their spars at

a

cover should be water-

should not be too tight

As covers

is

fitting

important

in

under-

sunny

is

particularly suitable, but

flammable so be warned; plastic-coated

synthetic cloth >

are

material (which ‘breathes’

acrylic

but does not rot)

Sail Covers. Ultraviolet rays and certain

sailcloth,

be good,

climates,

it

industrial

it

neath.

should be particularly careful with lighted cigarettes while

To

A its

and lightproof, yet should allow the sail to breathe to avoid condensation. This means

wardrobe, attend to the

of cloth around 2 to 4 ounces, which

first, and the mainsail foot or the and foot will quickly become weak

spots; after the stitching starts to go, the

patience will only extend to folding one head-

from

delicate

again goes jib leech

13).

free

sail

most

the stitching which once

is

it

stow

expose the same part of the

to the elements. Being the

sail

at a place

not be folded or rolled too

will

in a shipshape spit-and-polish

sail

will continually

towards the clew. Any window

can usually be arranged to

where

in

is

ward end, with lacing

is

The cover

also often used.

should go right round the mast

the for-

at

a tight collar at the top.

A

probably best for the attachment to

the mast, as

it

can then be pulled really tight;

shock cord and hooks, or Velcro are the

way along the underside of the The inconvenience of catching lines

quickest cover.

and clothing on hooks,

if

they are placed on

those sails which are

the outside, should be weighed against the

sunny moorings, such as mainsail, mizzen or staysail. Jibs which are regularly left rolled up on the fore-stay, or mainsails which are flaked on the boom with the foot pulled

way they

boom

inside.

I

choice

is

will

scratch

the

boom

if

placed

prefer the former alternative, but the

marginal, particularly

if

the cover

nice and free-hanging underneath the

is

boom.

24 Care and Repair of Sails

Washing During the course of a season, sails can pick up a wide variety of stains which not only makes them unsightly, but can also harm the sails themselves. Even sea water leaves a deposit of salt on the surface, which proceeds to work its way into the weave, there to act as an abrasive by sawing away at the threads and weakening the material. All sails should therefore be regularly washed in fresh water, with special attention being paid when the boat

up

is laid

be

It will

sails

for

owner himself anything

to

larger

than a day sailer or a trailerboat. Regular hos-

down

effort,

at the

as

a

marina berth

large

buildup

avoided this way. Hoist the

will repay the

of salt

will

be

up the mast

sail

by the tack to dry, taking care to see that it blows freely to leeward without fouling on anything. In this sail will

way

the largest part of the

be well up the mast, with the usually

narrow head coming dowm tach a line to the head to

to the deck; at-

make

it

secure.

I

include spinnakers in this generalisation.

Owners

of dinghies are quite used to this

routine, and they usually rinse

dinghy park, both hull and the day. sibly left

Drying Ashore. Hung by

3.

not stretch

its leech.

the

luff, this sail

will

Author.

for the winter.

difficult for the

wash thoroughly ing

Plate

The man with

down

sails, at

in the

the end of

a small keelboat, pos-

on an offshore mooring, can be

slight disadvantage, because he

at a

may not have

easy access to a hose. But a special trip to the

marina or dinghy park else the sails can

is

much to home and

not

be taken

ask, or

spread

under the hose on the lawn or a clean concrete apron, in which case you may use a

broom

or scrubbing brush with a

detergent, providing you rinse

When washmg

it

little liquid

out.

on concrete or other rough

you are not too eneryou can chafe the stitching against the ground underneath, and you may also remove some of the protective silicone coating which helps keep the cloth smooth and

surfaces, take care that getic, for

repels moisture.

When

hanging up to dry, see that weight

is

not taken on the leech, which would thus stretch out of shape. Hang by the head or tack,

so that the luff takes the strain, and

don’t leave the

sail

flogging in the

wind

for

25

Care of Sails

too long. Even

if

it

obvious obstruction, bing against

itself

stitching

14).

(fig.

is it

in

Use

not chafing on any will be steadily rub-

and thus weakening the

at the

end of the season. This

account of any blood, paint

specific stains

etc.,

will also take

such as varnish,

although these should nor-

mally be cleaned off as soon as they occur and

not be allowed to harden over a period of weeks.

Cleaning

The

advice on cleaning various stains

given below

is

based largely on information

kindly supplied by ICI Fibres, of England,

between washing and cleaning between the routine rinse to clean off any salt after a wet trip, and the final cleaning of I

differentiate

as

sails

before they are put away for the winter

14.

Hanging

Sails to Dry. Sails should be hung to dry is

reinforcement

shape of wire, rope or tape.

in the

supported by the

which has

so that their weight

luff,

26 Care and Repair of Sails

which

refers specifically to white Terylene

but

also applicable to

is

Dacron; dyed

sails

gents for washing Terylene or Dacron

often need individual treatment by specialist

and keep materials with

dry

off

or

cleaners

(beware,

finishers

for

instance, of using bleaching agents or sol-

vents, and don’t use bleach on nylon of any

Never use galvanised or

kind).

alloy

con-

if

you

cannot spend time to rinse out afterwards, a

high acid content

powders

Detergent

spinnakers.

are

frequently alkali-based but they may, in fact,

be used

you rinse well afterwards;

if

liquid

detergents are less likely to have alkalis in

known

tainers, but stick to stainless steel or poly-

them because they

thene (or porcelain or enamel,

as ‘soapless’ detergents. Soapless detergents

they are not

if

(either liquid or

chipped).

Many bought

from

of the chemieals specified can be

at a druggist.

Keep strong ones away

metal parts of the

all

rinse out after treatment,

the danger of a ‘high

if

sail

and always

only to remove

water mark’ on the

in

are usually

what

is

powder) are equally

efficient

They

hard, soft or even salt water.

are

neutral in solution so, being neither acid nor alkali based, are

and

nylon

measured

suitable for both polyester

Acid

sails.

by

the

When

pH pH

and

can

be

(potential

of

alkali

scale

Avoid getting chemicals on the skin, in the eyes or in the lungs; wash skin and

hydrogen).

clothes thoroughly

and can be compared with a graded chart from which the pH value can be read. A chart

cloth.

some

While

if

of

affected.

these

processes

are

harmless enough, get into the habit of treating

them

all

as dangerous.

have plenty of fresh

air

Make

sure that you

and avoid

fire risks,

not only for the obvious reasons but also because some of these chemicals can give off

poisonous gases when their vapour through

is

drawn

a lighted cigarette (chlorinated sol-

vents, for instance, produce phosgene gas in this way).

So don’t smoke. make polyester cloth more

Alkalis can

weakening effect of ultraviolet while acids do the same for nylon. The

test

into the detergent solution,

value of

pH

7

is

paper

it

is

dipped

changes colour

exactly neutral, with values

below 7 becoming progressively more acidic and those above being alkaline. Before leaving this subject I must repeat that the overall effect of alkalis can easily be neutralised by rinsing in fresh water; in any event the problem

is

minimal and should be kept

in

perspec-

tive.

Finally sen-

a

I

treatments

good

must add

that, while the various

set forth in this

my

book

are given in

publishers, ICI Fibres and

sitive to the

all

rays,

cannot accept responsibility for any damage which may result from following them.

warning here

is

to avoid alkali-based deter-

faith,

I

27

Care of Sails

Wash. Large

sails

in

Use

Adhesive Numbers.

should be spread on a

clean concrete apron and

washed with hot

Any

water, using bar soap or detergent.

sail

difficult

It can sometimes be remove completely all trace of

to

adhesives used with stick-on

Steam the number

which can be got into the bath (less than about 150 square feet) should be immersed in

hot water to start

water as hot as the hand can stand (50° C, or

with

120° F), and similarly treated. A sailmaker would probably use a none-too-gentle indus-

alternative

rotary scrubber so,

trial

on

a

if

you are working

reasonably smooth surface, don’t be

afraid to

work hard

at

it.

A smooth

base will

in

it

and then brush

peeling,

sponge soaked

a

it

solvent/detergent

in a

mixture such as Polyclens or is

numbers.

sail

question over a bowl of

Mr

Clean.

An

to soak for a while in toluene, or

overnight in one of the biological soap powders.

Rinse thoroughly afterwards whichever

method

is

used.

ensure that the effects of chafe are minimal

any case, you should not rub away at one particular patch of stitching for more

Blood. Blood will respond to soaking in

but, in

than about quarter of a minute.

you cannot

If

get rid of local areas of particularly heavy dirt,

soak the patch overnight in straight

detergent. If general soiling

remove,

soak

in

a

metasilicate and cold water

do not allow

is

mixture ( 1

the solution to

one of the biological soap powders. There is a slight danger that optical brighteners may react with dyestuffs, also

some

you can

still

hard to

brighteners

of

sodium

numbers out of come off; this is

lb to

come

1

gallon)^

into con-

sail

is

some

special resins

and

powder without one. Keep adhesive

ropes, so use a if

to

left

the

find

solution or they

particularly true

soak

for

long

when

may the

periods

tact with galvanised luff wires, alloy slides,

(overnight) for the enzymes to ‘digest’ the

bronze thimbles, snap hooks or piston hanks.

protein. Really stubborn bloodstains can be

Then

attacked by soaking in a

wash in detergent and rinse. As an alternative, you could put up to 6 ounces of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) drain the

sail,

into a bath full of water and soak

it

in that;

5

per cent solution

ammonia and water (one cupful ammonia to each gallon of water). If doesn’t work, damp the stain with a 1 of

don’t increase the proportion. If you decide

cent

to wash the sail in a machine, keep your eye on the water temperature to see that it does not get above hand heat, or it may cause

(spirits

localised distortion.

thoroughly.

with

solution a

of pepsin

in

of this

per

water acidified

few drops of dilute hydrochloric acid of

salt),

allow

to

stand

without

drying out for 30 minutes and then rinse

;

28 Care and Repair of Sails

Scrub

Mildew.

dew

with

lightly

brush to remove as

much

dry

stiff

a

of the surface mil-

as possible, then soak for a couple of

hours

a cold solution

in

of bleach (sodium

hypochlorite) at a strength of approximately 1

by

caused

metallic

the

particles

often

associated with lubricants. Such stains can tackled by

be

best

below, after the

oil

the

methods described

and grease have been

eliminated.

per cent available chlorine, or use one part

of domestic bleach such as Domestos, Brobat or Clorox to ten parts of water (a cupful to half

gallon);

a

and

afterwards

rinse

be

prepared for only partial success. Don’t use

on nylon. Any remaining smell of

bleach

chlorine can be removed by dipping for a few

minutes

in a

1

form of

rust, verdigris or finely divided

can be removed by either of the

particles,

following methods (do not allow' the solu-

come

tions to iron,

into contact with galvanised

bronze or copper):

per cent solution of sodium

(photographer’s

thiosulphate

Metallic Stains. Stains caused by metals, in the

hypo).

Rinse

1.

Immerse

the stained portion in a 5 per

cent solution of oxalic acid - salts of lemon

with fresh water.

-

dissolved in hot water (1 ounce of oxalic acid

and Wax. Small stains of this nature can be removed by dabbing with a Oil, Grease

proprietary

carbon

remover such

as

or

Renuzit;

staining

is

stain

rinse

treatment,

after

ffeavy

best attacked by brushing on an

hand-cleansing

industrial

Swarfega,

tetrachloride

Thawpit, Dabitoff, Energine

Palmit,

the

gel

(such

American

745), or a mixture of solvent (stain

Flash

leave for about 15

with

warm

which

is a

water.

:

treatments

Immerse

the stained portion in a w'arm

two

hydrochloric acid per

or

of water.

Wash

parts

of

con-

100 parts

off thoroughly with

fresh

water.

1

also use Polyclens,

will

2.

centrated

proprietary solvent/detergent mix-

These

is

poisonous.

as

remove oils, greases, petroleum jelly and most lubricating mixtures, but they will not remove stains ture.

the

using oxalic solutions, as this chemical

containing

minutes and then wash off

You can

The hands and

should be washed very thoroughly after

solution

remover

or toluene) and detergent in a ratio of 2

to each pint of hot water). sail

Pitch

and Tar. Organic solvents such

perchloroethylene,

trichloroethylene,

as tri-

chloroethane (Genklene), solvent naphtha or

white or mineral spirits

may be dabbed on

to

the stain to effect removal. Again, care should

be taken to work in

a well-ventilated posi-

29

Care of Sails

Use

in

and due precautions should be taken

tion,

when working with flammable

solvents.

The

others to follow

seem

subject

suit,

so a few

be in order.

to

words on

The

the

creases

or white spirits will do as good a job as any

which lend themselves best to elimination by ironing are those which sometimes settle in the leech, causing the tabling to sit up at right angles and flutter in the wind with a characteristic ‘motorboating’ noise. Extreme heat will melt synthetic cloth, and even a temperature of 70° C (160° F) will cause uneven

on soft paint, but dry paint is hard to remove. Avoid paint strippers which are based on alk-

warned. Use an electric iron on

easiest

household cure to find

is

probably one

of the hand cleansing gels; brush

on, leave

it

for 15 minutes and then rinse off with hot

water.

Paint.

alis

Turpentine substitute, or mineral

(and most are) but,

if

turps substitute or

work, try chloroform.

spirits don’t

shrinkage producing local hard spots, so be setting, switch

leave sail

Varnish. Treatment of varnish

same

much

the

as paint: turps sub or white/mineral

spirits

dry

is

when

in contact

it

all,

ruin the

lowest

with the same part of the

for longer than

Above

its

off before starting and don’t

it

two or three seconds.

be prepared for the treatment to

sail

for

all

time.

wet, and liquid chloroform for

polyurethane

varnish;

try

using

pure

alcohol or methylated spirits for dry shellac

Winter Storing

varnish. If desperate, dab the stain first with

trichloroethylene and

then with a mixture

Sails should be stored loosely flaked in a clean

of equal parts of acetone and amyl acetate.

dry room or garage, so that

In any event, rinse with fresh water at the

freely; the truly conscientious will turn

them

finish.

over once or twice during the winter.

noth-

ing else, this should reveal

air

if

can circulate

If

they have been

eaten by rats or mice (whether they actually

Ironing

eat the cloth, or nests, they

The

best advice to those

about

ironing

owners get fully

in

sails

is

who want Don't.

know But many to

rid of persistent creases success-

this

way and thereby encourage

the result

merely use

it

to

make

their

seem

to have a liking for sails, and

the

same whatever they do with

is

the material).

These conditions are the ideal ones, and I that they do not always occur. The

am aware

30 Care and Repair of Sails

main thing to remember is no damp and no any dry place will do, and

Note of Hope

creases, therefore

the sails are big sails

may

be stored in their bags

enough

to avoid having to

into them.

stored

rolled

Dinghy

round

sails

the

if

these

cram

the

can often be

main

boom and

The above warnings may

be intimidating, but

fortunately polyester and nylon are robust

modern Sail care

materials and extremely forgiving.

should be kept in perspective and,

all

with reasonable precautions, you should get

events, avoid folding or bunching sails too

years of service from your boat’s wardrobe -

hoisted on to the rafters of the garage. At

tightly,

and do not put heavy weights on top

of them. See that creased.

windows

are not folded or

but the more careful you are the

you

will get, so don’t

ment too

often.

more

service

overdo the harsh

treat-

four

Examination for Repairs

We

have just seen

tant

it is

we

before

Chapter

in

how impor-

3

to look into the proper care of sails

could discuss the question of

how

Even then, we had to find out how to handle them prior to going on to cleaning and storing. Now we must learn how to examine a sail for damage, as opposed to repair them.

to faults in set, before getting

down

going to walk and kneel thread a trasts

must give you

I

suspect, don’t pick at

may not show if

it

is

is

white is

only going to be

perhaps at the head and working your way round and across the sail.

is

half-heartedly or

it

If a

starting

weakness. Have a good pull

Mainsails

any of the thread breaks, get the back Spread the

the time that you

thing which

when you

is

going to

are afloat.

Go

seam vigorously, pulling

file on to it; want to find anylet you down, not

right along a suspect

stitches at intervals^

to find out the full extent of

not,

of

unpicking

course,

any weakness.

advocating

of stitches,

I

wholesale

because even

weak

thread wall help hold a seam together with the addition of the

new

you will put in. round a tear or you find where it starts to stitches

Similarly, scratch hard

mark

until

all

have strength again, because leaving

it

sail,

type of thread

not to

if

chafe

The

used to mark the repair and will later be

now

am

red for a white

sail.

immaterial, because

of a knife or the point of a nail is

sail;

discarded.

individual stitches with your fingernails

and,

The

to the

seam

be afraid of being a bit ruthless.

at

sail.

Organise the examination systematically,

advice

first

with the

for a tan or blue

repair proper.

The

over the

all

you should make is to needle with any twine which con-

other preparation

weak cloth next to

a

no good new patch - it it

is

sail

loosely

possible, even

if it

on the ground, indoors

means doing

it

by halves.

Head. Look at the headboard itself to see whether the rivets are firm, the stitching sound and the headboard unbroken. Check the eye where the halyard is shackled, to see if there is any undue wear or distortion. If the mast has a luff groove, the cloth between the boltrope and the headboard it

how

has a track,

are

may be worn;

the

slides

if

on the

headboard? There should be two slides here on a boat of any size, so think about adding a second

if

there

is

only one.

will only tear again.

