attaching a new sail

Mashmaster

Active Member
My sun attached his new sail to the spars today. He is really happy

Two questions:
  1. The sail rings are new and feel like they might unhook with pressure, I was thinking of dropping a drop of super glue on each one. Anyone else have a better solution?
  2. The luff of the new sail from Intensity sails has a large grommit at the tack for where the S-hook connects and another large one the first one up from the tack. Why is that one bigger than the others along the luff?
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I would not use superglue, just make sure to really close the sail rings
The grommets along the luff are bigger to allow for a downhaul (Cunningham). A non-racer doesn't need such an adjustment; hence, no worries (as they say 'down under')
 
I agree with Wavedancer. If the sail attachment clips are new, no glue is needed, and yes, the larger grommet, second up from the tack is to accommodate a Cunningham line. That's a great looking sail, every bit a good as a Class Legal sail at about a third of the cost.

Alan Glos
 
Nice looking sail.

The rings should not unhook, just make sure the tab is seated fully. If they pop loose then there is something wrong with them and I would request replacements.

Your other option is to lace on the sail like they used to do, and we still do, old school. That won't pop loose :)

IMG_5073.jpg
 
Thanks Y'all!

My son is very excited to try the new sail out next weekend. This weekend he is finishing, re-finishing the daggerboard.
 
I've seen two styles of plastic rings. The newer ones have sharp edges, but work the same. They each have a built-in "detent" that must be passed while crunching each together. Try squeezing with a wide-spaced pair of pliers to make sure.

Used rings tend to pop off in use. (The detent gets worn by the first release). Also, the rings' plastic construction seem to resist a few glue types I've tried. (But haven't tried super-glue, and the other glues don't hold for very long).

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Replacing broken, folded, or corroded grommets is a fairly easy task. :cool: You can even "set" a grommet through the sail repair tape you've folded over the damaged (or missing) grommet .

The cheapest "grommeting" tools often include grommets that are brass-colored, but are merely plated with brass—those will readily rust. :oops: The best grommet can be either aluminum or brass, which should be available at most hardware stores—check for size. I'd try to locate a kit that includes these two parts below—mandrel and stake.

P3270014.JPG


The above is a cheap kit with a fairly large base (l) and a long handle on the stake (r). Very serviceable.

One I found at a yard sale you can hide just by folding it up in your fist! :confused: Practice at least one time on a piece of scrap cloth. A failed home-installation of a grommet in your sail is hard to "undo". :(

Oh yeah...you'll also need a decent one- or two-pound hammer. Line everything up, and give the stake a whack! ;)

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Nice sail!

If we're talking grommets, the best grommets for sail material are spur grommets, purchased from a sail supply vendor like Sailrite. The spurs grip the fabric and help distribute the load. Set a grommet firm but not too tight, it is possible to smash a grommet so much that the outer ring cuts the fabric and then there is a BIG hole in the sail.

IMG_0353.jpeg


 
Nice sail! If we're talking grommets, the best grommets for sail material are spur grommets, purchased from a sail supply vendor like Sailrite. The spurs grip the fabric and help distribute the load. Set a grommet firm but not too tight, it is possible to smash a grommet so much that the outer ring cuts the fabric and then there is a BIG hole in the sail.

Later this Autumn, I've got about five corroded grommets to replace in one original Sunfish sail. To reinforce each grommet, I expect to wrap each "defect" with sail repair tape first—and install new brass grommets through the tape (as before).

In my piles of grommets, I'd discovered spur grommets, but they didn't look completely closed-up when installed in Dacron. :oops: (My extra-heavy-16-mil plastic tarp has 'em).

Now I'm reading they require a special setting tool! :confused:

'Tool kit with spur grommets, just $118.76 at Amazon! :eek:
https://www.amazon.com/Grommet-Setting-Tool-Grommets-Included/dp/B017JY7I8Q

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Let's see, how far off topic are we....ahhh, it doesn't matter.

