On Sun, 23 May 1999 JBlumhorst@aol.com wrote:
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> West Wight Potter Website at URL
> http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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> Hi Webgang,
>
> Now I'm not so sure that my original explanation was incorrect. I thought
> about Dennis' comments and his description didn't quite match my "visual
> memory" of how my old sail was converted.
>
> I was curious about Dennis' question, sooooooo, I climbed up into the garage
> attic, and dug out the tattered old mainsail that came with Redwing, our P19.
>
>
> It appears to have been originally a bolt rope mainsail, converted to slugs.
> >From the looks of it, the job was done at a professional sail loft. Slugs
> were added by putting grommets in the luff tape, then attaching slugs with
> webbing directly forward of the bolt rope. The slug's aft edge is 1-1/8"
> forward of the aft edge of the old bolt rope.
>
> The tack grommet at the bottom of the sail was "moved" forward also.
> (Actually, it was completely removed) The sailmaker used 1/2" webbing over a
> new sailcoth and leather reinforcement to attach a ring which projects
> forward in front of the edge of the bolt rope. The lowest part of the ring,
> which would be fastened in the tack pin is in line with the middle of the
> bolt rope. So the "tack offset" (I think that's the term the sailmakers use)
> from the aft edge of the slugs is about 1"; this would correspond to a tack
> pin 1" aft of the mast slot.
>
> For this particular converted sail, the clew of the sail sits 1-1/8" further
> aft on the boom after the conversion to slugs. The outhaul would have to
> accomdate the longer foot, or else the draft at the foot would be approx 3"
> deeper than before it was converted to slugs.
>
> [If the ring or grommet for the tack isn't moved forward when slugs are
> added, I'd guess there would be wrinkles in the sail and maybe ? eventually
> some damage to the sail?]
>
> So now we can have either apples or oranges or kumquats or whatevers. The
> slugs can be installed with or with out the tack ring/grommet moved forward
> to keep it in line. It depends on how you do the installation.
>
> When the sail was converted to slugs from boltrope, was the tack moved
> forward to line up with the new slugs (as it was on my old sail) or not? If
> the tack was moved forward, the clew needs to be outhauled further aft to
> avoid a baggy foot. If it wasn't moved forward, it shouldn't make any
> difference in the out haul distance aft.
>
> Best,
> Judy
>
>
>
> In a message dated 5/23/99 2:42:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> dfarrell@ridgecrest.ca.us writes:
>
> > Apples: The location of the clew grommet on the boom is determined *only* by
> > the length of the foot rope (as stretched by any outhaul tackle). Reason:
> > it is cut to a certain length and the forward end is held by the tack pin.
> > This is regardless of whether there are slugs or not.
> >
> > Oranges: The fullness of the sail immediately above the foot and higher is
> > affected by slugs, since they allow the boltrope to lie aft of the position
> > for which it was originally cut.
> >
> > Kumquats: Putting these two together, it seems to me that no matter what
> you
> > do to your outhaul, you'll not be able to take this fullness out of your
> > mainsail.
> >
> > [BTW: My visual memory tells me that the distance due to the slugs is
> closer
> > to 1/2" than to 1-1/2" (P-15). I don't have the opportunity to check it
> > now. If someone can make that measurement, please let me know what it is
> on
> > their sail.]
> >
> > -- dwf
> > "In a power boat, you get there in a hurry, in a sailboat, you are already
> > there"
> > V-17 #36; M-15 #189; P-15 #1086 "PELICAN" - Ridgecrest, CA
> >
>