Put on a pair of clean soft shoes, or take your shoes off altogether, because you are

Luff.

Now

slides for firm

go

all

down

the

luff,

checking

and even attachment, together

32

Care and Repair of Sails

with undistortcd eyelets, and also looking at the tabling to see that the stitching

is

sound.

Are there any signs of chafe near the bolt-

zippers for missing teeth or stitching

this:

starting to chafe, the slider for rust or distortion, or lacing holes for signs of strain.

rope? Look carefully at any reef cringles for Clew.

distortion.

The clew

Check the

vulnerable.

is

liner of the eye for distortion or cracks, the

Tack.

The

tack, of course, is subjected to

great strain, because

is

it

pulled by the hal-

yard and also by the clew outhaul.

hand-worked

be

a

in

some

sails

sophisticated

Look

at

it

may be an

it

may

well

machine,

eye punched in by a

with

a

steel

liner.

critically for distortion or possibly

for breakage of

any hand stitches round the

eye; the boltrope itself

chafe here

It

eye, with a brass liner, but

if it

may show

rubs against the

signs of

boom under

the influence of too short a shackle. This

is

Cunningham hole to mark the place to

also the time to look at the if

one

is

fitted (or, if not,

put one of these simple, cheap and most

ef-

stitching of the eye for breakages and the

immediately under the eye for chafe or

There

often a leather or canvas protection

over the boltrope at the clew; see that

it

is

firmly attached and free from chafe or tears,

and that

it

is

not hiding a weak spot

cloth underneath

it.

there

If

is

no

and

the

might

thickness

extra

trouble. If the sail

is fitted

in the

casing, this

might explain why the boltrope has dency to pull out of the boom groove;

a tenfit

stop

one this

with slides along

the foot, see whether one could be fitted to the clew eye itself without interfering with the outhaul, and

the

fective devices).

is

sail

tears.

boltrope

mark

for

it if

appropriate.

attachment,

firm

Check either

sort of examination as the luff: slides, eyelets,

end of the foot if it runs in a groove, or else being tailed round the corner and a few inches up the leech if the

chafe in the groove and broken stiches in the

boom

you have roller reefing and any projections on the boom, such as a vang attachment, which could chafe the sail when it is rolled round the boom, check on any wear whieh may be apparent slightly in towards

tabling just

finishing abruptly at the

Foot.

tabling.

The

foot

should receive the same

has a track.

If

the middle of the Finally, include

sail

(i.e.

at the first roll).

any slab reef arrangements

in

Leech.

The

leechline will

emerge from

the

above the clew; examine the

way of down for

eyelets for firmness. Is there any quick

fastening the line? If not, note

attention (see Chapter

6).

it

Next, run up the

leech, looking carefully at the tabling

wTere

it

33

Examination for Repairs

paid to the stitching at the seams. There will

be a band of vulnerability which runs up from the foot parallel to the

where the

luff,

sail

rubs against the shrouds when running before the wind; this will almost certainly be denoted by metallic staining picked up from the wire itself. Examine any reef points and

don’t forget the

Laid out for Checkover. Spread loosely on the ground, this jib can now be examined all ewer. Note how Plate

4.

the wire luff lies in twists because

it is

not under tension

sail

numbers.

Headsalls

The same kind

of operation should be carried

Author.

to stretch the cloth.

out on headsails. can chafe on adjustable running backstays,

topping prolific

lift

or spinnaker sheets. This

is

a

source of repairs, and you should be

ready for a good deal of weak or broken

The

stitching.

outer ends of batten pockets

are particularly liable to chafe, not only the batten a

itself,

but because the batten offers

hard base to help sandwich the

loose wire or leechline aft

is

from

line.

See

if

sail

the upper end of the

end of the headboard.

is

made

is

intact

Bunt of the Sail. We saw in Chapter 3 the ways in which a mainsail can be chafed; now is the time to put that knowall

underneath

for

a

its

casing. If the

check on

groove,

the

cleanness of the entry and for signs of chafe

on the cloth

itself.

Luff.

Again look over as for

over the

sail

for

signs of chafe, with particular attention being

a

mainsail,

substituting hanks or snap hooks for the slide check. If the

principal

Look

the eye sail

with any

firmly anchored to the leech at the

ledge into practice.

Head. See that the head eye is undisturbed and that the seizing which lashes the luff to

sail

has a wire

luff,

hold the

bottom foot or so near the tack up to your ear and bend it back and forth, listening for the tell-tale rustle which reveals a stranded

wire (the tack area, of course, this

trouble

because

it

is

most gets

liable to

dunked

frequently, and any plastic covering of the

34 Care and Repair of Sails

wire will have been disturbed by the forma-

turbulence and loss of thrust, but one of the

tion of the eye and so can

other fields in which

let in

water). If the

sail

has a tabling which has been cut off the

sail

and replaced rather than

rolled, there will

be stitching right up the very front of the wire; this

a

is

weak point, and you should

pick hard at this stitching to see

if

has

it

begun to weaken. Check the function of hanks and snap hooks.

all

wind

the

whether

water may have got

salt

unstitched,

like

it

will

is

of the

hammer

stuttering machine-gun,

a

causing the driver to start worrying and lose concentration. As

happens, the leech

it

is

particularly vulnerable to chafe, expecially on

fully all

see

come

tabling has in

If part

the shrouds and spreader ends, so look care-

Tack. Check for distortion of the eye, and to

also has an influence

it

on the morale of the helmsman.

along

it

for

broken stitches which

can spell trouble unless they are oversewn quickly.

through any plastic coating and started to corrode the wire. Have a good look

The

Foot.

can

foot

shrouds or on the

lifeline,

chafe

Bunt of

at the

reinforcing patches.

against

the

so look carefully at

There should not be

the Sail.

much

chafe

unless

it is

on

the

middle of a headsail,

the jib of a cutter rig which has to

drag across the inner forestay every time the boat tacks;

in

this case, there will

be chafe

Check the drawstring of any headsail fitted with one of these along the

everywhere, so be warned. Look also at any

foot.

to

the

tabling.

renew tears and

Clew.

many

The clew

is

fitted,

ready

and check for general

holes.

stresses, so look at the eye carefully for

The clew

reinfor-

cement patches may chafe their stiches on the mast or shrouds at each tack, so this is an area which should not be missed. Leech.

Of

all

the parts of the

boat, possibly the

genoa

streamers which are

as necessary,

the meeting point of

signs of distortion or wear.

a

tell-tales or

leech.

many

sails

most important

We know

all

about the

is

on the

slot.

Spinnakers Being more delicate than most other

sails, a

spinnaker can give a lot of practice to the

amateur sailmaker. Take it into the garden on a quiet day (on the assumption that you don’t have a big enough room at your disposal), so that you can spread it out for a good look.

35

Examination for Repairs

Head. Look for distortion of the head eye,

by

a

row of machine

stitching holding

security of the swivel and signs of chafe on

the tape; this

the stitching holding the patch, particularly

will lead to big trouble if

the swivel

allows

it

to

if

attached with a shackle which

is

move from

is

where

a tear

to

it

can start and

it is

it

not spotted in

the very early stages.

side to side.

Foot. This should have the

Clews. Here again, check the eyes for distortion and wear, and the patches for chafe.

as the leeches.

Look

same treatment

carefully, for the foot

sometimes rubs against the forestay so

that

the stitching gets chafed.

Leeches. Tie the head to a tree about 6 to 8 feet

above the ground and pull the clews out

side

by side to the

Compare them

full

extent of the leeches.

for length and,

if

one

is

longer

than the other, something has broken (leech wires,

if fitted,

out what all

it is,

or tapes).

and

it

You

will

have to find

will be a sail loft

but the more ambitious amateur.

down

each

ticularly

if

leech,

looking

for

job for

Go

chafe,

all

par-

the spinnaker has thin wires run-

Bunt

of the Sail.

tached to the

tree,

With

the head

hold each clew

in

still

at-

turn as

high as possible and pull on the leech, while you look through the sail into the light. This will quickly show up any seams which may have come unsewn or tears even as small as pinpricks.

The middle

haps, the only part of a

of a spinnaker sail

is,

per-

which you should

not mark with contrasting thread, for the

make

ning inside the tapes because these can cause

needle holes you

wear on the tape itself. At the same time take a good look at the very edge of the nylon, where the cloth has been slightly weakened

selves not insignificant.

to do this are themTake hold of a fistful

of nylon and bundle

into a knot with the

tear at the

end of

it.

it

five

Typical Repairs — Basic

Items Seams

years old, and

is

stitching to be put

Seam

repairs will always figure high

repair

while

list

Terylene

and

on the Dacron

remains so hard that the machine stitching stays on the surface, open to the ravages of chafe.

'I'his

remember

particularly

is

that the thread

true is

when you

also synthetic

and, being of a fairly delicate nature, first

to suffer

is

the

from the weakening effects of

Providing a seam only goes ing,

however,

its

particularly major problem. But once a

has started to go, the point and other

may

sail is

weakened

seam

at that

damage can occur. The

sail

tear across the cloth, or the selvedge of

the cloth

may fray so that there is nothing new stitching to get hold of. ‘A

solid for the

being

already

is a

tedious

up

lined

and

sail

held

is

handling the bulk of the

sail

under-

arm of the machine. Until you have good deal of practice, I suggest trying

neath the |ot a

this yourself only if is

it

is

under about 20

If the sail is

a question of a jib

feet

on the

only about 2 or

3

luff.

years old and

the bulk of the stitching can be considered to

be

good

in

heart, so that

you cannot break

it

with your fingernails, but there are areas

where chafe has caused 6 inches or so of seam to come undone, then the repair is best undertaken caught

it

by hand.

you have

Providing

early enough, this should merely be

question of sewing the two parts together

was never more true when referring to a sail which has begun show signs of chafe. One of the best repair measures, therefore,

a

than

again.

to catch things in their early stages before

able to tackle

is

firmly

of

together; the most difficult part about the exercise

stitch in time saves nine’

to

row

the middle of every

seam by sewing machine. This

at the stitch-

repair does not present a

down

but simple process, the two parts of the

which

the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

ready for a third

If

you are

lucky, the

seam

will

ciently near the edge of the sail for it

from both

be

suffi-

you to be

sides. I say this,

begun to show all over. If your examination shows that the stitching is weak here and there throughout the sail, with short lengths of a few inches broken where chafe has been particularly persistent, you may be sure that the thread has begun to weaken and needs reinforcing. A sail in this

despite the general instructions that seams

condition will almost certainly be four or

tabling stitches are going to look altogether

damage has

really

five

should be sewn with the tabling or ing stitch.

When you

flat

seam-

can pass the needle back

and forth through the canvas, you

will be able

up the empty machine-stitch holes, thus making the job easier and also better looking (even a sailmaker’s regular and even to pick

37 Typical Repairs - Basic Items

from the zigzag pattern of the sew-

different ing

machines although

old

machine-stitch

holes can also be used by the amateur to keep flat

seaming stitches regular). Start well into

the

sound stitching so that there

overlap and, the repair, the

filled in

stitch,

good

is a

when you have been once along

you will find that you have only machine stitching at every other

even

though you

have passed

needle through each hole. This

is

the

because the

machine applies thread to both sides of the work at once, from two bobbins, whereas with hand sewing you have only one source of supply; the alternate stitches will be

filled

no work your way back filling in the gaps, unless you want to make the job look smart. This is because you will be using a waxed hand-seaming twine far stouter than underneath the

in

sail (fig.

15).

There

is

need, however, to

15.

the machine thread

it

is

replacing,

your repair

overall strength of

will

If the

get in

sail,

down

seam you

is

in

to the flat

Appendix

B.

Turn

you

will

is

although all the holes are filled.

have to

seaming stitch described the

sail

Stitch Holes.

This

along the seam once, only half the stitches will be covered

so that the lap of

away from you, with the nearer panel on top. Now start seaming from the right as described in Appendix B; once again, start four or five stitches into the good thread. If there are two of you, it is still possible to pick up the old machine stitches. the cloths

Machine

almost

the middle of a fairly

will find that

in

enables even a beginner to turn in a neat job. After going

certainly be greater than the original.

bulky

Hand Sewing

and the

Hand

twine

is

so

much

stronger than machine thread, however, that only the fastidious need go back over

it

again to fill

Note also how the seams run across the passage down the leech must be is

fitted, so take care not to

this point; the tabling stitch

by holding the

sail

left

in the gaps.

tabling.

sew right through the is

Free

whenever a leechline

mandatory

sail at

here.

up between you and pas-

sing the needle to each other back and forth

through the cloth.

38

Care and Repair of Sails

Plate

5.

Hand

Stitching in

Machines Holes.

It is

not

go back over the seam a second time to fill in the gaps, because the doubled heavy twine is much stronger than the original machine stitching, but it makes the essential to

job look neater. Jarman.

the

two

you

cloths, or

will find yourself hav-

ing to put on a patch.

Where

a small tear has started, possibly at

right angles across the panel, because of the

weakening

effect of a torn seam, this should

be mended before the seam thing

up to two

or

repaired.

is

inches

three

Any-

can be

gathered together by the sailmaker’s darn, as

shown clean.

in

Appendix

When

B, providing the tear

the darn

is

is

complete, repair the

seam as described above, making sure to space your stitches carefully as you seam across the tear. If the tear

is

large or ragged,

must put on

possibly with frayed edges, you

When you flat

have finished the job,

with your

put on

fist

hammer

and remove the

when marking

the

sail

tally

it

you

during your

examination. If the life,

torn seam

is

not spotted early in

the selvedge of one of the cloths

start to fray.

This makes

it

its

may

difficult for the

This

a

where self-adhesive sail patches pay off, for you can stick one on and then seam across the patch, without the end patch

first.

is

double

result being too bulky

due to

stitching at the seam;

sew round the

a

the patch for security after the seam

lot of

rest of is

com-

plete.

stitching to get a firm base on its original line,

and you

sail.

First

will have to sew further into the you must stop the fraying, and this is done by means of an electric soldering iron, used to seal the ends of the weft which are fraying. I should not need to tell you to be careful, first not to touch any other parts of the sail with the iron, and secondly not to be too enthusiastic about how much cloth you melt and fuse as you seal the edge. You must, of course, leave some sort of overlap between

Tablings

As we have

tablings

seen,

trouble, particularly

frequent fault

is

on

give

headsails.

for the stitching

a

lot

of

The most

which holds

the tabling to be broken. This releases an

inch or so of

sail at

the leech or foot to flap in

the breeze.

Resewing along the tabling

parallel to the

39 Typical Repairs - Basic Items

no problem; it is done in the seam between two cloths in the sail, usually picking up the old stitch holes as you go. But the tabling is almost certainly formed by panels of cloth joined together, so that you get a join at least every three feet. What happens in these circumstances is that leech or foot

same way

the joins part as well.

Where

sage

down

all

mend each

join

two

tabling

the

right through the

joining

a leechline is

becomes a because you must leave

involved, the repair delicate

This concerns the aftermost part of the it joins the leech of the sail -

is

as a

sail.

(it is

You

little

more

a clear pas-

without sewing therefore have to

really the

cloths or panels)

pocket, where

the opening, in fact. Battens either rest in their

pockets

or,

on many

inner end. In either case, the hard nature of the batten combines wfith pressure and chafe

work away

to

at the stitching

is

put in and taken out does nothing to help

this stitching either.

The

cure

is

to put a

by using the

a stout twine. It is best to turn the sail so

starboard-side up and then begin

sewing

at the

other side of the tabling as you go, thus seal-

namely

at the left of the

15). If

you use

a

you should with practice be

able to feel or even hear the point of your*

needle as

it

pricks the second cloth below the

one you are sewing. a so-called expert,

string repair.

itself .

.

is

stitches

along the very leech below the opening, using

a

that

delicate touch,

row of hand

seam

end of

point of your needle does not pick up the

(fig.

which closes

the outer end; repeated forcing as the batten

tabling stitch and taking great care that the

ing off the drawstring

they are

sails,

forced towards the leech by elastic at the

this

it

is

bottom of

the batten opening,

work

to be sewn. In

way, you can knot the twine as

a

stopper

and hide the knot by sewing first between the layers of cloth through one side of the opening, then

oversewing two or three stitches to

many

hide the knot and to act as a strong reinfor-

however, that the draw-

cement to the bottom of the batten opening. Continue sewing with the round stitch from

It

has happened to

sewn permanently into

the

.

left

to right, evenly spaced, about five or six

stitches to the inch.

When you

reach the end

of the pocket closure, sew a couple of times

Batten Pockets

over and over and finish off by sewing back

through the

There are two common repairs to batten pockets, one difficult and one easy. Let us deal with the easy one first.

last

two or three

stitches

(fig.

16).

The more

difficult of these

two common

repairs requires a patch. This usually occurs

40 Care and Repair of Sails

stitches here for strength

16.

Reinforcing Batten Pockets

stopper knot

17.

is

(top). This

Batten Pocket Patch (bottom).

pocket

having

itself

to

is

an easy and worthwhile repair job, easily achieved. Note how the

tucked away out of sight.

