Jump to content

laced sails


John155

Recommended Posts

Is there any one out there who uses laced sails on a core sound or on a bay river skiff? Do you have stowable masts? Can you raise and lower and reef your sails with the masts in place on the boat?

My intentions are to go with laced sails on a birds mouth mast.

I

Link to comment
Share on other sites


John,

I have the lace on sails. I did not have good results lacing them on. I probably wasn't doing it just right but I had a problem with them sagging after a while. I solved this problem by using a separate tie at each lace point on the sail. I tie it just a bit loose so the sail can move. I can now tension the sail better with the halyard than when I laced the sail on. It works great. She tacks well and I am very satisfied with the performance of my sails. My oar locks are made from 1X4 yellow pine. I glued on top of the side decks and ran stainless screws into the inwhale and deck bracing. Sorry I don't have any pictures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes John, my first CS 17 was built without any provision for reefing and I came to regret it. So, on the second I did two sets of reefing pts. No track though - I like lace up for its simplicity. I put a small block at the top of the mast for the halyard. Two things you have to watch out for: your mast has to be smooth otherwise the lacing will hang up when you try to pull the sail down. This was a problem with my set up - I have a two piece mast and the transition is not good enough. Also, your lacing has to be done right - it cannot be a continuous lace where you just go round and round the mast. The line will tighten unevenly and again the sail will hang up. Unfortunately, I don't have a digital camera so I have no way of showing you how to do it. My description would only confuse you. As for the stowing masts - I keep my masts made up-they form a good ridge for the boat cover when I trailer. I just furl the sails around the mast lay them in a couple of crutches toss the cover over and I am done. I should also tell you that I no longer use the halyards. I have not done any long races in eons and all that line hanging off the bottom of the mast kind of bugged me so I just took it down. I can still reef but I have to take the masts down to drop the sail. I sincerely wish you good luck with oars. Those are not simple on CS17. First, the logical place to sit for rowing is occupied by the mizzen so you will have to move it every time you row. Also, the boat sides are a tad too high for comfortable oar lenght. If you have the open stern version you could try a scull. If you come up with anything good here share it with me. PeterP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My oars are positioned in front of the mizzen. I throw a cushion on the centerboard trunk and row from there. Oars are 8' long and work pretty well. I have the locks raised 1" above the side decks. Combined with the hight of the oar locks themselves this just gets the oars over the coaming. I try not to row any more than I have to but it does work pretty well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My masts are one piece spruce, with a sheeve inletted at the head for the halyard. The lacing starts at the head, goes down and around the mast to the first grommet, then reverses the twist to the next and so on. This prevents sagging and snagging, the sails slide up almost effortlessly and will quickly drop from their own weight.

I built a rowing seat on the centerboard that is actually an extension of the thwart. My oarlocks are just aft of the mizzen so when I reach all the way forward for a stroke I am reaching around the mizzen. Works ok but I will probably move the locks a little further forward at some time.

8' oars work for me too. I overcame the rail height issue by sitting on a three inch cushion. 9' oars would be the best though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 years later...

I'm building a Core Sound 20. I want to use laced sails for the simplicity and the traditional look, but I have one nagging doubt and I wondered if anyone has tried this? The sprit tensioning line is attached to the mast with an eye-strap and snap-shackle. To reef the sail this would have to be disconnected to allow the lacing to drop past the eye-strap. Has anyone tried this stunt and lived to tell the tale? The clew end is easy but I am loath to make the final fittings and then find I need six hands to control the temporarily freed up sprit while the lacing is helped over the eye-strap. Any feedback would be great.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Casper,

My CS17 has laced sails and solid wood mast.  The snotter is hitched around the mast and would be a pain to remove.  I just unlace the bottom of the sail up to the snotter and re-lace it after the reef is in.  This adds a few minutes but it is not difficult.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

Supporting Members

Supporting Members can create Clubs, photo Galleries, don't see ads and make messing-about.com possible! Become a Supporting Member - only $12 for the next year. Pay by PayPal or credit card.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.