and the sail came tumbling down

M

meech

Member
Had trouble keeping my sail up yesterday. Factory method of attachment of halyard to upper spar is a clove hitch next to some wraps of electrical tape which acts as both marker and to prevent sliding. The tape was getting old in the way that electrical tape does and started to "creep" as did the halyard connection so the sail was scraping deck. I stopped on shore to redo but in my haste to get back did not fully fix- the hitch was not tight and a mess of old electrical tape "goo" was smeared between the 9th and 10th rings causing slippage. The whole sail came crashing down in the middle of the lake when the hitch came undone. I need to wipe all the crap from the spar and halyard with goo-gone but does anyone have suggestions for something other then electrical tape ?
 
I use athletic tape, get at a sporting goods store for $3-$4 a roll. It has worked well for me. You probably need to change it out more often, but it does not leave the sticky residue.
 
My Phantom has an eye-strap for the halyard, no tape required. I don't know if it's original or an add on from a previous owner. It works fine for me. The gooseneck is not adjustable either, so I sail with the halyard and the gooseneck in the same position.
 
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