A

patch on the sail should be put on the opposite side to the pocket; one on the

should go outside rather than inside. This

push against the second layer of cloth as

it is

is

not important, but

inserted.

it

avoids the possibility of the batten end

41

Typical Repairs - Basic Items

at the

inner end of the pocket and

is

tabling or

caused

You have

pocket.

holding the inner end of the pocket to the for as far as

is

is

an elastic

insert

against the leech, this

tension

to

must

sail; if

the

is

A

it is

sail

tear

is

often L-shaped.

must be

It

scribed in Appendix B. If the patch runs up to

batten

also be unpicked

then replaced, together with

elastic if appropriate. If

and

squared up and repaired in the manner de-

there

a seam,

from the side which has to be patched. If it is the sail which has worn, it should be trimmed and patched in the usual way, putting the patch on the opposite side to the pocket, to stop the batten end catching in the seam. The pocket

afloat

sticky tape or self-adhesive patches available.

sail

necessary, so that the last 6

inches or so hangs free from the

be ready for the

will

have no soldering iron, or perhaps have no

unpick the stitching

to

hem, you

worst case such as when you are

by the batten end chafing the cloth inside the

you must

first

unpick the seam for as

far as is necessary, patch right to the

edge of

the cloth (using a selvedge or a heat-sealed

edge on the patch to run along the seam), and

A

then resew the seam.

tear

which goes

right

across a seam should ideally be patched up to the

its

the pocket which

seam on each

side

two

(i.e.

separate

patches) and then reseamed, although the job

enough

put on in one piece.

has chafed through, the end should be cut off

will hold well

and a new piece of cloth substituted to bring

If the tear is

the pocket back to the correct length again;

take the patch right round the rope or wire and over both sides of the sail if the result

this

should be double-sewn across and either

turned under

'

if

the edge

is

unsealed or else

burned off with an iron to match the

original.

The pocket

(fig.

is

then resewn as before

will

not be too bulky.

Chafing Piece.

17). is

of

part

together

it

each side before

it

it is

of a

sail

as well to

wears through.

Candidates for this treatment include the

clean cut of about an inch in length

sewn

If a particular part

subject to unavoidable chafe,

patch

Patches

A

if

near to a boltrope or luff wire,

with

providing the cloth

a

sailmaker’s

may

be

darn,

good heart; anything larger should have a patch. If you can put one on in the old-fashioned way, by turning the raw edges of patch and sail under to form a is

in

the

mainsail

which bears on the

shrouds when running before the wind, and the foot of the genoa where

it

bears on the

shrouds when close hauled. Patch

way

as a tear, only this time

to trim the

sew

a

sail

in the same you do not have

and you thus avoid having to

second time from the other

side.

But

42

Care and Repair of Sails

you do have to put a second patch on the other side, and this one should be slightly larger than the first, so that you only have to sew through two thicknesses of cloth at any time. Here again, you should mark the work carefully in pencil, and take care to see that the warp and weft are lined up. As chafing pieces tend to be long and narrow, you will save a good deal of time if you put them on with a sewing machine, but you would be advised to add a few hand stitches at the corners, because the stouter twine will be better able to stand up to rough treatment.

Spinnakers

turned under and not heat-sealed, so that the repair

will

be stronger, but a heat-sealed

patch will hold

if

the stitching

Leeches.

down

A common

tear

You have

from head

one which runs it

is

a

to take the leech tape

to clew, trim the cloth clean in

an even curve throughout

down

be able to tackle

is

you may be able to patch it with adhesive nylon tape and two rows of stitching. This sort of damage, however, is usually jagged and goes for at least half the sail, and the light cloth w ill almost certainly be frayed too much to sew straight back to the leech tape - with or without the help of

fore and aft sails in that they call for will

fraying

clean straight tear,

Spinnakers are only different to repair from

You

it

the leech just inside the tape. If

repair tape.

delicate work.

zigzag and

out.

off,

more most

is

crosses the edge of the cloth to stop

or heat-seal

it

to a

its

length, rub

new

it

line 2 or 3

inches in from the original, and then replace

domestic needle and thread, and

the leech tape using a sewing machine. If any

almost any sewing machine can be used (even

sewn to the untorn leech, you it up with pencil match marks well into the sail before you take it off; this will be a guide to tension when you replace it later. If, however, you have managed to get the sail down quickly and the tear is not more

jobs with

with

a

straight stitch) providing the sail

a

not so large that the

arm

it

is

cannot be passed under

of the machine.

Patches. Adhesive nylon repair tape

an excellent job of mending tears

in

makes spin-

nakers, to last at least for a season. If you put a

few stitches

reason

why

in the tape as well, there is

no

the job should not be permanent.

Any ordinary patch should have

its

edges

tape

is

left

should strike

than about 10 per cent of the length of the leech, you can try' a patch. These long narrow repairs are not easy, but

you

will stand less

risk of spoiling the set of the leech this

way

than you will by removing the tape altogether

43

Typical Repairs - Basic Items

and rerubbing the leech as above. Cut the patch to

taking

size,

back on the other

side, so that

Rub it down to crease hem under and pin it in two rows of

least

at

round the tape and

it

it

it is

doubled.

length to the existing wire by

ferrule or collar).

Locate the break by

broken ends and get them on a swaging press. Clean up the break and join enough new wire

make

length again; wrap any

hand and bottom so that the patch

Resew Chapter

in

4,

attack the head, foot and clews.

must be tackled much to be dealt with as they

and darns being put

the side

sail,

If the

so that

it is

a

how

leeches de-

it.

will

need

free to

we

is

shackled to

work from it

shall

to deal with eyes

is

firm seizing will hold

put a stop to

foot

come, with patches

head swivel

and chafe the cloth,

whether

the

in as required;

see in the next chapter

and cringles.

as

two leeches exactly

not chafe through

the

same

the

new swagings

so that

luff

tape.

the tape.

chafe can

The

The head and clews

scribed above.

the

they do

sail.

As we saw

and

Then machine

place.

stitching into the old

to

Chafe.

feel

unpick enough of the tape to expose the

stitches at top

on the

a

to shape, turn the

cloth and one into the tape; put a few

lies flat

means of

Talurit or Nicopress swaging (using a double

side to

worth seeingit steady and

If the sail tears just outside

the reinforcing patch at head, tack or clew,

undo the reinforcement next to the tear, patch well underneath it and sew it back on

Replacing the Wire.

If the

wire

is

weak

in

several places, or has broken so near to the

head eye that a new length cannot be joined to the stub end, the

whole wire should be

replaced. This involves taking off the tape tabling

and unpicking the head eye and both

clew exit holes.

must be

fitted

A new

with

a

wire of

full

length

loop at the head to form

hand worked as an eye, in the normal way. Resew the leech tapes round the wire, fit new exit holes and form eyes at the lower ends of the two sides of the wire exactly the same as before. Tidy up. the ring which

is

complete

liner

with

again.

Broken Wire.

If

examination by pulling

by side shows that one

is

longer than the other, then one of the wires

is

the leeches out side

broken and needs to be replaced or mended. This can be effected by adding an extra

Broken Tape. It is likely that this repair will be accompanied by a torn panel in the sail as well, because a broken tape will put all the strain on the nylon. If you are lucky enough to catch it before the tape has broken right through,

it

is

merely a question of pat-

44

Care and Repair of Sails

Plate

6.

finger

Roping.

and thumb

needle as

it

The palm

is

still

pushing, but the

are already in position to grasp the

comes out on the other side of the work.

Author.

ching the broken area with

new

a

piece of

wrapped round the leech on both sides. The length involved is usually short, and two tape

or three inches of stitching are quickly put in

by hand.

Roping If a luff

the

one

rope

is

hand sewn,

sail is a specialist

which

need

its

frighten

the

owner. In any event, the most only going to be

attachment to

job but not necessarily

determined

likely repair is

short length which has

a

away and needs resewing. The method is described in Appendix B. Get some practice before you start in earnest, and remember that the secret is to advance pulled

the needle a

little

after passing

rope, and before entering is

it

it

through the

into the

sail.

This

so that you sew the rope on with the extra

sailcloth

to the

it

needs

if

both are

sail.

finally to stretch

not the

Reroping. Use prestretched polyester rope

(Terylene or Dacron) and you are not then

it

if

rope

is

stretches

Use of a marks will help a lot. If by any chance you need to reshape the sail to alter the draft in it (of which more anon), you will have to take the rope off altogether. Before doing this, strike it up with a pencil, by putting match marks across rope and sail at intervals of about foot. In this sailcloth).

on the stitches when resewing, or you will is too little rope and too much

find that there

more than bench hook and match

same length (because,

prestretched variety,

way you will be able to put it back on again with the same tension - but use a light pull

1

bothered by having to put on to

sail,

enough rope left

to be sure of having

over at the end (because

have a foot too after it

all

less

rope than

allow for unequal stretch. Cut off

much

and run

a pencil line it

1

is

foot or so

better to

than 4 inches too

that work), shake

check that

it

all

little,

the twists out of

down

its

length as a

doesn’t twist w'hile you are sew-

45 Typical Repairs - Basic Items

ing.

Stretch

it

out alongside the

sail

both steady, then strike the two up vals of not

more than

to rerope because of a

1

foot. If

and

pull

at inter-

you only need

broken strand, you

will

be safer to unpick about a foot each side of the break

and either

two

long

feet

or,

new

lay in a if

strand about

the other strands are

weakened, join a short length by means of long

splice.

section

is

It

is

marginally

than

rather

original,

better

the

if

shorter longer,

spliced

than

a

in

the

because

the

and elongate slightly. This will always be a weak point, but you stand less risk of deforming the sail this splice is sure to settle

tape, so a sailmaker’s bet.

palm

is still

your best

In any event, for machine sewing you

have to have a special machine which can

punch needles it,

right through the rope. Treat

therefore, exactly as

will

were hand sewn

if it

and accept the

in the first place,

fact that

it

against the tape at a slightly different

lie

angle. If the rope

is

encased inside the tape,

and the latter has pulled away, it either needs sewing back on again or, if it is torn, patching; such a patch can be put on right round the rope only if it is not going to

make

it

too bulky to run

in the

mast or

boom

groove.

way.

The rope at the top of the luff and end of the foot (head and clew) is subject to a lot of strain and movement, so it Casing.

Headboards

the outer

is

often protected by leather or canvas casing.*

This must be taken off

first,

but put by for

All this talk of roping brings us naturally to

the mainsail’s headboard. this

is

By

its

very nature,

closely associated with the luff rope.

A

can be softened by soaking for half an hour or

board on any mainsail which is attached to the mast by slides, is often an internal one

so in cold water.

with the

refitting later;

you

will recall that hide leather

luff

and down the

Where

Tape.

a rope is fastened to a sail

by

rope continuing over the top aft side. If it

should break, the

rope must be taken off to a point below the

must be

being sewn to the outside of a length of tape,

headboard,

which

sewn to the sail, it will be attached by machine stitching. Repair prob-

unstitched and the board removed from the

lems

some heavy

will usually

pulling to

in turn is

sew

be connected with the rope

away from it

back

is

the tape.

The

easiest

way

by hand, to the edge of the

the

top

of

pocket in the head of the

board and plastic

the

sail

sail

(there

may

be

external stitching through both

sail as well). It will

probably be of

or light alloy, and you should get

46 Care and Repair of Sails

another of the same pocket and replace

all

size,

slip

into the

it

the stitching you have

Headboards which are riveted on the outside of the sail do not affect the stitching of sail or rope, and can be attended to independently if you have the right equipjust taken out.

ment.

the thicker result of your efforts will in the

will

mast groove.

If

it

is

fit

too tight a

only chafe more quickly than

it

easily fit,

it

already

has done, and you should unpick the reinfor-

cement patches at the head, take out the remove some of the defective

board and

cloth, before doing a bigger job altogether, in

what

is

virtually a replacement of the head

Chafe at the Head. If the rope is one which runs in a mast groove, it will end level with

patches.

the top of the headboard, and the rope does

board of any boat which cruises extensively

not need removing to replace the board. But

or which

the trouble most likely to occur here

you only have one slide on yours, add a second if the board has a suitable hole to take

is

one of

wear on the cloth between the headboard and the rope, where it chafes in the groove; this can reach a point where the cloth wears nearly through.

some body

The

back and forth with

running here

is

many

simplest repair

to the cloth by

stitches.

The is

point

to

it

remember further, so

LufT Wires

A

metal luff wire usually gives way either at

it hand worked - not often found these days - or a Talurit or Nicopress

the tack splice (be

crimped

you can and try to pick some solid cloth to sew through. Run up and down about four times and then hammer flat and wax it. If the

two

is

too badly torn for this repair to hold,

take off the rope and patch

the

longer than about 35 feet overall.

it.

thread a quadruple twine on as small a needle as

cloth

is

If

using long

already weak and too

needle holes will weaken

slides should be fitted to the head-

to add

means of sewing

a stout twine,

that the cloth

is

Two

sail

right

round the luff on both sides; you may have to remove the headboard as well if you want to get the patch well into the sail on to firm cloth. Take care before you go too far that

feet

eye), or else in the

of the wire. This

bottom one or is

because the

formation of the eye disturbs the plastic coating which often covers the wire, thus letting in salt

water to cause oxydisation; secondly,

- be it stainless steel or plasticcoated galvanised - is subject to most strain the luff wire

in this area,

can

and flexing coupled with tension

cause individual strands to break and

weaken the whole construction.

47 Typical Repairs — Basic Items

the eyelets will probably have to be removed.

Make up it

the

new

wire, pull

the

it

work

into the tabling, and

through or sew

the tack eye into

as before, taking care to pick

sail

up

all

the several thicknesses of cloth in the area.

The thimble should be

bronze for

stainless or

and nylon for galvanised

stainless steel wire,

wire; the swaging ferrules should be copper

and

light alloy respectively (to

avoid galvanic

corrosion).

Set up the wire horizontally as

if

checking

out a headsail for draft or fault examination.

There

will

be a small eyelet

luff tabling.

at the

head of the

Tie a length of stout twine (for a

dinghy) or cord (for a cruising boat) to this eyelet, pass

the 18.

Jib

Eye (Wire). The small

luff tabling

is

draft eyelet at the

head of the

used to pull the sail along the wire and

induce draft. It

is

then seized to the head eye

and covered

up the

with the it

it

through the head eye and pull

vigorously along the wire to induce

sail

The amount

luff.

size of sail

can be as

little

much

as 2 inches or as

foot; a broad generalisation

with a small sailcloth casing {not shown).

of pull varies

and weight of canvas, and

for every 3 feet of sail

luff.

is

to pull

Take

1

as

1

inch

the twine or

cord back and forth between the eyelet and

Replacement of

luff

a

wire

repair. It entails carefully cutting

is

a

major

out the old

the head eye and

tie

off securely

(fig.

18).

Replace the sailcloth or leather casing which

making up a new one to exactly the same length and fitting it to the sail. Although this is not particularly difficult, it

will

sounds easier than it is. Try to pull a length of cord through the tabling when you remove

well forward and,

the old wire, for this

are in for a long session of getting practice at

wire,

the stitching

all

is

down

easier than unpicking

the luff; in either case

have covered this lashing.

Run

a

row of tacking

stitches along the

tabling hard up against the wire to hold if

the luff eyelets (which

is

it

remove highly likely), you

you have had

to

punching or hand sewing them back

again.

48

Care and Repair of

Sails

Finally, seize the luff firmly

intervals

and the job

Some

Stitching.

the

is

round the wire

made with

headsails are

merely rolled on

tabling

at

complete.

itself,

have the tabling cut off when the

and moved across to be

others

sail is

made

refitted so that the

threadlines run parallel to each other instead

Where

of across the grain. there will be a

very

front

row

of the

wire,

weakened. Strength

and

iously

taken

Take

the

full

care

length

not

to

let

sail

by

stitch, labor-

of any

put

the

through any plastic coating which wire or you will

can get

this

put back to the

is

hand work involving the round places.

been done,

this has

of stitching right up the

water into

is it.

weak needle

over the Stitches

should be kept small and well spaced (to Repairs to Jib Luff Tabling. Where a lablinf’ has and sewn back again, as opposed to being rolled over, there will be a row of vulnerable stitching 19.

been cut off

along the extreme front edge of the sail. The round stitch is used when strengthening is needed; take care not to

puncture any plastic coating on the wire.

perforating the weakened cloth too much) and don’t worrj' too much if you don’t

avoid

catch both cloths every

now and

then; the

strength of the job will not be impaired by the odd missed stitch

(fig.

19).

SIX

Repairs to Sail Accessories have

Sails

a

wide range of accessories,

of

all

which need renewing or repairing from time to time.

When

they need attention

mally fairly obvious, so

They

the problems.

nor-

we need not waste

how and where

any time discussing tify

it is

will

tell

to iden-

you soon

enough themselves.

protecting

This can be the same

liner.

the original only

if

the cloth

not also torn.

you may be able to put in a bigger eye, which will enable you to sew into good cloth, or you may have to fit a patch In this event

first.

or

5

In the latter case, take off the rope for 4

inches round the eye, run the patch round

both sides of the

sail,

resew the rope and then

work a new eye close up Where a distorted eye

Eyes

is

size as

to the rope. is

punched

a

fitting,

possibly with a steel liner rather than a brass

The

head, tack and clew eyes of a

mainsail head eye

broken,

it

will

The

usually incorporated in

is

the headboard and,

are

sail

subjected to particularly heavy loadings.

if it

require

worn through

is

or

replacement of the

board as we have just seen in Chapter

5.

