PVC pipe for sail and spars storage

K

Kevin Pierce

New Member
I'd like to add a piece of PVC pipe to my trailer to hold my sail, booms and mast. IIRC, the original Windward Leg/Malcolm Dickinson trailer called for 15 feet of eight inch PVC, while the Bruce Cattanach version called for two, 15 foot lengths of five inch PVC, with a slot cut lengthwise for the gooseneck to slide into.

Am I right in assuming that the two pipe version carried the mast in one and the booms/sail in the other?

What's the smallest pipe size that would hold booms, sail and mast together (with or without a slot for the gooseneck)?

And is the white PVC the way to go, or are there cheaper alternatives?

Thanks for any input.

Kevin
 
Hi Kevin,
It's got to be the 8", because I made a 6" tube out of vinyl flooring (cheap on sale) and it has to distort to cover the gooseneck. (I strap my tube to the deck, supported by three sections of one of those really fat pool noodles.)
Hope that helps.
--Catya
(Disclaimer: I'm new at this so if anyone else chimes in, listen to them first. )
________
lambo wiki
 
I have seen Malcolm put two sets of sails on the spars in a single tube on his trailer. It was a very tight fit, but doable. Bruce can only put one sail in each tube. He removes the portion of the gooseneck that goes around the mast to fit the spars in the tube. Many prople cut a slit in the end of the tube for the gooseneck mast loop to stick out instead of removing it.

I think the masts are in the tubes with the sails in both cases, but I am not 100% certain.
 
What about this, At the end of the tube where the gooseneck would be, cut out a section large enough to accomodate, then glue in a pvc cap , make sure it fits tight and covers up the opening and you will have a nice secure watertight tube to protect everything. Whadayathink?
 
My initial information was incorrect: Bruce Cattanach's trailer http://www.cattanach.org/sunfishtrailer.html uses two, SIX inch PVC tubes (not five inch).

Bruce was kind enough to reply to my query:

I put the mast in one tube and the two spars & sail in the other.

You need the two tubes to store the gear unless you have a larger tube.

So I guess I have to go bigger than six inch diameter if I want it to hold all three spars and sail...

Kevin
 
I was wondering if anybody might have any information or (ideally) a picture of how a slot can be created for the Gooseneck. I bought the 8-inch PVC tube but now see that the lower spar with the gooseneck attached doesn't really fit.

Does anybody have any experience or tips creating a slot that still protects the interior of the tube from weather? Does the slot start at the end/lip of the tube? Does it start 6-12 inches in? Is it covered with tape? Is there something flexible over the slot or is it just wide open?

I'd love to hear from anybody who has created a slot.

Thank you!
 
1) You could loosen the gooseneck, slide it towards the tack of the sail--thereforeunto :) making for a shorter slot. You want it short, as PVC pipe tries to "close the gap".

2) Save the piece you've removed to make the slot. Tape its entire length, then you can press it back in when the sail is stored within. (The use of a Saber saw with a narrow blade would be required).

3) If you use 3-inch wide Gorilla Tape, be prepared to wrestle it off the roll. Clamp the loose end in a vise, and use both hands to wrangle off the needed piece! :mad:
 
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