Just bought my first sail, mast etc. Is there such a thing as putting too much downhaul on so that you damage the sail. I can't get the leach to trail from the 4th batton like the rigging sheet I've got says but it seems really hard to pull on more downhaul. The bootom batton isn't sitting right either is this due to not enough downhaul or out haul?

Too much downhaul - I don't think so !



are you using a good set of pulleys at the bottom and decent rope ?

Assuming you are then you need a decent size bar to tie the rope around and pull like crazy. You really really need to pull ! put your foot against the bottom of the mast extension and try to use your leg muscles at the same time in a rowing action.



The sail should take shape and go floppy at the top down to batten 2,3 or 4 depending how windy it is - the windier the floppier. I would also expect the bottom batten to come clear of the mast when this happens.



To see the 'true' sail shape you need someone to step on the mast foot (or trap it under something quite substantial) and you bend the mast tip down towards the ground - this simulates the mast bending away and you will see the floppyness disappear and the sail will look much better.....



Most sails these days require very little outhaul - sometimes just 1cm and this can even be negative on some sails - I can't believe you need outhaul to correct the bottom batten, but someone else out there may well correct me ? All the sails I've had over the last 10 years have nearly all set 95% by downhaul.



Sounds like a nice Christmas present !!



Happy Christmas,

Bert

I'll second what Bert says about downhaul... Its more likely that you have too little rather than too much.



Although, some sails these days do need some (but not much outhaul).... A number of modern sails are adjusted for varying wind strengths on the outhaul some of my gun sails recommend 0cm outhaul in light winds and up to 3cm in stronger winds. I just set the downhaul to one setting for all conditions and adjust the outhaul as necessary. I actually like this way of setting a sail as changing the amount of outhaul tension is easier than adjusting the downhaul.



Al.

might sound a daft question but how much length do you have left on the mast at the mast foot end?



is it long enough?



do you have a decent mast foot with a good pulley?



have you badly treaded your downhaul rope so it rubs?



if all this is right then pull for england !



in effect you should be able to over downhaul to flatten off the sail completely then let a cm or two off to bring the shape right.



if it is rigged right then the wing shape should appear without a boom on!



good luck!!!

For outhaul try outhauling untill the clew is in the middle of the boom and then pulling in another 1cm. Use this as a starting point pulling in 1 to 2 cm in stronger winds and slacking of when the wind is lighter. Hope this helps.

Cheers Guys. I'll have another go when I try it out tomorrow. It's not a problem of strength but it did seem to be tight and difficult to cleat it off. It's all brand new apart form the sail and boom so it should be ok. The sail and boom are only 2 years old. I was only scared of ripping it.

Merry Christmas.