Hand-sewn tack and clew eyes often start to show wear by distortion of the brass turnover or liner which is punched in to preventchafe on the stitching.

You may not have the new one (it also

right size liner to put in a

needs the correct size punch and die to do the

you are lucky enough to catch the you may be able to beat it out again with a hammer and spike.

one, you will have to break sail

and work

a

new

it

away from

ring as above.

It

the

may

was punched and not sewn (brass eyes are weaker than steel ones in this respect), so you will produce a stronger job if you hand sew. If the stitching shows signs of strain im-

have

failed in the first place

mediately next to

a tack

because

it

or clew eye, this

the result of the high loadings put on the

is

sail

from these points. Take out the brass turnover and fit a foot or so of j— 1 inch wide webbing tape (or heavy sailcloth with sealed

job) but,

if

edges) through the eye and then along each

problem

early,

side of the sail in the direction of the strain;

is

this

will

help

spread

the

load.

Use wide you have

distorted into an oval shape,

it

stitches, well spaced as in

almost certain that the brass ring which

is

no replacement turnover, leave it in and the webbing over the top of it, taking care

If the

eye

is

sewn into the

sail first, is

broken. This

may

not show, but the strength of the eye has it must come out for a sewn in, together with

fig.

20. If

avoid chafe by shackles etc. This

new

useful reinforcement for leech cringles.

to

be

to

keep clear of the bearing surface of the eye to

completely gone and ring

fit

is

also a

50

Care and Repair of

Sails

Cunningham Hole. If your sail has no Cunningham hole, fitting one is one of the best jobs for the amateur to tackle. You will be working on undamaged cloth and, if the result

is a

thought),

failure for it

any reason (perish the

need not be used and thus will

not be subjected to any strain. Indeed you (or

your sailmaker) can always above the wreck of the

fit

first.

another just straight-

It is a

forward hand-sewn eye worked into the close to the rope

20.

Webbing Reinforcement. Large

cross the webbing to avoid too

already strained cloth; the tape

stitches

criss-

much perforation of an

may go

over or under the

metal liner of the eye, providing the bearing surface left clear.

if

the

sail

has

slides,

luff,

or with

enough room for a groove if necessary. It should go about 3 per cent of the luff length above the tack; say 6 to 7 inches on the average dinghy and up to 12 to 18 inches as the

sail

gets bigger.

is

Reef Points.

A

torn reef point must receive

high priority for repair, because

used

in

it

only

is

heavy weather and you never know

when you

are going to need

small eyelet has gone,

described above: unpick

its it

it.

If just

replacement

and work

in a

the

is

as

new

one by hand. If the sail itself is torn, you must put on a patch. Remove the eyelet and then take off the small strengthening patches

(probably diamond-shaped) from each side of the

sail.

Put on a repair patch

in

the usual

way, taking special care to see that you cover any part of the sail which may have been

weakened by the tear. Replace the patches, work a new eyelet (it may have to be bigger

Repairs to Sail Accessories

if you are restricted in the you have) and then refit the

one being to use

than the original

been

spares and gear

Sometimes a shackle is preferred, but this means that the slide is a little bit slacker on the sail, and thus more prone to twist and jam on the track. Shackles also chafe the luff rope heavily, which has to be well protected in way of every slide by means of hide or cloth casing, or else by special plastic liners (fig. 21). The two advan-

reef point

if

appropriate.

Slides

The

traditional

method of attaching

slides is

with waxed twine, and this has served well for

many

years. Its chief

drawback

is

chafe,

for only one part of the seizing has to break

whole thing to be undone. for the

in

danger of coming

tried,

tages of the shackle are strength, and the fact that

it

can be quickly and easily fitted by the

owner. The disadvantages, however, make a formidable

Various methods of overcoming this have

a thimble to take

the chafe at the slide.

list

which more than outweigh the

points in favour.

Sewn

right

through 6-8 thicknesses (b;

(a)

21.

Taped

Slides. Synthetic tape

essential, but

it

is

strong

and

resists chafe,

should ideally be cased with sailcloth

yet remains flexible. Protection for the rope

or, as here,

with a plastic

liner.

is

not

52

Care and Repair of Sails

The

which

will last a

good

deal longer than

the pin will not undo. Electrolysis between

other

systems,

and

one

shackle and slide often accelerates

damage

1.

2.

shackle itself can corrode, so that

The

shackle

chafe

will

this.

boltrope,

the

which has to be cased with leather or cloth as

some measure of protection. 3. The softer of the two metals either

on

the slide or

4.

'I'here is extra

5.

If

weight

two

slitles,

the boltrope will not

the

other

both

through the

two or three times

end slide

and

slit; finish

eyelet,

and

then

the job off with a half

hitch.

There

strong enough to resist chafe

type of tape

is

by the

and

slide,

the slide or

sail in

One end first

is

to chafe

1

the slide.

foot of ^inch tape

The other end

is

is

then

passed through the eyelet at the luff or foot,

and then back through the

many times

repeated as

are,

however, slides which do not

that a slight

This

lateral play is

allowed

several times with a stout synthetic twine. is

a neat

metal to cut twine, thread

normally have

a

or, indeed, tape;

brass thimble for a

or seizing, but this makes them

on the sail. for any reason you cannot put on

slack If

at this

of thin enough

seizing can be

made

to spread the load

tape, a

on the

two parts, ensuring that one part is laid round one end of the handle and the second part is round the other end. They can be kept at their respective ends by taking the cross

from side to side on the mast. The loose end should then be sewn through the six or eight parts result

made

handle of the slide by separating the turns

the slide, so that the sail can swing

The

point, also tend to be

is

slide.

Care should be taken to see

amount of

claw type which, besides being narrow

they

tape.

often than not these are the external

as will conveniently

go, usually about three or four times to give six or eight parts.

More

grommet

return.

of about

sewn to

enough not

soft

not

sail (fig. 21).

have a wide enough handle to take a

Which brings me to what the solution is. To my mind the answer is to attach the slides by means of Terylene or Dacron tape. This

most

Another method, somewhat on the same use a leather thong or strap. Either soften it well by soaking it in water and sew as if it were tape, or else cut a slit in one end, through

in a straight line.

will

lines, is to

pass

aloft.

an odd-sized shackle has to be used

for one or

run

will chafe,

on the shackle.

the slide or the

which

and workmanlike

fitting

into

turns round the two parts in a figure-of-eight pattern,

two

with the crossover separating the

seizings.

Some more

people find that these seizings are

easily put

on with the help of

a needle.

53

Repairs to Sail Accessories

Hanks or Snap Hooks Dinghies have a wide variety of hanks and snap hooks from which to choose. Besides the end-

and

side-pull

bronze or stainless like

overgrown

piston steel,

safety pins, nylon

slides),

come under Wire

of either

and metal

(known sometimes

twist-type attachments

Badger

type,

there are wire clips

as

and tab hanks; zippers also

this heading.

clips will not stand

up to the heaviest

weather without tending to bend, nylon twist

hanks chafe on the forestay, metal Badger slides are fingers,

sometimes hard to get off with cold and gunmetal

or

stainless

piston

hanks are not everyone’s idea of perfection.

Tab hanks can be put on by will describe

them

them

a try.

to give

A Ij

headsail so that

is it

the amateur, so

for those

who would

press-stud

(fig.

sewn to

I

the luff of the

protrudes some

22).

U

inches

Its

advantages

are

lightness, minimal disturbance of the airflow and unlikelihood of its catching on the spin-

naker. Disadvantages are chafe of the tab on the forestay, and the

undue

reliance

which

has to be placed on the fastener, which

not always be corrosion free regards

its

spring.

is

an economical and

light

way

of It

—

but

it is

quickly replaced

if

necessary.

like

beyond the luff. This is passed round the forestay and fastened to itself by means of a

This

wears rather easily and the press studs tend to corrode,

short piece of synthetic webbing, about

inches wide,

Tab Hank.

22.

attaching the jib to the forestay on smaller boats.

may

particularly as

Most hanks and snap hooks the

sail

sizes,

with a seizing or

are attached to

else, in the

smaller

they are squeezed on to the luff by

means of crimping eyelets.

special

arms on

to the

Other systems include screws,

pins,

and leather thongs. Where hanks or snap hooks are seized by twine, use of a needle makes the operation much easier, as with slides. Often a few turns can be put on over an existing seizing, but take care not to hide a basically weak attachment. If this is the case, remove all the old seizing and start from zero again. Anchor a

54

Care and Repair of

Plate

7.

V.

Sails

Oiling. Don’t put more than one or two drops of oil on the moving parts of piston hanks or snap hooks, or

will spread to the sail

and

The job

by taking

heavy doubled twine on one loop of the hank

wire.

or hook, and place the latter against the eyelet

cross turns round the whole seizing to bind

so that the spring plunger or piston

together.

same sense

The twine

as those is

it

be unsightly. Author.

on the

lies in

rest of the

the sail.

then passed back and forth

through the eyelet and through the two loops on the hank or hook. When you have done this a dozen times or so, alternate with turns taken through the loops but outside the luff

is

finally finished off

it

In the case of hanks or snap hooks which are fastened to headsails

the

sail

by screwing through

or by means of squeezing metal jaws

together, refitting

is

a question of carefully

examining the item to make sure that it neither has a worn thread nor is fatigued;

Repairs to Sail Accessories

replacement

is

almost more of a job for

a

garage mechanic than a sailmaker. Put two

drops of

oil

on any spring plunger which

sticking (not more, to prevent

to the

it

evenly over the area and does not pull at one corner.

A

is

dripping on

open as

sail itself).

window and the

Windows

a

easier to

fit

a

window

in a jib than in a

mainsail, because this sail lies flatter

and

is

I

is

from both

-inch

window Mark

to size and position of such an item. Even if you do not race the boat yourself, you should keep within the rule, so that you do not spoil the sail’s value for any subsequent buyer of your boat. It is worth settling for a window 2 or 3 inches less in size all round so that, in the event of your efforts being unsuccessful, you can ask your sailmaker to fit one to cover your mistake; he will almost certainly have to

round the window

have to buy

dow

it

from your sailmaker),

should be placed in a

a

straight

on to the

round them

easily,

stick out sharply).

is

cut, so that

it

lies

this is

shall

time

sew the

sail.

sail,

and so that they do not the window on the

Lay

using double-sided sticky tape to keep

place,

and then sew round.

zigzag stitch, the

If

in

it

you are using

row should be

first

a

right at

the edge so that the stitching goes partly on

and partly off the window material, but straight stitch

is

acceptable, for

it

will

have to move with the cloth (there

is

a

not

no

stretch in the window).

Now

turn the

sail

over, cut out the open-

ing on the other side, leaving enough to turn

If

before the opening

we

should have radiused

(it

make sail

to

the position by drawing carefully

under, then crease this

sewn on to the

But

sides.

difficult, so

the sail, otherwise it will have to try to take up complex multiple curves and will thus creases. It should be

enough

corners, so that the sewing machine can go

win-

fairly flat part of

sides, leaving

covered on both

Before you start, look up your class rules if you have any, in case they have restrictions as

does not distort or stretch (you will probably

which the

hems under, and sews round way the sharp edge of the win-

consuming and

away extra cloth to true up the job. Being made of a material which bends but

leaving one end

The opening is then closed window sewn in. He then cuts away

smaller and easier to handle on the machine.

cut

a patch slightly lar-

first,

sort of envelope into

again. In this

dow

fit

is fitted.

the cloth

turn It is

may window

professional

ger than the

Sew round

hem by

rubbing down.

done (fig. 23). you use a delicate touch, it is possible to cut away the opening with a soldering iron or again and the job

is

56 Care and Repair of Sails

(c)

23.

Window. When

side. (c).

the window has been sewn to one side of the sail {a), rough cut the hole with scissors from the other Trim round with a soldering iron, using a palette knife as backing {b). Sew the edge down and the job is complete

57 Repairs to Sail Accessories

heated knife, but you obviously have to take great care not to burn

once you have made

the

a start,

itself;

luff so that they lie

you can

slip a

when

metal blade (ruler, or pastry knife from the kitchen)

into

opening as

the

a

protection

while cutting. This will avoid having to turn

and

the edge of the sail under, easier

2 or 3 inches of rope

window

thus an

is

the

sail

is

sewn on each

side of the

snug against the mast

hoisted.

Or

they

may

be

leather pads or proprietary specialist items

made

of nylon or other plastic. These should

be checked for security not already

or, indeed,

added

if

fitted.

sewing job.

Leechlines Battens I

Wooden

battens

ticularly

at

the

tapered to allow tion to this

are

liable

to

inner end, which it

to

problem

do not necessarily suggest

attempt to

fit

that

a leechline to a sail

The

you should which does

not already have one.

solu-

almost certainly not present a continuous

prevention rather

run for such an insertion, and you would

A

leech tabling

than cure: bind the end with adhesive tape

probably have to unpick and resew so

before the split ever occurs.

seams that damage

One

sometimes

to your leech problems rather than provide

batten has

you with a cure. But a leechline can break, and replacement is not difficult.

If the

to be forced hard to get

into the

sail,

you

The

a little off the

line either starts at the aft

edge of the

length. Tackle the thicker

headboard, on the outside of the

cut without splitting

then led into the tabling through

it,

end as it is easier to and you also do not

want to remove any of the flexibility. Make sure to smooth over all corners and rough

eyelet

edges.

tabling altogether. At

all

find the source, even

if it

Full-length battens will have

some kind of

protectors or antichafe pads fitted on

the

outside of the pocket, where the end bears against the mast.

many would

an inch

a quarter of

it

sail

be inevitable. This would merely serve to add

too long for their pockets.

should take time out to trim

to the set of the

is

other frequent fault with battens

that they are

would

often

is

bend enough.

lies in

par-

split,

These may be no more than

point,

two or or

it

three inches is

started

sail,

and

is

a small

from the starting right

inside

the

events you have to

means unpicking

a short length of seam or tabling to get at it.

Remove

the remains of the old leechline

58

Care and Repair of Sails

and prepare

a sufficient length of

new

line;

don’t use anything thicker than the original,

because weight

at the leech

tion of the

Now may

sail.

can cause vibra-

be the time to

fit

a

enough to carry from the clew along the boom to the tack, so that you can reach it for adjustment on all points of sailing. Sew the upper end to the aft face of the headboard. (On larger craft in the old days, where the luff rope was carried round the board and tapered in a rat’s tail at its aft edge, a professional would have spliced the end of a laid line, as opposed to braided, to the taper of the boltrope. But this is rarely done these days.) Attach the other end to a straight piece of wire, about 8 inches long, by sewing through the line and half-hitching it to the leechline long

wire; a nick cut in the wire will help

Then

it

hold.

feed the wire through the eyelet at the

head of the

sail

and work

down

the tabling.

at the

bottom

There

tabling only sides,

how

(if it

were right through both

could the leechline get out?).

cloth can be properly caught be-

tween the two halves of the If it is

eyelet.

badly torn, the tabling

be patched

but you are by

first,

of an old hand to undertake a that. In this case

it

will

may have to now enough little

be easier to

job

the tabling 3 or 4 inches higher up the leech

than the original exit hole, pull out the leechline

and pick out the remains of the old

new

will

be an exit eyelet

the old one, reeve the leechline through

with reef

like

open up

eyelet. Fit a

fitted

any

slightly larger than the original so that

damaged

hand over hand

sail

If

you cannot persuade the liner back into place securely, you have to open up the tabling at this point, remove the leechline from the exit hole, and punch in a new eyelet - often

it

of the tabling, either just above

the clew or else, on a

punched eyelet, and this can sometimes pull away under the action of a stressed leechline. It is, of course, punched into one side of the a

eyelet 3 or 4 inches above it

and

then patch over the old eyelet right round

both sides of the

sail,

without having to

points or eyelets, just above the reef cringle

bother about leaving the tabling free for the

Bring the wire and leechline

passage of the line; you can then carry on

and

stitching to resew the tabling opposite the

at

the

leech.

through

this

exit

eyelet

cut

off

as

required.

new

you propose carrying the line forward to the tack, you should sew one or two small brass rings or hoops to the footrope or foot

line is often a

tabling to act as fairleads.

further

exit hole.

If

The

exit hole is usually

nothing more than

Leechline Buttons. Fastening off a leech-

cumbersome process involving

eyelets in

means knotting

the

sail,

which

in

turn

the end of the line. Since the

59

Repairs to Sail Accessories

The

should be moderately

flap

and sewn along

its

stiff

canvas

forward edge only

(fig.

-

call

24).

Tell-Tales

wind them what you

will

(and other

are quickly got used to, easy

Tell-tales,

sails)

tallies

work with and

to

what sail

give an excellent idea of

happening to the flow of

is

at

or streamers

- sewn into the genoa

air

outside the scope of this book but 24.

Leechline Buttons. One or two small leather but-

tons

make

cover

is

tying off the leechline

needed on any

sail

much

which

is

easier.

