Mainsail Removal IP 380

Hi there shipmates,

My wife and I just did what we said we'd never do...we bought a boat...a 2003 vintage IP 380 called Island Girl 1.

Since taking possession of our new depleting asset we have been familiarizing ourselves with all its working parts and some of its "not working" parts, which I guess is inevitable.

Anyway, we decided to replace the mainsail, which was made in 2008 by Quantum sails of South Africa because it had stretched and was really difficult to unfurl from the mast. The problem arose when our sailmaker tried to lower the main in order to take it off the boat and, even though he is also a very experienced rigger and all round yacht fixer, he found that the sail would not drop when he released the main halyard and it appears to catch somewhere after lowering just a few centimetres. He even went up the mast, but still can't see where it is catching. I guess something must be caught within the mast cavity, but can't imagine what it may be. Does anyone have any similar experience and/or advice on how we may solve this problem?

Have you checked the pulley (shiv) at the top of the mast? The halyard may have overridden shiv and become pinched out side the groove. I doubt that anything is obstructing the furling section. Good luck, Tom Schultz I. P. 370 "SEHOME"

Many thanks for that Tom, although I imagine that would have been the first thing our sailmaker checked when he went up the mast. We'll get to the heart of the problem shortly...it can't be all that complicated.
On a similar subject, I wonder if many other people have had problems with the furling and unfurling lines that lead to the cockpit from in -mast furling systems on IP 380s or similar? As a new owner I'm still finding my way around everything, but it appears to me that the furler in the mast turns much more readily when manipulated by hand when standing at the mast compared with the gargantuan effort needed to furl and unfurl from the cockpit, even with the help of the winch. Is this a standard feature of this system or do I need to get the poor old "Island Girl" some therapy?????

Mike

Mike - we've had the same problem on our 420. For us it turned out to be a bend in the mast caused by the standing rigging being adjusted improperly. You can verify this by laying on the deck at the base of the mast and sighting up it. If this is your problem it will be very obvious.

With in mast furling the mast must be absolutely straight. The furling spool inside is only attached at the top and bottom of the mast. Any bend in the mast will cause the spool to be off center at the inside of the bend. As the sail rolls up on the spool it will come in contact with the inside of the mast and bunch up. This is what's causing the jammed sail.

To unfurl your jammed sail you should be able to stick your hand inside the slot at the bottom of the spool and manually unwind it. You may have to pull out on the sail with your other hand at the same time. Do not have someone helping on the winch or you might loose some fingers.

With properly adjusted mast rigging you should be able to furl and unfurl you sail from the cockpit with little effort.

It is possible that your main has lost its shape causing the furled sail to bunch up but I would check the mast first.

Tom
IP420-35
La Vida Dulce

Mike: Having owned Sehome for 10 years and covered over 10,000 n.m. In the last 2years we have figured out the following. First, make sure you have the proper halyard tension on the mainsail, not too tight & not too lose. The the loop at the foot of the main should not be slack but not so tight that it puts resistance on the furler. Second, the main will exit and enter the furler easier if the boom is on the port side. Third, make sure when you furl the main, keep tension on the out haul line as this helps reduce any wrinkles which can create a fold in the main as it enters the mast. One more thing to mention take a look at the leach adjusting line , if this is pulled to tight it tends to put a curl in the sail near the top of the sail which will put a fold in the sail near the emblem as it also enters the mast. I hope this is helpful as we also have Quantum sails and would not sacrifice the weight and construction for lighter sails . Safe cruising Tom

Hi Tom,

Many thanks for that....I think you may have identified the problem. We just had our standing rigging renewed...as the boat was more than ten years old ( 2003 ) when we bought it last month, the insurance company required us to replace all the standing rigging and it seems likely to me that the rigging now needs to be tweeked a bit in order to ensure that the mast is perfectly straight. As you say, this may well be the cause of the furling and unfurling problems and it could also be the reason why the halyard is somehow reluctant to allow the sail to drop.

Anyway, many thanks for your advice....most helpful!!!

Best wishes

Mike

Once again, many thanks Tom, that all makes eminent sense and I will follow your advice.

Mike