2003-11-10; 06:48:16 EST
Member Since
2002-09-17
Posts: 4946
Replacing the main sail is easy, especially since you have the mast raising system. Lower the mast, disconect it at the bottom and the entire furling system, sail and all, slides out the bottom. The sail is held onto the furling tube with two screws. Undo the screws and the sail slides out of the grove in the furling tube. If the damage isn't to severe, you might want to try sending it off to a good sail loft, such as sail care and have them repair it. The next time something binds like that, try raising and lowering the boom position to see if that frees it up. More than likely there was some debris or mud daubers next built up inside. Check the bottom of the mast after lowering it to see if anything had fallen down during the process. That's usually where it ends up if anything was caught in there. Be sure to lubricate the bearings and clean any debris off the furling tube prior to reassembly. This is an easy project. Once you do it, you will have a better understanding of how the furling system works and how simple it is. Don't forget to count the turns on the furling line prior to disassembly so you will know how many to put back. RummySee the original archive post