A

small

liable to chafe its

clew on shrouds or mast.

early 1960s at the

I

have advocated use of a button

lower end of the leech, which can be

my book

used as a cleat (see plest

form of

this is a plastic

sewing box, but this

is

resist

over the

important points. Aerodynamics are

reminding you that

it

is

I

cannot

laminar flow

you are seeking, particularly to windward, and tell-tales reveal this desirable state of affairs. You turn away from a lifting streamer or you sheet the sail towards it. Select

a

1-foot

length

of

wool,

nylon

thread or narrow (under

sim-

| inch) spinnaker cloth which contrasts with your sails (dark

button from the

for white sails and white for tan, red or blue

Sails).

liable

The

to break, so

ones) and sew

it

into the luff of the genoa at

may

quarter, half and three-quarter heights; strips

need two buttons, one above the other, so

of cloth can be glued or fastened with sticky

leather or rubber

is

better.

Large

sails

may be

fastened off in figure-of-

tape.

eight fashion. This

works well on mainsails,

on each

that a line

The

idea side,

is

to have 6 inches hanging free

and you should take

a

round

but headsails need a small flap to eover the

stitch with a half hitch as

buttons, so that they do not snag on shrouds

anchor the thread firmly. The exact positioning of the tell-tale is not particularly impor-

or tear off on the mast as the boat tacks.

you go,

in

order to

60 Care and Repair of Sails

except that

lant,

it

should be within 9-12

Zippers

inches of the luff to give the best answers,

and more than 6 inches from any seam or the luff so that it does not get snagged while in should

use. It

of course, be where

also,

it

can

be seen easily by the helmsman.

A

dark

white

tell-tale

jibs,

You

are not likely to have to

scratch, because a in

mind when

it

is

sail

made

fullness along the foot

can be seen through most

so that you will be able to follow

both windward and leeward indications.

fit

a zipper

from

has to be cut with this (either to have extra

if it

is a

mainsail, or

wrap round the forestay if it is a jib). You may, however, want to remove an old zipper which does not work, in order to fit a new one. Choose one with the have

else to

teeth

a flap to

made of

synthetic material and with a

well-protected metal slider; not every zipper

Roller

Boom Vang

adapts

itself to sailing,

and

it is

important to

check that you have the right make.

When reef,

there

is

boom in a attaching a boom

round

a mainsail is rolled

no way of

its

vang or kicking strap directly to the boom, covering the attachment

because the

sail

points. It

possible to use a claw arrange-

is

It is a

good idea to have a second slider permanently on a mainsail zipper, ready to be brought into use

if

the

Mark

first

one breaks.

the line of the faulty zipper before

case,

you take it off. Lay the new one on the sail and strike up both halves, checking across at

does not offer the sewing practice presented

frequent intervals to see that the two parts of

by the strap system. Dinghies, day

the

ment but

is

this is

clumsy and,

in

cruisers and offshore racers can

any

all

sailers,

use this

Select a length of suitable ft

webbing (2-5

long) and cut

sealing both ends.

Now

work

it

a

in

by heatstout eye by off

hand near to one end, and the job is done. The free end of the strap is rolled in with the last few rolls of the mainsail, to leave the eye hanging down as an anchorage point for a vang.

are going to is

lie

happily together

closed, without

one pulling

when aft

or

forward on the other. This matching of the

with advantage.

wide and 3-6

sail

the zip

halves

is

Now

an important step.

zip on by machine, using two rows along each half, and taking care not to sew too close to the teeth, nor indeed too far away (check on the original to see the right distance). Put a few hand stitches at each end and - on mainsails only - sew right round the two sets of teeth which are permanently

sew the

61

Repairs to Sail Accessories

them tightly together and to when the slider is in the open

closed, to hold

into use, one lot of hand stitching

act as a stop

and the second

position. If is at this

you have

a spare slider, see that

it

end, and sew the teeth together on

both sides of the

slider. If

it

has to be brought

teeth closing

slider

them

as

it

teeth.

cut

away

goes; there will

be a set of strengthening stitches

end of the

is

can then move up the still

at the very

seven

Examining

for Faulty Set

Before examining ways various faults

in

which to correct

we should

in sails,

look at the

whole question of how to identify and a fault. In this

own minds is

way we can not only

as to the

curable at

clear our

problem and whether

home but

also, if

a job for the professional,

symptoms

isolate

we can

it

going to be

it is

found can

Let us therefore see

afloat.

help

the

sailmaker with

how you

photographs,

drawings and notes of any badly setting

sail;

this evidence will also, of course, be invaluif you decide home.

able at

to try your

hand

at the cure

pinpoint the

so that the sailmaker has the best

information we can give him,

in case

he can-

Documentation

not check for himself by going out sailing

start that

Take plenty of notes and measurements while afloat, and do not rely on your memory to write it all up afterwards. Secondly, mark the

in

sail

itself in

etc.

Count seams or other reference points

with you for any reason.

It will

this identifying process to

be safest

in

assume from the

you are going to need the pro’s help curing any faults; in this way you should

not only be able to assess whether you can do

pencil to help identify creases

the job yourself but, should you find that the

for creases out of reach of your pencil, and

beyond your own resources, you will have covered all the ground and got all the answers which the sailmaker will need. An indoor (horizontal) or outdoor (ver-

write

task

is

it

all

down

as

you note distances

(fig.

25 ).

Photographs.

Black and white prints are

is

a useful adjunct to a sail-

best, but anything will do, transparencies or

maker’s armoury

in the fight against creases

even movies (providing the sailmaker has got

tical)

test

rig

and bad shape, and he set

up

in his loft

any suspect

for cure, unless the rig,

almost certainly

will

problem

sails

is

brought

test

however, cannot always reproduce the

conditions found

afloat, particularly if

horizontal one, and

it

own

it is

a

serves best in conjunc-

tion with observation of the offending its

A

obvious.

in

sail

in

order to confirm

a

not give a lasting image which can be placed

under tion.

a

magnifying glass for close examina-

Plenty of contrast

what

is

needed, so

from leeward, if possible, as well from windward. Those taken from windward should ideally be from the middle of the foot, pointing straight up the sail, trydng to

on

individually

A

rig

as

condition

is

make maximum use of shadows to highlight creases. Each sail should be photographed

sail

spars under sailing conditions.

enables closer examination of individual parts

of the

time to watch them), although the latter do

Plate

8.

Test Masts.

day boat and dinghy

A

sailmaker will usually have

sails

cm this comprehensive

rig.

test spars for

checking

sails.

Ratsey and Lapthorn can

6" B£rrweeiM tw/o

Att- 'PovR

i.oCv£Sr ^fcTTBUS

25.

Notes Taken Afloat on Faults. Anything

your memory

later.

set cruiser,

Beken.

written

down while

BA ITEMS At &ND5

actually sailing

Sketches can complement photographs and pencil marks cm the

is

likely to be

sail.

more accurate than

64

Care and Repair of Sails

Plate

9.

Indoor Test Rig. lAke most sailmakers, Bruce Banks Sails have an indoor

mainsail can be looked at closely all round on a bendy mast as

it

takes up

its

rig set horizontally. This

dinghy

natural camber under the influerwe of

gravity. Yachting World.

get as

much

of the upper half as possible into

a close-up picture.

For an

effective general

from another boat (perhaps the dinghy) or from on shore - but keep in mind it is detail that is wanted, not background, so shot, try one

get close. Write

them because,

down your

if

shots as you take

you are taking

several,

you

will be surprised

how

hard

tify a particular headsail if

it

will

be to iden-

you have

really got

a close-up.

Notes.

Take

while afloat, as

sketches, with measurements,

shown

in

fig.

25.

Make

a note

of the wind and other relevant information

26.

Headboard Pulled Over.

If you cannot fit a larger

sheave, a hard metal spacer can be added to the aft face

of the mast to do two jobs: it will stop the sail going above the upper black band, and it will also force the

halyard away from the mast so that

headboard with a fair

it

arrives at the

lead.

such as the sea state or sheeting conditions. Finally, list fully all the faults

you

and

find

then take your documentation to the

maker for discussion while

it

is still

sail-

fresh in

your memory.

Tune and Trim Before going any further,

let

us see

sailmaker goes about the job.

number

A

how

the

surprising

of creases can be traced to faulty

tune or trim.

It

should go without saying that

must be straight on both tacks, and the rigging set up properly - sight up the luff

the mast

of the mainsail for both lateral and fore and aft

alignment, check on forestay sag from

beside the stay.

A

mainsail

made

for a

bendy

mast should not be expected to set properly on a straight one and, more important, vice

'

versa. See that all leechlines are completely slack,

may only have been

even where they

steadied to quieten a gentle else a false

drumming, or

impression will be obtained.

check that the

sail in

on

this

properly;

Now

question has been bent

includes

the

following

points.

show.

Similarly,

should lead straight

down from

creases

Mainsail Luff. The to the tack pin. If this

mast to accommodate gear, the sail

sail is

a

should lead set

fairly

back from the

bulky roller reefing

must be cut accordingly or

else

its

will

attachment point

at

the

halyard

the sheave to

the headboard, and

should not pull over towards the mast when the

sail is fully

hoisted

(fig.

26 ).

66 Care and Repair of Sails

Mainsail Slides. All slides should be even distance from the rope or tape.

no lashing round the boom

at

an

there

If

an

clew, bad creases will result

is

the

at

(fig. 27).

odd-sized shackle, or a slacker or tighter seizing has been used here and there, the luff will

Battens.

Battens

be out of alignment and creases will run from

length

the offending points.

wouldn’t smile

for

should

pocket

the if

in

be

of

correct

question

(you

you had seen as many

as

I

have which were quarter of an inch too long)

Mainsail Clew. The clew should be

in a

straight horizontal line with the rest of the foot.

If it is

there

is

no

allowed to

slide at the

rise,

and

sufficiently flexible, particularly the top

one.

either because

Main Halyard

clew eye, or because is

Tension.

A

mainsail which

not hoisted hard enough will show

leech,

precisely because

Haul the will

sail

the

leech

is

a slack

slack.

up properly and greater tension

be put on both luff and leech. See that

any topping

lift is

slack.

Jib Sheet Fairlead.

If the fairlead is

too

far

forward, the leech will be tight and the foot slack; vice versa

if it is

too far

aft.

There may

be reasons for this sort of situation, but normally the pull of the sheet should be divided

between leech and foot so that the evenly

above

all

along

its

luff lifts

length as the boat points

a close-hauled course.

The luff should be in a straight The most usual trouble comes near the

Jib Luff. Mainsail Clew. If you don’t have a positive clew slide which holds the sail firmly down to the boom in 27.

metal jaws,

fit

a slide at the clew eye or take a lashing

round the boom. The sail

which runs

in

latter

should also be done with a

a groove, because high sheet loadings

can cause the sail to pull out of the groove at the clew.

line.

tack; either the tack itself

is set

back too

far

from the forestay, or else there is no hank or snaphook near the tack and this allows the luff to fall aft from the first hank or hook

67

Examining

downwards, particularly tack pendant (fig. 28). Jib Sag. sail

the

sail is set

on

a

If the forestay sags to leeward, the

become too

will

if

for Faulty Set

There you

full.

necessarily be any creases, but

will

not

will find

yourself complaining rather vaguely that the

boat will not point as well as your

Jib Hanks or Snap hooks.

rivals.

The

points to

watch here are somewhat similar to those

A

regarding mainsail slides.

jib

will

suffer

most, however, from hanks or snap hooks

which

are

seized,

squeezed on to the lashed eyelet

and sail.

not If

screwed

or

they have been

too tightly, thus compressing the and the cloth hard against the luff wire

or rope, local creases will radiate from the seizing

and there

will

tend to be a bigger

crease running at right angles to the luff from this point.

Checks

Afloat

You may

think that

some of

being rather particular. Let

the above

is

me remind you

of

the case of Blue Leopard. This large ketch

was

built in Britain

full

suit of sails

number of

and had, among others, a from the United States. A

these sails appeared unsatisfactory

to the experts during trials off

Cowes, and

28. Jib

Tack

Fitting.

The cure

is

obvious in this par-

ticular case: see that the tack fitting stay; or fit a short tack strop right at the tack.

is

nearer the fore-

and a hank or snap hook

68 Care and Repair of Sails

this

was duly reported across the

The American

Atlantic.

sailmaker concerned cabled

would

the reply that he

fly

over and do

trials

owners were not then entirely satisfied, he would rectify the faults and pay his own fare. If, on the other

on the boat himself.

If the

hand, he could set the they would pay

tion,

sails to their satisfacall

his expenses. I'his

was agreed. At the end of the second

lot

of

trials, the

sailmaker was not a penny out of pocket and not a stitch had been altered in the

Do

not be tempted to

sit

sails.

marina

at the

berth or mooring and hoist only the

sail

you

want to criticise. To get the right conditions you have to be sailing with the main and jib, because these two

sails

are both

mutually

will

never get

a true picture

of the one with-

(b)

(a)

supporting and mutually interfering, so you 29.

Slack Mainsail Leech.

into the sail for a

out the other.

A

leech which

good way, will reveal

running along the ends of the battens as

Slack Leech. a lesser extent, luff jib), first

enough

If if

the

sail is a

mainsail (or, to

you are dealing with

check that the halyard

a rope

is

tight

as has already been suggested above.

Don’t be restricted

in

this exercise

black bands painted on the mast and

but pull the

sail

beyond the marks

if

by any

it

looks

better, then the sail will have to be shortened if

it

is

required to stay within the rule; a

cruising boat

is

slack right

by a crease

in (a).

The inner

ends of the battens tend to poke up to windward and the sail falls away to leeward from there out to the leech. If the last

3 or 4 inches only are slack as

possible that the leech

may

in (b),

vibrate in the wind.

may be perfectly all right aerodynamically, but may get on the helmsman’s nerves, so attend to

The

it is

sail

the noise it.

boom,

you need

to check the set at greater tension. If

is

itself

not bothered by such petty

restrictions. If there are stops to prevent the sail

going outside the marks and you want

more luff tension, Cunningham hole or,

pull if

one

down is

not

on

the

fitted,

use

the lowest slide eyelet instead. Next, try the

69

Examining

leechline

to

what

see

for Faulty Set

effect

slackness.

Clew Creases.

on

has

it

Write down your fi?idings. In

all

It is

not possible within the

scope of this chapter to

list all sail

creases and

with the most

probability a seam or seams will have to be

possible cures;

tightened, so you should note the vertical and

frequently met troubles of this kind. Multiple

horizontal extent of the slackness, also is slack, or

tabling at the leech

if

the

whether

it

returns to tightness, to form a ‘question mark’ or cup when view'ed from above or below (fig. 29).

Tight Leech. This

worse than

is

means

a slack

wind is not Double check the leechline, and then sight up the leech to discern the extent of the tightness: whether it extends into the sail, or stems purely from a leech, because

it

escaping from the

sail

tight leech tabling.

that the

properly.

The appearance

of this

fault

can emanate from extreme fullness in a

sail;

it

can also be caused in a jib by past

misuse of the

sail in

weight of cloth in

Chapter

1

(and

times), this

is

it

winds too strong for the question. As I said in

will bear repeating several

something from which most

ghosters and light genoas suffer at one time or another,

change to the draft the

cloth

when

the

owner

a heavier sail as the is

A

shall deal here

from the clew probably

radiating

come from

sewing of the clew eye,

tight

coupled with the large stresses set up sail

by modern winches and

outhauls.

in the

They

helped by a piece of stiffer

sometimes be cloth placed under

the clew reinforcement,

the rules will allow

are hard to remove, but can

it.

One

if

single crease running

from

a mainsail

clew to the inner end of the lowest batten can result

from

leech, too

a

bad batten, a slack leech, a tight

much

(or fullness) at

roach, too the

clew,

much

foot round

or overstretched

cloth caused by badly laid panels or use of too light or

poor quality

that this

is

So you can

see

diagnose and

all

sailcloth.

a difficult fault to

you can produce, backed by photographs, is essential. Even then I do not hold out too much hope of the sailmaker being able to pronounce a verdict with any the information

confidence, unless he goes out in the boat. If a

reluctant to

boat has a bendy mast, a crease which runs

wind increases;

from the clew to halfway up the luff somewhere near the point of maximum mast bend

is

then blown towards the leech as

overstretches.

creases

I

genuinely tight

almost certainly means that the

sail

is

not

leech can be helped either by easing one or

right for the mast.

two seams and/or

round to the luff mast which is going to bow forward, thus taking up a good deal of slack cloth. If the sail

the tabling

stretching the jib harder on

draw the

draft forward again.

itself,

or else by

its luff

wire to

There has to be a lot of of any mainsail made for a

70 Care and Repair of Sails

pulling the

sail

beyond the black band

the effect, and then measure the sail

that needs to be cut off;

if

to see

amount

the

of

sail will

not pull out, you will have to assess the extra

amount not

a

it

needs to be stretched - which

Batten Creases.

A

crease along the inner

ends of the battens may mean that there too

is

job for the inexperienced.

much

is

roach to be properly supported by

the battens: about one-third of the batten

length can safely be set outside the line from

head to clew. Roach can be measured and the excess

trimmed

off.

Otherwise

this

fault

could result from a generally slack leech. In this case, 30.

Clew Creases. A bendy mast

matched with

its sail.

has to be properly

The crease above betrays

the fact

that this particular sail has not got enough luff round for the flexibility of

its

mast.

double check that the main halyard

(if it is, and the headboard can rise no higher, pull down on the lowest slide eyelet and the outer end of the boom at the same time, to simulate a tighter halyard), is

hard up

then take action as described above under

does not have the cloth, the mast will pull crease

down

to the clew

a

Slack Leech.

