> I seem to have the same problem this year that I did last. It didn't go
away
> over the winter as I hoped it would. The lowest sail slug on my P-19
wants
> to come out of the track's wide place on the mast if the boom is set to
what
> I think is the right height. If the boom is set so the slug is above the
> wide place the sail can't be hauled to the top of the mast. Help, please.
>
Hi Mark,
Could you describe your mast (length from bottom to the top sheave?) and
where the wide part of the sail slot is (how far up from the cabin, and how
many inches long/). And how far up from the bottom of the sail is the first
slug? And what is the measured luffof the mainsail? And what year or hull
number is your P19? How did you arrive at what you consider to be the "right
height" for the boom? That would give us more info to try to help you find
the solution to your problem.
There's no absolute requirement that the mainsail be hoisted to the very top
of the mast. Traditionally on most boats, the boom is just below the widest
part of the sail slot, and the lowest slug is somewhere above the widest
part. This is always the case if the boom attaches in a fixed position to
the mast, and usually ture even if the boom can be moved up and down (like on
a potter). There is often 4-6" or more "extra" mast at the top and the sail
doesn't reach all the way to the top of the mast.
If you bougth your P19 used, maybe the wide opening on your mast was modified
by the previous owner. Some owners of boats that have removable booms fiddle
around and change the traditional location of the wide opening, to something
that, in their opinion, is better. They use pliers to make the original wide
opening as narrow as the rest of the mast and then they opein up the sail
slot lower down to make a new "wide" opening. In this situation, the sail is
hoisted first and the boom is then inserted and hoisted, and finally secured
in place above the wide opening.
The supposed advantage to this is that the sail slugs can't escape when the
mainsail is reefed; the disadvantage (a seriously dangerous one, in my
opinion) is that the boom could slip down and pull free out of the mast,
which would be a mainsail-destroying, dangerous situation.
Anyhoo, if you gave us some measurements, it would be easier to help your
sort it all out.
Best,
Judy B.
Judith Blumhorst, DC
P19 Fleet Cap'n, Potters Yachters
1985 WWP19 #266 Redwing, Force 5 #7951 and #1333,
And a pile of windsurfing gear.
Sailing on SF Bay, CA
(5-35 knot winds, 2-4' chop, 2-6' swells, and currents up to 6 knots)
Visit Judy B's West Wight Potter Pages
(http://members.aol.com/jblumhorst/HomePage/index.htm)
and The Official Web Site of the Potters Yachters
(http://songbird.com/potter_yachter/)