So that's why the slot is where it is. Interesting! On my last boat, a West Wight Potter (is one allowed to say those words on this forum?), I used two sail stops. One I positioned permanently below the gooseneck so that there was about an inch between it and the bottom of the gooseneck when the boom downhaul was tightened. The upper stop I installed just above the opening in the mast slot, after sliding the sail slugs into the slot.
This worked out pretty well. The lower stop, combined with a topping lift, kept the boom from falling on the cabin top. The upper stop kept the sail from spilling out of the mast slot. But there was about 12 inches between the goosneck and the upper stop, so the main didn't drop all the way to the boom for neat furling when at dock or anchor. It never crossed my mind to relocate the slot opening. What a great idea! Thank you forum writers. Doug, on a sail without slugs, how do you manage to lower and re-tension the main halyard after tying in a reef, and how do you raise the sail again when shaking out the reef? Whenever I tried reefing with my bolt-roped main, the sail would spill out onto the cabin top when I dropped the main, and the bolt rope would bind at the top of the slot opening when I re-tensioned or re-raised the main. I converted to slugs. I'm kind of a newby, though. Is there a secret to reefing with a bolt-roped sail? Ernie Priestley Seattle ----- Original Message ---- From: Doug Kelch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Norm Bundek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; For and about Montgomery Sailboats <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 3, 2007 10:53:19 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Regarding Main Sail Slug opening Norm, The factory boats do not come with slugs on the sails. The opening is placed there by convention for rope luffs which I prefer. I think you will find the vast majority of small boats using a rope luff with no slugs. Thanks Doug Kelch Norm Bundek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: This brings up the question of why the slug opening was designed to be above the gooseneck which causes all manner of problems when reefing and just taking the main down? Does anyone have the answer to why the above gooseneck opening was chosen? Norm Bundek M15 #172 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats --------------------------------- Luggage? GPS? Comic books? Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