(fig. 30).

Headboard Creases. These may stem from Rope Creases. Small creases running at an angle from the boltrope of a mainsail or jib indicate either that the sail needs hauling up

the stitching round the headboard being too tight. Alternatively, the

halyard

may be

ing the board over towards the mast

pull-

when

or out more, or else

show

bound - which means

that too little rope has

not vertical from the sheave, or else because

which therefore can-

there should be another slide near the top of

been put on to the

sail,

that

it

is

rope-

the

sail is

right up, either because the lead

not be stretched properly due to the limita-

the headboard

tion of the length of rope. If

both.

it

will go,

tr^-

- possibly

a

is

combination of

71

Examining

for Faulty Set

Sail Too Full. Before deciding that a mainsail is it

is

the

too

full,

check the

jib leech to see that

not curling and backwinding the luff of mainsail

impression of

thus giving an

which are revealed by radial creases nearly at right angles), and will later show as localised flat and full spots if the fault is not corrected as described in

Chapter

8.

overfullness to the latter; this can also occur if

the slot

too

too narrow. If a

is

full, it is

easy to flatten

sail is it

Spinnakers. Spinnakers suffer from three

genuinely

along the luff

by pleating; a sailmaker will want to know how far up the luff to continue the pleat, and

how much fullness should be taken — an estimation which requires exper-

main

faults. First,

they

may be

too

full for

anything other than a dead run. This

how much

matter of

is

a

cloth has been put into

roughly

the head, and a photograph of the

sail is really

out

necessary

you are going to get

a sailmaker

ience. If

it is

decided later that the correction

was wrong, it is equally easy to rip the stitching and restore the sail to its original condition, save for two rows of stitch holes which will cause no harm.

if

to deal with

it,

although he can get

idea by spreading the sail in

down

half

on

a

good

his floor folded

the middle. Secondly,

it

may

have two girts running from the head towards the middle of the

sail, one each side of the These either stem from the sail being too full in the head or else from incorrectly gauged broad seam; take a photograph from behind the sail on the foredeck. The last of the more common faults is one of tight leeches. These make the sides of the sail curl in and are often caused by the tapes which are sewn along the edge being too short - either from shrinkage or from being put on tight in

vertical.

A mainsail which is too flat need major surgery and should be seen by

Sail Too Flat. will a

sailmaker

when

flatter

is

it

for a jib to be too

set

flat,

on

spars. It is rare

because

it

should be

than a mainsail anyway, and also

it

can

be given more draft by easing the sheet. One of the few cases which occurs in jibs at all regularly luff,

is

for part of the sail to be

while part

is

may be that the This movement

too

luff

full.

has

As

I

moved on

will first

flat at

the

said earlier,

it

the

first

the wire.

the

sail

be manifested by

place.

You

curls and to

sailmaker can estimate

small girts running from the hanks or snap

be eased.

hooks

spinnaker fault of

at

an acute angle to the wire (this angle

should note

I

have not

how

compared with others

snaps which have been seized too tightly.

here

that the

the tapes should

listed the

all:

helps to distinguish this fault from hanks or

is

how much

what degree, so

most

common

too narrow in the head in

your

to go and take a look

class.

The

cure

from somebody

72 Care and Repair of Sails

Your Own Test Rig. This dinghy jib has been set up in a garden shed. A tackle has been rigged to pull the head away to the right, thus stretching the luff and inducing a fold in the cloth; this is evidence of draft in the sail. The slightly uneven distribution of draft was cured by forcing one of the luff seizings back to its correct position. Author. Plate 10.

gutted aloft and yours joins the ranks of firm,

dinghy park. If you want to get close up to the head, roll the boat on her side and

round, bursting bosoms you have so long

let

admired on your

shape; you will then be able to walk

else’s

boat,

when

his

sail

becomes narrow

rivals.

in the

gravity pull the sails into their natural all

round,

trying the effect of taking in a seam here or

putting in a dart there by pinching the cloth into a pleat.

Checks Ashore

Cruiser owners need not left

Test Rig. Every

has his

own

owner of

a light

dinghy

shore test rig: head the boat 30 to

40 degrees from the wind and hoist the

sails

out of

it.

All jibs

feel

completely

can be set up horizon-

by making fast the tack and then pulling out the luff by means of a tackle to a suitable tree — leverage is needed because the luff has tally

73

Examining

for Faulty Set

Tightening a Mainsail Leech. Where the leech is seam is tightened between each pair of battens. The tightening is carried the full distance of the 31.

slack, usually one

battens if the whole roach

is

slack, as in fig.

only the outer few inches are slack, as in

29

(a);

where

fig.

29

(b), it

continues for only 3 to 4 inches.

to be nice and tight (your halyard will have

some kind of purchase

in the shape of a tackle

or winch).

A

Leeches.

shore rig can often give confir-

mation of trouble spotted

afloat.

someone

horizontally and get

Set up a jib

to pull the clew

out to one side so that the

shows its which

sail

draft, then take a close look at the spot

has been giving trouble. the leech tabling

a guitar

like

under

taut

obviously

holding

versely, the tabling

which

tells

you

whole leech

is

that

You

can often pluck

string and feel the

hand, in

the

may be it

so

that

it

slack to the touch,

needs tightening.

ease the seams sail

to

- but check further into the there

that

see

is

not

too

slackness well into the bunt of the there

well in effect

the cure

is,

If the

you have to

tight for this distance,

is

If the

flabby in to about 4 to 6 inches,

then you need to tighten a seam or two. leech

is

Con-

sailcloth.

may

much sail.

If

well be to tighten seams

from the leech (which will have the them at the leech itself

of easing

relative to the rest of their length).

Experience

how much

is

necessary

when

distance of assessing

seams to cure leech faults. An average dinghy mainsail may only need two seams adjusted | inch each, in to 6-8 inches. A mainsail for a 30-footer, on the other hand, may need tw'o seams tightened by

to tighten or ease

j inch and

two more by

| inch, over a

3 to

4 feet. All depends, of course,

on the degree of slackness and how extends.

You

far

it

often need only tighten ever\'

second or third seam on a big mainsail, and you should always try to avoid adjusting those which come on batten pockets or which will require the racing (fig. 31).

number

to be

moved

74

Care and Repair of Sails

Setting up a headsail horizontally

Draft.

gives

wonderful

a

which

critically a sail

make

is

to

This may be an old-fashioned way

a luff wire.

to

examine seized permanently to

chance

but there are plenty of them

a jib,

about, particularly on dinghies.

round the the

luff wire

When

wire.

sail

pulled

luff

of this nature. First, the seizings

sail

may

they were

was sewn along

slide

up or down the

put on, the luff of

first

to the tack eye and then

wire

the

be

to

seized

under

stretch to the head eye, thus establishing the draft in the

sail.

This stretch, and thus the

induced draft, was spread evenly

whereupon

luff,

over the

vals, (I

left

along the

and round the wire

luff tabling

many

realise that

all

seizings were put on at inter-

jibs with luff wires are

without these seizings, so that the wire

we

free to float inside the tabling, but

examining the ings

are

specific case

present).

movement, then

where such there

If

has

is

are

seiz-

been

the even rendering of the

along the wire has been upset, and one

sail

fold in the sail

more induced draft other. This shows through a running only part of the way

along the

to

part of the luff will have in

it

shall

than the

see

luff,

in

the

end

and remedies that push the seizings place.

in

an ugly pocket.

We

on specific cures the answer is simply to

section

back

to

their

original

wire luff jib

a

ently forced aft in the cloth by action of the

wind (either because the sail wind has been blowing over time, or else

There are two main problems with the of a

problem with

I'he second

occurs when the draft has been semiperman-

too

strong

it

old and the

is it

for a long

has been subjected to winds

for

designed

its

performance

bracket). Unlike a control luff jib, the luff

prestretched in the

is

and permanently

sail loft

seized in place, so the draft cannot be pulled forward again by hauling harder on the hal-

Cunningham

yard or

problem,

away

all

set

you suspect

this

horizontally,

cut

eye. If

up the

sail

lashings round the luff wire

seizings and hanks or snap hooks

- both

- then

pull

the luff by hand along the wire

from the head or tack as hard as you can, while somebody else holds the clew out. If you cannot get enough purchase by hand alone, pass a thin line through the hank or snap eye which is nearest the head or tack, and haul on that.

Watch

the draft in the

sail

carefully and,

if it

improves, you will have to decide whether to return

the

sail

the professional for his

to

attention, or to undertake fairly major sur-

gery as described

Much of the

will sail

in

sounds as though you so if

my

the following chapter.

depend on the age and usefulness but, if it is old or blown out, it will

not miss

it

much

you have a go, even only to increase your knowledge of sailsuggestion

making.

is

that

75

Examining

Sail Too Small. Nearly jibs look too small

lawn - or

saw

in

sail loft

32. Jib

floor

3,

wire. Sail (b)

is

draft in the luff.

it is

depend on being and this

their draft,

luff of sail (a)

is

means that they need to start life rather shorton the luff than their maximum size, so that they can be pulled out under action of

er

halyard or outhaul (the exceptions are certain fully

formed

sails for

not pulled enough to stretch the cloth,

some racing

and the

luffwire

is

dinghies.

loose inside

seized by the hanks or snap hooks). The sail appears short, but the dotted line shows the

similar, but the wire

sails will look like (c)

mainsails and

lying slack

sails

Luff Measurement. The

the tabling {except where

all

on the for that matter. As we

most some of

Chapter

stretched for

when

for Faulty Set

is

sewn tight

to the front of the tabling so

when they are pulled hard enough

to straighten the wire

it

easily

and stretch

shows the kinks. Both these the cloth fully, thus inducing

76

Care and Repair of Sails

which are made of many tapered panels of fairly hard cloth). Even if a mainsail is made full length on the luff, the chances are that sewing on the luff tape will have caused it to

distance by which

pucker

rather than the tack pin), or you might not

where

certainly

slightly; a

rope

particularly

is

if it is

roped or taped

this

occur

will

sewn directly to the sail, sewn by hand. A jib with a

luff will

be similarly affected,

while one with a wire seized at intervals to the

luff

of the

will

sail

with

lie

the

the

sail

marks rather than how long sides.

You might

so hard as he will

it

There can be no doubt ask

for

if,

its

mast

of the

face

(aft

of

on the three

datum points

use different

from the sailmaker pull

short

is it is

when measuring. for instance,

you

inches to be added to the foot

6

boom

leaving the

at the

same

height.

luff

Sail Too Large.

slightly twisted (as the longer wire waits to

Once

again, check actual

be pulled straight to stretch the shorter luff

distances on the spars. Reduction

which which

the sailmaker, but the lay of the cloth has to

will

is

is

holding

it

in

check), whereas one

free to float inside the luff tabling

snake from side to side inside the tabling,

(fig. 32). So set up on their own spars with a steel tape measure shackled on to the same halyard,

leech

couple of degrees or so (Chapter too

sion. If a sail

is,

are under full ten-

indeed too small, then

it

is

a

matter for the sailmaker, not only because the skills required are extensive (the

sail

has

to be taken to pieces), but also because he

presumably made so he should put ing you gave

when you

him

first

it

it

wrong

in the first place

right for nothing (provid-

all

the relevant information

ordered the

sail).

In

his

sure to check, but,

if

if

own measuring he

is

sail-

(he will be

going to have to pay)

you are paying for the alteration and

doing the measuring yourself,

tell

bias angle

A

rope can result in slackness). rather be

far

amount

shows how

1

unsupported by tape or told

to

sailmaker

cut an exact

off the foot than be asked to reduce

the foot to stretched sizes of a certain dis-

know how hard you pull the sail on the boat, nor how much to allow for the tack fitting (which may or may not be a few inches tance, because once again he will not

exaetly

of the mast).

aft

these

conditions you should preferably get the

maker to do

much

would

at the

going to change by more than a

is

sails

when they

easy for

be consulted where the threadline angle

again looking rather short

then measure

is

him

the

Cross Measurements. question

is

If

the

oversize

in

one of not more than an inch on

a

cross measurement limited by class rules, and the luff

sail is

by

on the

this

full side

amount

anyway, pleating the

will

make

a quick

and

77

Examining

for Faulty Set

effective reduction without having to alter

anything

else.

But before you rush into

check carefully that

you have taken the

tance at the correct place.

The

measurement can be decided in

it,

dis-

half height

at least three

ways, resulting in three widely differing ans-

smoothed this

wers.

angles

right

(though curved 3.

ment

out.

Another way of describing

to say that the distance

is

how do you

is

taken at

midpoint of the

the

to

take a right angle

luff

from

a

line?).

SPECIFIED POINTS. The cross measureis taken between two points which are

usually specified as being a certain distance

lYRU METHOD. The midpoint of the

1.

is

found by folding the

sail

upon

itself,

luff

with

the highest point of the headboard nearest the luff

even with the lowest edge of the boltrope

nearest the tack.

The midpoint

then found with

headboard nearest the

luff

even with the

The

two

2.

FOLDED

LINE.

The

is

points, with

on the floor with just tension to remove wrinkles. sail laid

sufficient

half-height

from the head. is open to misinterpretation on two counts: the sail may not be stretched enough when the datum points are marked, and the leech distance may be either on a straight line or else round the curve of the roach. the luff and the leech

This

low'-

cross measurement

the distance between these the

is

point of the

directly under the middle

est point of the sail

of the clew cringle.

of the leech

the highest

down

cross

measurement is taken along the line of the fold which is formed when the top forward corner of the headboard is placed on the bottom forward corner of the tack with the two halves of the luff coinciding and the sail

These

are the

most

common

there are others which particular

(for

class

methods, but

may be unique

instance

there

to a

is

one

which measures the half height from the midpoint of the leech - found by folding head to clew - to the nearest point on the Finally, the rules

boltrope

when

may

luff).

include or exclude the

taking the distance. So you

can see that you have to be careful and the rule for your particular

sail,

know

before you

start laying into the sailmaker for inaccuracy.

1 V

eight

Correcting Faults in Set

We now come

much more complicated You should resist

to the

sphere of fault correction. the temptation to

have

some

got

f^et

involved here until you

experience

at

own

sailmaking

Not only should you have a certain amount of dexterity with both sewing machine and with needle and palm, but you also need a good background knowledge of how and why a sail is made the way it is, so that you can assess the effects of any changes you may make. through carrying out your

repairs.

Where you

are tightening a

leech or foot, you

must

which may be

tabling tabling,

integral

first

of

seam

all

at

the

unpick any

fitted. If it is a ‘rolled’

with the

sail

and merely

turned over, then you will simply tighten right out to the ends of the cloths. If ‘cut’ tabling, that is to say

it

is a

one which has been

sail and moved over to be replaced on top of the leech or foot so that the threadlines continue to run in the same direction, it will be a separate narrow strip of cloth somewhere between and 3 inches wide, possibly turned over at its edges to form a hem. Being cut from the sail itself, it will usually be made up of lengths of cloth sewn together - only

cut off the

1

Tightening Seams

To

tighten a seam you have to mark the amount by which you wish to tighten it before it is unpicked. This may vary from I

inch to

I

inch, but

it

will

always taper off to

zero where the seam runs on into the

only

at the

outer edge of the

sail

sail;

(usually foot

or leech) will there be no need for this taper.

where one panel runs the length of the foot or leech

in

question will the tabling be one

length of material (except in cases where a special tape or case, a

webbing has been

used). In

any

cut tabling has to be shortened, or

tightened, by the

same amount

as the

seam

itself.

Having marked the run of the new overlap (the taper

is

to avoid the danger of a knuckle

or crease appearing, so should not be too sharp), unpick the taper, put

sew

it

seam up

under the sewing machine and

new line. more than

you are dealing with a length of 12 inches, you should use double-sided sticky-back tape, or strike it up with match marks so there is no danger of one cloth creeping up on the next. to the

If

Tightening Tablings

to the point of the

A

diagnosis that the whole tabling has to be

tightened will only be

made where

ing has been fitted. This

is

a cut tabl-

rarer than the

reverse case (where the tabling needs to be eased),

and means that the tabling has to be

taken off from end to end, shortened very

79

Correcting Faults

slightly,

in

Set

and put back again. In practice, it is few inches below the head-

easiest to start a

board and fitted (to

finish just

above any reef cringle

same

reason). But

you

will

need to

lift

laborious and not particularly rewarding. is

that this

him

to

is

once again the same: get

do the job

a sailmaker

for you.

if

is

My

to get a qualified sailmaker to check is

do

indeed the trouble and then pay

it,

even

if

Reducing Mainsail Roach

the

batten pocket ends, and the whole exercise

advice

to

avoid reworking the latter) or above

the leechline exit hole and tie-off holes (for the

advice

you are dealing with the

This

is a

tabling sail

major operation involving

and then putting

however, a

it

all

fault correction

back again.

which

is

It is,

likely to

be correctly diagnosed and effective, and so

worth trying on

simpler case of a jib and not a mainsail.

lifting the

and batten pockets, rerubbing the

a sail

which

is

is

not your best

racing mainsail.

The amount Easing Seams This, of course,

is

the reverse of tightening

seams and the process is similar. You may find that the width of seam is marked on the sail,

but the wise

man

will

run a pencil

down

two cloths before cutting the stitching. In this way there is no doubt about the original overlap, and the amount to be eased can be marked after the seam is opened the lower of the

up.

Easing Tablings

Once It is

no

again, this

is

the reverse of tightening.

more common than

less

the latter, but it is troublesome and problematical, so my

of roach you have to

how

remove

up and down the leech you must extend your attentions. Two or three inches at the halfway mark on a dinghy will dictate

far

mainsail can usually be faired back to the old line of the leech

somewhere near

and three-quarter heights.

the quarter

If the sail

has four

you should be able to leave the top and bottom pockets untouched and only have battens,

middle two; if there are three you may be lucky and only have to lift the middle one - much depends on the amount of roach in the first place, even if you are only trimming off 2 or 3 inches, and you will not know until you have laid the sail on the floor and thrown a tape along the new leech. If you are having to reduce by 6 inches or more on a similar size sail, you will to

lift

the

battens,

probably have to

fair the

new

leech right to

80 Care and Repair of Sails

the head and clew.

The same

generalisation

applies as proportions are increased

on

larger

You now have properly installed.

sails.

spread the

P'irst

scribed in Chapter

on the lloor as de-

sail 2.

Stretch a twine from

head to clew and measure off the amount of

which

roach

already

more than one-third of

It

check

to

new

leech

down

the line of the

curve well up and

length

of the

new

leech, taking

down

the

sail,

while

You

will recall that this is the quick

make

either to certain

cloth

Mark the sail in pencil for the full new leech, which can be a

of the

between batten pockets with

advantage.

Remove completely which are

as necessary and

part of the for a

new

those batten pockets

affected, take off the tabling as far

sail,

then cut away the excess

enough hem or trimming for the

either allowing

rolled tabling,

existing, separate, cut tabling to be put back.

A

way

to

creases.

in

sail,

in the case of

draw

to

off excess

In isolated

A large

measurement by an inch or it

sail,

so, in

into rule.

pleat can be as

much

as three inches

on

a

but dinghies are more likely to be

restricted to an inch or so,

and

this is

what

we shall consider here. Any sail which needs much more than this will be large and almost certainly made of 6-ounce material or more; three thicknesses of this

suitable for

A

would require an

sewing machine and

industrial

pleat

home

is

thus not

treatment.

must, of course, be tapered to each end

at

new

knuckle

and

so you must measure carefully and

gradual.

It

shorten as required.

be

cases, a luff pleat can also reduce a mainsail

nothing

roach,

clews,

which results

cut tabling will be marginally too long for

the slightly reduced periphery of the

flatter or,

it

mainsail

order to bring

line

now

reduce round on the luff and foot of a

concerns running into the batten pockets un-

straight

but extending fur-

cure should

Pleating

half height

length

The

effected.

the same time not giving yourself more work than you have to, particularly where it

at

necessarily.

sail.

how much you

due note of the conflicting requirements to fair the

refitted at their old levels,

ther into the

is

batten pockets are

it

remove and mark the point of the on the sail. You should now throw

want

The

should not be

the

longest batten, so decide on

a tape

and

exists

against the batten length.

put everything back

to

again, taking care to see that the leechline

so

that

reduction

there

is

no

of fullness

is

must also not be too wide

in

proportion to

the

its

length, or else the

sail will

81

Correcting Faults

in Set

Pleat width

in

quarter inches = p

i f P

ft

Formula. The full width of the pleat should continue at least over a distance equal in feet to the number of quarter inches of the pleat. The taper at each end should run for as near to a quarter of this distance as possible.

33. Pleat

be unevenly flattened. There

is

a broad for-

mula which is useful for keeping within these two limitations. Turn the width of the pleat into quarter inches is

(| in is 3, Ij in is 5, or 3 in

must

12 quarters), and the full width pleat

should be taken from (the this

minimum width)

located

Chapter

Mark

2.

within

number

at each end

straight line,

distance in

sail

it

must also taper

minimum

for a quarter of this

addition (but any extra length of the

width

pleat

does

not

require

any

full

extra

length on the taper). In other words, a 1-inch pleat,

which

minimum will

is

four quarters, must run for a

distance of 4 feet up the luff and

have a taper of

1

foot at each end

(fig. 33).

In these calculations the width of a pleat

reckoned as the

total

taken out, which final pleat

sewn.

Our

when

amount of

round of

you have decided on

amount

one-third

the

4 feet concerned

off the

and continue

it

luff, draw a up and down the

because a |-in pleat demands a of

3 ft,

quarter of which

Now

luff

rope and parallel to the

draw another

first

|

inch

dinghy mainsail, and that

this

9

one, extend-

the final 9 in, adjusting to a fair curve by eye.

Fold the pleat on llel

lines are it

itself

so that the

two para-

superimposed, and rub

down

The problem cult

it

to

in place. Finally, crease the taper to a

is

to start the

work under

machine; the thicker the cloth, the more

to be taken out of the

is

line | inch nearer the

ing for the 4 feet in question; taper the ends

crease

as

feet

as suggested in

sail

in).

point.

that

a

pleat,

folded over on itself and

show

around

some 4

for a pleat of

inches of the

3

minimum run

it is

when sewn.

or

2

ft

for the required taper distance (9 in for

twice the width of the

1-inch pleat will therefore

Assuming luff

cloth to be

this

is

being half an inch wide as being the

is

length of

height point, spread the

then run up the luff for at least the same of feet;

a

length being 3

will

the

diffi-

be to make a neat beginning. As

soon as the taper widens

sufficiently,

keep to

the outside of the pleat and continue until

82

Care and Repair of Sails

you taper

sew so that the on and off the pleat. Cut off, turn the sail over and sew back along the other outside edge. Tie off the ends and the job is done. off at the far end;

zigzag stitching

pleating the foot to reduce clew creases,

If

Too

Flat

It is

hard to make a mainsail any fuller with-

alternately

is

you can afford to reduce the formula limitations by half, because draft here is not so critical of knuckles and, in any event, there will not be enough room for a long pleat and taper.

out altering

The beauty

of pleating

that

is

it

is

easy to

secrets,

however,

of a

with the

sail

is it in fact,

ago of

a

that

it

can radically alter the

minimum I

cured

set

of effort. So easy

some time

a mainsail

nasty fault by the simple process of

harder

on

flat, in

or

halyard

the

Cunningham hole fails to produce more draft up the luff, more canvas has to be found from somewhere to add to the luff round. As this cannot be conjured out of thin only way to do is

undo again with no further damage than a few harmless stitch holes. Once you learn its

too

its size. If it is really

pulling

that

make

to

luff

sail

round can be

It is

Take sail

the

it

about the

air,

without adding

new

a

panel

slightly smaller, so that the

relatively greater.

not, of course, quite as simple as that.

the boltrope off the luff and spread the

with prickers; stretch

how more round

down

twine

a

the

round. Fig. 34 shows

luff to find the existing

can be achieved by moving

the headboard or tack.

putting in a short pleat. This was done by our service van at a regatta and the job took

more than

10 minutes, after

the

on

own

1

no

had looked

at

The owner

did

not deny that he had complained of the

set

sail set

its

mast.

for a long time and that his

revolutionised, but he queried the his bill for such a short job.

invoice and reworded

it

I

amount

of

took hold of the

as follows:

To: five feet of luff pleating To: knowing where to put it

He

had been

sail

paid up without another

Moving

the Headboard.

Take

the board

and unpick the tabling right down

right out

to the tack (which you should leave undisturbed),

throw

a tape to the

new

fuller line,

adjusting as required to keep as long a luff as possible,

and then pencil

now have down to

in the

new

luff.

You

to trim off the excess cloth and rub the

new marks,

either rolling the

tabling or replacing the original cut tabling

2.00 slightly shortened. Refit the

headboard and

8.00

murmur.

patches, and rerope.

Moving

the Tack. If

you want to keep the

83

Correcting Faults

in

Set

The

effect of the

former

will be to shorten

the luff and leech slightly, and bring the extra fullness fairly high in the

sail.

The

latter shor-

tens the foot and puts the fullness right in the tack area.

some

Both are lengthy

with

from which the amateur

risk to the set of the sail (largely

the reroping involved, at

may not

be sufficiently practised to avoid un-

even sewing and twists

in the rope, unless

a sail

which

Headsail.

A

it is

worth trying otherwise no good to vou.

sleeved in a tape), but either

on

down

tasks,

is

is

headsail can nearly always be

given extra fullness by putting more tension

on the Wire below) or If extra luff round is really needed, the sail must be rerubbed as with a mainsail. This is best achieved by moving the tack eye aft, because fullness is needed low down in a jib. The wire has to come out on the

luff (see Pulling

simply by easing the sheet.

34.

Fuller. Only by making the sail made fuller without adding extra cloth. headboard has to be taken aft down the leech, tack has to be moved back to shorten the foot;

Making a Mainsail

smaller can

Either the or else the

it

be

for about half

new

the

or both.

its

aft of the original.

same

luff length,

take the rope off

from

a

can

round the tack eye; remove the tabling, tack eye and tack patches. Throw the tape as before, marking a new tack a few

Clew Board

it

down

to

This

will involve releasing

the lashing at the head eye so that the cloth

convenient point just below the headboard

and carry

length, and faired

tack which should be an inch or so

lie

slack in the process.

right

new line rub down

inches aft of the old one so that the of the luff forms a smooth curve,

and replace the rope;

work

the

tabling,

new

tack

tack eye.

patches and

As

I

have

said, creases

from the clew

are hard

to remove, partly because they can stem

so

many

sources.

One

cure

is

from

to support the

84 Care and Repair of Sails

clew area by inserting

of

a piece

stiff sailcloth

or even plastic under the clew patch.

you

If

may have some-

are a racing man, the rules

thing to say about this, so check

first

that

it is

allowed; in any event, too large a clew board will

make

so keep

the

it

sail

unwieldy to stow or

same number of inches across ticular sailcloth find

it

fold,

reasonably small, say about the

weighs

impossible to

fit

in

as the par-

You

ounces.

one

in a

will

genoa which

has tapes or webbing running radially into the

sail

from

the clew ring; a clew board

dinghies and day

Undo

is

on mainsails of

thus really only practical sailers.

the stitching round the inner end of

from

fit,

of 7-10-ounce sailcloth insert

into the pocket

it

and sew down, through the board and over the ends. Don’t use too much tension on any stitches see that

which pass through the board, but it is

firmly held in place.

to

along

right

their

happen that

the

this

perman-

more tension on the cannot be pulled harder by halyard or

It

sail.

movement on

is

can

the wire

is

tabling used for pulling the

to induce

sail

draft up the luff (this will normally be hidden a small casing at the head). sail,

The

stress

on

coupled with the weakening effect of

closely spaced stitches

round the

eyelet, can

cause the cloth to tear so that the eyelet to pull out.

starts

The

and, fit

is to work a undamaged cloth

cure

slightly larger eyelet in the

sail,

a

resulting

place so that the tension

you really want to reinforce a big sail, webbing through this eyelet and down the

if

for a few inches, along the lines of

however, the

sail

cut

away any

fig.

needs more tension

along the luff to draw the

with

with

luff,

in the luff

If,

is fitted

in

quicker and easier.

caused by failure of the small eyelet

sail

When a headsail which

wire as described

shared evenly along the whole

to

Pulling on the Wire

luff

much

pockets and hard spots, try forcing them back

the

a piece

it is

the wire and caused the draft to be unevenly

distributed

by

Cut

5,

new

have slipped, so that the luff has moved over

the clew patch and under patches, until you

or thin plastic to

but

Set up the jib horizontally as though examining for faults, and make sure that the luff is tight. If the seizings round the wire

have an envelope into which the board can be slipped.

fitting a

Chapter

flow'

forward

20. all

in the

seizings w'hich go round

the wire at intervals, but leave those on pis-

ently seized luff wire needs

ton hanks or snap hooks

cloth,

though they are loose enough to allow the

it

Cunningham

hole, so

it

remaking. This operation

needs undoing and is

not so different

tabling to

if

they look as

move along the w'ire. Take off any may go round the w'ire between

casing which

85

Correcting Faults

the head eye and the

and release the cord

sail,

or twine which lashes the head of the

The

the head eye.

in Set

sail

to

now contract on down the wire. With

sail will

the luff and slide back

will not be worked same way as the tack be formed on the wire which

any luck the head eye

right into the sail in the eye, but will

runs out at the head, so that there

is

an inch

or so between the bottom of the eye and the

top of the

sail

proper

(fig.

18).

If this is so,

you merely have to shorten the head lashing, so that the sail is pulled harder on the wire, and then put back the casing and any seizings. If the sail is already pulled hard up to the head eye, you can pull until eye, then lash

it

it

just covers the

in place over the eye before

away some of the cloth and sewing it neatly down round the eye (fig. 35). This may mean doing away altogether with the small cutting

35. Jib

head as

Eye. If the jib eye does not run well out at the in fig. 18, the sail can nevertheless be pulled to

cover the eye will

have

round the

if

extra induced draft

to be cut

away and

is

needed.

Some

cloth

the sail sewn carefully

eye.

eyelet used for pulling the sail along the ware';

you may

in this case

fit

reinforcing webbing

through the head thimble and run

it

down

the

leech for a few inches as an extra precaution.

Though not

essential,

it

is

best

remove the thimble before doing tion and replace

it

of the will

in, sail

mean

sary,

in a

you can

tack eyes are already

you will need to shorten the luff by the appropriate amount. This

fairing off the leech as far as neces-

similar

way

we

discussed earlier in

the chapter.

this altera-

afterw^ards to protect the

new stitching. Where both head and worked

if

mainsail roach which

to the reduction of

Reducing Spinnaker Fullness is too full in the head, some must be removed. Fold the sail in two halves down the middle and spread it properly, doubled on the floor; conventionally this is done with the leeches to the

If a

cloth

spinnaker

86 Care and Repair of Sails

left

as

this

is

lies

as

you look

from the

at the sail

not important. Pricker flat

it

foot, but

out until

as possible.

You now want

to

remove cloth from

the

arc of the upper middle fold, so that there fullness aloft.

less

head eye and curve of the

let

sail,

it

Throw lie

in a

a

start too sharply

the sail

pencil

is

from the

tape

curve inside the

tapering back to the line of

the middle fold at each end so that

tion.

it

and also

fairs

it

does not

smoothly into

somewhere near the half height posieither mark the sail with a or, if it will not show pencil marks

You can

well, with a series of pricker holes (but try a

ballpoint

Remove

pen

before

you

resort

the tape and cut the

soldering iron

1

sail

to

with

inch outside this

this).

hot

a

line,

to

much

too

tension.

Removal of

the

altogether will almost certainly cure

wires

this,

but

you must be sure that the tapes are quite strong enough without them. On anything other than a large or a heavy-weather spinnaker, therefore, the

first

attempt

at cure for

remove the wires altogether. But slack them both right off at the clews first and see what happens on a test sail. If the tapes are not man enough, you will need a few inches of extra length on each wire leech

curl

could

be

so that the leeches

to

may be allowed

to stretch

more, providing any class rule

a little

The

exceeded.

sessed by experience (usually 2-3

may add forming

in),

a foot or so to each wire a

allow for the joining seam.

have been

Unpick the seam for 6 inches or so at the top and bottom of the cut, rub the sail down to the new line and then join together again, doubling the seam in the same manner as it was originally.

Mark

new

is

not

exact distance can only be as-

or you

without

eye at the lower ends until you

afloat

and

tried various tensions.

the required point and

take the

sail

ashore to form the eye; make both wires the

same length (and within the

rule, if applic-

able).

It is more likely that a spinnaker made without wires down the leeches.

Tapes. will be

Spinnaker Leech Curl

In

this

case,

becomes one IVtres.

fitted

Some

with wires

larger

down

spinnakers are

still

the leeches for added

These can be a source of trouble, two most likely faults being the breaking

strength. the

of one or both wires, and leech curl caused by

the

problem discussed above

of repairing the tape or easing

you must, take off the them and add two inches or so to their length and then sew them back again (but remember to keep it.

If the leeches curl,

tapes along the affected part, cut

within the class rule; this

may mean

shorten-

87

Correcting Faults

ing the

sail itself

to

match the existing

You

should strike up the tape and

you

start taking out the stitching.

sail

Set

in

tapes).

that

you want to rerope your

before

way,

my

When

you

have added the extra piece of tape, pull

sail

and tape out side by side and strike up again with a different marker - ballpoint instead of pencil

-

so that the extra length

evenly throughout the cloth. strike-up marks will

make

a

The

is

shared

first set

of

check that you

it

advice

is

sail

to choose an old

on, and get plenty of practice

to

do

first.

Oversewing. In certain cases of a mainsail being too long on the luff by one or two

you may reduce the length by oversewing the whole boltrope by hand. The action of sewing will make the rope gather inches,

are slackening the original tension at a steady

and be

rate.

be

a sail 2 to 3

is

slightly

less likely to stretch, so the result will

inches shorter, but one which

puckered

at

the

luff

pulled hard, so that draft does not

Roping

the hard sail

far

forward.

when not lie

quite so

The amount by which you

reduce the length will vary with the tension

Roping

no black art, particularly if you put the rope on loose in a tape, as shown in Appendix B, but it does take a good deal of

you put on each stitch - pull them hard tight and you will gather the rope tighter. This is

by hand from end to end. There are many pitfalls, some of which I, have indicated in Appendix B. If you decide

ing,

is

practice to rope a

sail

an excellent way of gaining practice because the rope

is

sail, so you do not have match marks or twist.

the

in rop-

already attached to to

worry about

nine

Alterations to Size

Major alterations to the change the

which was I'here that

built in

therefore

is

theless,

is

it

must

any shaping

when it was first made. more than an outside risk

be spoiled for

will

it

size of a sail

relative position of

all

time. Never-

sometimes important to make

spinnakers, are easy enough.

in

The dinghy

owner should remember, however, are some reductions which are too instance

will

it

not

often

be

that there

small: for

possible

reduce the foot length of a mainsail by

to

much

than an inch, because anything smaller

less

these changes, and they can often be done

would cut through the middle of the

successfully.

clew eye. Large reductions in mainsails or

Naturally, there are limits to what can be

done, depending on the original cut of the sail,

and

1

am assuming

cloths in this chapter. sible to give a firm

conventionally

Even

so,

laid

not posa

be made before you

have had a chance to see the

on the

is

opinion as to whether

particular change can

spread

it

sail in

question

I'here are sometimes

(loor.

snags which only reveal themselves stretched round the

when

the

new

twine

is

sizes,

such as an awkwardly placed batten

sail

to the

row of reefing eyelets, or a window in the wrong place. 'I'he most important single point to remember when deciding on a recut, is the

headsails

may

or

may not be

easy,

original

and only

a

full

examination of the individual case can

tell.

Almost

of a

sail

all

attempts to increase the

size

are complicated, and possibly not

worth the trouble and

effort, except increas-

ing the length of spinnaker leeches.

Appendix C shows some of the detailed ways in which sails can safely be altered, and have briefly summarised the attendant sailmaking tasks. We shall now look at broad I

principles.

pocket, a

bias of the cloth.

We

have been through

all

the reasons for containing the bias angle on

of

the leech

most

sails

to within about

5

Reducing Mainsails Let a

me

illustrate the point

simple way.

Assume

reduce the mainsail in feet to

one of 20

to alter the size of a sail

If the

head

therefore presents a different problem, and

ments

will

degrees, so

I

will

not repeat them here.

Each requirement there are often

about sails

it.

As

many

different

a rule, small

ways of going

reductions in main-

and headsails, and almost

all

reductions

is

about bias angle in

that

fig.

it

is

desired to

36 from a luff of 25

feet, leaving the foot as

dropped

5 feet, the

be right, but the bias

it is.

measure-

at the

upper

leech will be excessive and the leech will

fall

to leeward. If,

however, the

sail is

cut as

shown

in

fig.

89 Alterations to Size

undisturbed and should

37, the leech will be set properly in use.

rerope the whole

we shall have to and we shall be cutting

Agreed,

sail,

away a good deal of the broad seam at the luff and foot - although some shape can be given to the

new

sail

through

luff

and foot round.

If

we wanted

we could add 3 or 4 inches to new luff, and then rip the seam at the new tack in to 2 or 3 feet, in order to taper the two sides of that seam by the 3 or 4 inches we had allowed. The headboard, racing number and all batten pockets to,

the length of the

/'

/ n /

,

/

/ 36.

Reducing a Mainsail -

sail to the dotted size leech.

1. Note how reduction of the puts the cloth on the bias at the

37.

Reducing a Mainsail -

2.

By

cutting the sail in at

the luff, leech bias can be contained. left

The tack has been on a seam so that broad seam can be built in if

desired.

90 Care and Repair of Sails

would have to be repositioned whichever method were used (the headboard can sometimes be lifted complete with its patches and, indeed, the top cloth, to make things

the luff

is

to go (rarely will this be exactly a

panel width); alternatively, a part panel can

be inserted to make the exact extra length required (see Appendix C).

easier).

d’he above

amount of cut-down

not to say that a limited

is

extra bias cannot be accepted on a

sail,

particularly

if it is

Reducing Headsails

going to be

used for cruising or passagemaking.

You

can

compensate for a certain degree of extra stretch by tightening the appropriate seams in the leech as described in Chapter 8, but you should be prepared for the worst.

A good many

of the foregoing remarks about

reducing mainsails apply to headsails, with the added complication that

have

ter

somewhat

easier.

on the mitre

Enlarging Mainsails

above or below success.

To

enlarge a mainsail

It is

not

a practical

of cloth along

is

a

more

difficult task.

proposition to add a strip

dimension which

the

is

it

desired to increase, because conflicting bias will

Moreover, due to the way the not possible to add to the

result.

panels are

laid, it is

length

foot

of a horizontally cut mainsail

without putting a short length on to each panel

all

the

way up

the leech

- not

solution. This restricts us to leech, is

the luff and

and these can be lengthened

split in

new

two sail

line of the

if

the

(usually at the tack seam)

panel added.

the split

a feasible

will

new

The

sail

and

a

leech of the top part of

have to be faired into the

leech,

depending on

how

high

A new

of the

lat-

cut jibs

are

Any new clew should come although there have been

line,

instances where

many

horizontally

mitres;

it

has been allowed to go

with a

it

sail

fair

degree of

has the mitre in the clew

good reasons of stress, however, and I would not like to guarantee a sail where it started above or below that point. A good method of deciding whether a cerfor

tain headsail can be cut in a particular

to

draw

if

it

it

way

to scale and put in the mitre

is

seam

has one - this usually bisects the clew

angle, but not always, so scale

it

off correctly.

Next, use tracing paper to draw the reduced sail

to the

of the

moving

same

first it

scale,

drawing.

about, whether you can get

so that leech bias the

and then place it on top You will soon see, by

is

new clew comes on

seam.

it

to

lie

within limits and so that the existing mitre

91

.

Alterations to Size

Plate II. Enlarging a Mainsail.

A

new

strip of cloth being inserted in a mainsail at

Gowen’s

loft, to

make

the sail

longer on the luff and leech. Hare.

If the sail

can be cut in at the

disturbing the clew at

chance of success

all,

(fig.

luff,

without

there will be every

38).

Care should be

observed with regard to the way the clew

height

will

be

raised

or

lowered by

this

method of cutting. In fig. 38 (a) the clew will be lower when set on the stay, while fig. 38 (b) will make it come higher.

1 92

Care and Repair of

38.

Reducing a

Jib.

Both

and

(a)

(b) leave the

Sails

impor-

tant leech undisturbed; (a) reduces the foot alone, while (b)

reduces both leech

and

luff.

They both

alter clew

height. A /\ /

Enlarging Headsails

I

similar proportions to the old one. If

it

is

desired to change any of these relative to the

As with apart

surgery, luff,

a mainsail, a heaclsail

if it is

to be

made

and usually

leech

and

all

bigger together, and the

To

new

This

three

foot, will first

to the required

has to be ripped

larger.

sail

is

major

dimensions,

have to be made cut

down

should be cut as

we

have already discussed, or else a mitre-cut

sail

others, either the

sail

can have this seam ripped and the clew angle

changed as shown

in detail in

Appendix C.

again

sizes.

achieve anything

reasonable

like a

seam should strike the luff point where the mitre meets

a

at

sail,

Reducing Spinnakers

or near the

it.

Then new

panels, or part panels, are inserted above and

am

moment

with

alterations to the head of a spinnaker to

make

I

not concerned at the

we have

below the mitre to enlarge the sail; a horizontal jib only needs one panel inserted, usually just above the bottom panel. It should be

how

noted

width or leech length, for instance to elimin-

that

the

result

will

be a

sail

with

it

flatter aloft, for

this in

Chapter

8.

I

already looked at

now want

a spinnaker can be

reduced

to consider in

maximum

93 Alterations to Size

any penalty it may carry, or to convert a secondhand sail to a slightly smaller boat. If it is made symmetrically, with a seam running vertically and many more running horizontally, a spinnaker offers a compar-

To

ate

atively easy

problem.

To

reduce the leech

seam above the foot is ripped appropriate amount is cut from

length, the first

along, the

all

the

sail

and the wires or tapes shortened

and the two halves sewn together again. There is normally no broad seam in the lower half of a spinnaker of this nature, equally,

which is a simple rectangle, so there is no danger of disturbing the set of the sail. Doing the job this way means that the clews and foot do not have to be remade, thus making life

easier

and

a

slice

vertical

39.

Reducing Spinnaker Leeches.

tal

seam above the foot

is

If the first horizon-

unpicked, a parallel piece can

be taken out to shorten the height of the sail.

Clews and

it is

number

spread

is lifted,

cut out of the middle.

is

seam

is

The

then remade and the number

put back. Once again the head and clews are undisturbed, but this time a certain amount

may be removed. Depending on how much narrower the sail has to be made, so will the reduction have to carry of broad seam

higher into the head where broad seam involved

(fig.

40).

With

tion in width, there

is

is

a reasonable reduc-

seldom any problem.

Enlarging Spinnakers

A

similar approach can be

ing spinnakers.

(fig. 39).

head are undisturbed.

reduce a spinnaker in width,

in half as usual, the racing

It

is

made when

enlarg-

easy to add a panel or

40. Reducing Spinnaker Width. If the sail is split in two halves by unpicking the vertical seam down the middle, making it narrower is a question of trimming the

right

amount from

the middle.

joined together again as before.

The two halves are then

94 Care and Repair of Sails

panels

in

order to make the

leech.

A

horizontal

seam

new

scribed above, and the

make

longer in the

sail is

ripped as depanel added to

the required length.

thoughts of keeping shaping, and to cut boldly as though

This

it

were

a horizontal

mean manufacturing

will

it

sail.

extra seams

across the line of the panels, and they will be

A thin tapering panel can also be added down the middle in order to make the sail wider. The result is neither aesthetically good sailmaking, but works very well for small increases, and is a good deal quicker (and easier) than fitting lots of short lengths to each panel; see Appendix pleasing nor particularly

somewhat

unsightly and

inefficient. It is sur-

what can be absorbed by the elastic nature of nylon, and this sort of alteration can often make a good cruising sail. prising, however,

it

Altering a Mainsail from Slides to

Grooves

C.

A Spinnakers of Other Cuts

The above

suggestions

for

reducing

and

enlarging spinnakers hold good for horizontally cut sails,

with a vertical seam

down

the

Spinnakers can be seen nowadays,

middle.

however, with panels laid like crazy paving, and these present different and difficult problems.

The

spherical cut,

which has horizontal

panels but no vertical seam, will allow small alterations

change

in

to

length

width

of

leeches,

will either entail

but

any

manufac-

seam down the middle, or else attention to the problem at both leeches; the latter means that the clews and wires or tapes will have to be remade, and possibly the head as ture of a

well.

On

balance,

be altered,

it

is

if

frequent modification

from

a sail of special cut has to

probably best to put aside

all

slides to grooves.

is

to alter a mainsail

This entails rather

more than might at first appear: the luff rope must be removed from around the top of the headboard and at

the top,

left

with the bare end cut off

so that

it

can be fed into the

groove. In addition, the headboard will have to be reduced in size, so that there

is a

narrow

space between the board and the luff rope; this is

to allow

groove.

It

room

for the jaws of the

neither practical

is

enough to add

nor strong

a small extra strip at this point

(fig. 41).

Similar treatment will have to be given to the clew. w'ill

It is a

be enough

matter of luck whether there

room between

the existing

clew eye and the rope, for the former to clear the upper edge of the

The

slide

holes

boom groove

all

(fig. 42).

have to be carefully

95 Alterations to Size

41.

Altering a Headboard from Slides to Grooves.

When

a sail

is

fitted with slides as in (a), the luff rope

is

usually carried round the top of the headboard, which

must be made narrower so that there will be room for the sail to

go inside the groove. The rope must be stopped at

the top,

and the

eyelets taken out

and patched.

42.

is

Grooves. The it

can

room for the groove between the eye you will not have to take out the patch the hole and then work another eye about

there will be enough

and the

rope, so that

clew eye,

not too bulky to run in the groove.

to

feed into the groove. Patch the slide holes and pray that

an inch higher

patched, taking care to see that the result

Clew from Slides

Altering a

foot rope has to be stopped off at the leech, so that

in the sail.

board and the rope (which used to run groove), for the rope

in the

would be too far away from were placed through the board

it

if it

itself (fig. 43).

Altering a Mainsail from Grooves to Slides

The danger with

opposite of the

last alteration is to alter a

mainsail from grooves to slides.

A

quick job

can be done by simply punching or working eyelets along the luff that an eyelet at the

away

at the head,

is

due

to the slightly weaker construction having to stresses localised at one were made for slides from scratch, the rope would normally be taken a short way round both headboard and clew eye for added strength (fig. 41 (a)), but the

withstand

The

this quick modification

that the rope will pull

and

foot.

headboard

This means

will

have to be

placed within the short distance between the

all

the

eyelet. If the sail

method

is

acceptable for most purposes.

The proper way

to alter the

sail is

either to

96 Care and Repair oF Sails

rub away a fit

little

cloth at the headboard, or to

a larger board, so that the rope is

against

it,

pass through the board itself as similar treatment

However,

hard up

thus allowing the slide seizing to

is

a sail cast off

with grooved spars

is

it

should;

preferable at the clew.

by

a

modern boat

often bought as a cheap

mainsail for an older sister with tracks on

mast and boom, and the method

is

a service-

able solution, providing the boat

is

not going

on

a long passage

where

a rip at

board would prove embarrassing. 43.

Altering a Mainsail from Grooves to Slides.

Eyelets

may

be

punched or worked

into the sail close to

round the top of the headand will therefore always he mar-

the rope, which will not run

hoard or clew eye, ginally

weak

at these points; put

hoard to help spread the load.

two

slides at the

head-

the head-

A

Appendix

Repair Equipment

Sail

The amateur sailmaker can spend a lot money on a wide variety of gear, not all which

is

essential for day to day work.

with most

crafts,

however, there

minimum requirement which the basis of any kit

(fig.

44).

is a

The

of of

As

certain

should form

This appendix

professional

not to use too big

a

sailmaker will

thus causing weakness and wrinkles; on the

other hand, the larger the needle the easier is

You

to use.

are not going to

racing

or resew a torn seam in an old

essential.

sail

remake

a

it

new

but will more likely want to patch

sets forth the full range of gear, not all of

by any means

you

holes in the sailcloth which are too large, and

which

is

tell

needle for fear of making

jib,

therefore

speed and convenience should not be entirely

subordinated to the need to avoid wrinkles -

Needles

indeed the use of a more difficult small needle

may Sailmakers’

needles

are

triangular

at

the

cause the work to be poorer in quality

than would have resulted from a larger and

pointed end, with the body of the needle

more convenient

becoming round

ing wrinkles instead of reducing them.

and narrower between the point or blade and the eye; the triangular blade makes a hole in the work large enough to allow a doubled thread of in section

Most needles used made of polished steel

suitable size to pass.

sailmaking

Redditch

are

in

for at

England, and they are not rust-

proof so some sort of protection

is

useful. It

good idea to wrap them in lightly oiled cloth and store in a tubular plastic bottle, is

a

such as a

pill

or hair

shampoo

container.

Sailmakers’ needles are graded so that the

should get by on most occasions sizes 13, 16

promot-

needle, thus in fact

and 18

if

available, plus a

You

you have domestic

needle for very light canvas such as spinnaker nylon.

The

table overleaf represents a fairly

comprehensive have

kit for the

man who

likes to

it all.

When

sewing three or four thicknesses of

cloth, use a size larger needle with a heavier

thread or four parts rather than two.

When

more thicknesses

(head,

working on

six

or

tack or clew), go one heavier again.

There are many other types of needles,

round body of the needle conforms with the standard wire gauge, and sizes range from no. 6, which is over | inch in diameter, to no. 19,

peculiar to special trades such as leather wor-

which

shapes which can be useful

is

as thin as a fairly stout

sewing needle; the

size is usually

domestic

stamped on

one of the three faces of the triangular blade.

kers or upholsterers. These often have curved

ticularly

when sewing

par-

heavy canvas which has to be tackled

from one

side,

but the amateur sailmaker

1

98

Care and Repair of

Quantity

Size

2

.'-.*‘-1»-o.

V''

that they are evenly placed along and round

the rope, and then tuck each end twice in rotation. 1

Id and

e).

Cut off and whip or

more

seal (plates

tapered

s.

t

Plate 18.

Long

Splice. If the splice

is

to he

hand sewn to a sail, the finishing tucks should be made with Knots and Splices.

the lay, so that

the needle can pass easily between the strands.

Lortf^ Splice. 'I'he

long splice

the short splice, but

diameter of the rope thus

still

rtin

in

a

it

is

weaker than

does not increase the

off

one part of each

division.

and can

overhand knot

boom

groove.

tuck the tied ends into the rope (with the lay

1

shown

two and cut

like the latter,

mast or

Unlay the strands over a distance of about foot, and engage all six alternately as in plate 18a. Unlay a a further 5-6 inches and lay d in the groove thus created. Do the same in the opposite direction with b and e, to produce the result

in

Tie off the remaining pairs with a single

in plate 18^>.

Divide each end

if

the rope

against

it

is

(a/d, c/f

to be

and b/e

hand sewn to the

off

sail,

or

otherwise) two or three times over

and under alternate strands (a/d

Cut

in plate 18c);

and

seal all

untucked, and the job

in plate 18