L&VW, that Amazon kit comes with a gross of grommets! We went to our Sailrite site and the same order would be $99.19. The Osborne die set is a good brand, and we definitely want the die sets with long handles when swinging a 3 pound mallet.

A #2 die set for spur grommets is $33.95 at Sailrite. And as mentioned it seems the spur grommets need a different die set than the plain grommets, we didn't know that. Spur grommets were designed for use with sails back in the 18...let me find it...here it is...1883 William Wilcox developed an improved brass grommet with spurs that became the industry standard, sold tons of them to the World's navies. Does Wilcox sound familiar? He went into business with A. R. Crittenden in the late 1800s, their firm Wilcox and Crittenden was in Middletown, Connecticut and sold bronze and brass parts by the pound to Al and Cort over at ALCORT in Waterbury. If you have older blocks, check the side for the WC stamp on the side, pre Harken days.

Oh the other thing about Sailrite, #1 they have great customer service, they answer phones and emails. We have bought a lot of Sunbrella and supplies from them, including the LSZ-1 sewing machine. We also bought the sail kit for our Penobscot 14 from them. We know that the supplies they send us are marine grade and purpose designed for the environment where they will be used, which is kind of important when we start punching holes in expensive sails.

Link to our post about W&C on our blog.

They also made foghorns :)

 
Let's see, how far off topic are we....ahhh, it doesn't matter. L&VW, that Amazon kit comes with a gross of grommets! We went to our Sailrite site and the same order would be $99.19. The Osborne die set is a good brand, and we definitely want the die sets with long handles when swinging a 3 pound mallet. A #2 die set for spur grommets is $33.95 at Sailrite. And as mentioned it seems the spur grommets need a different die set than the plain grommets, we didn't know that. Spur grommets were designed for use with sails back in the 18...let me find it...here it is...1883 William Wilcox developed an improved brass grommet with spurs that became the industry standard, sold tons of them to the World's navies. Does Wilcox sound familiar? He went into business with A. R. Crittenden in the late 1800s, their firm Wilcox and Crittenden was in Middletown, Connecticut and sold bronze and brass parts by the pound to Al and Cort over at ALCORT in Waterbury. If you have older blocks, check the side for the WC stamp on the side, pre Harken days. Oh the other thing about Sailrite, #1 they have great customer service, they answer phones and emails. We have bought a lot of Sunbrella and supplies from them, including the LSZ-1 sewing machine. We also bought the sail kit for our Penobscot 14 from them. We know that the supplies they send us are marine grade and purpose designed for the environment where they will be used, which is kind of important when we start punching holes in expensive sails. Link to our post about W&C on our blog.

They also made foghorns :)
1) A site-search for "gromm" (figuring the rest of the word couldn't be anything else) turned up #1 to the first post in this thread. Especially in a saltwater environment, a grommet will need a replacement—sooner or later. For a smaller sail, a homeowner's repair would turn to a kit at Home Depot. (But now I'm seeing the wisdom and convenience of using Sailrite—Thanks!) :)

2) Yeah, I noticed my stake (pictured above) would make a different pattern. :confused:

3) I have their foghorn...! :cool:

I hadn't thought to carry it on my Sunfish, but instead use it to alert my across-the-street neighbor. She's hard of hearing, and doesn't know the County's garbage truck is only minutes away from visiting the neighborhood's garbage cans. ;)
 
Grommets, shower rings... "BAH, HUMBUG!!!" :mad:

In the ghetto, we use bullet holes and coat hanger wire... of course, a standard sail in OUR ghetto consists of the hood from a '73 Ford LTD (Load of Tin from Detroit), LOL. :eek:

And don't even get me started on racing in the ghetto... toughest regattas in the world, hands down, the only "winner" is the skipper who doesn't get SHOT before sliding past the Committee Boat for the last time. :rolleyes:

"AMERICA'S CUP!!! WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING AMERICA'S CUP!!!" :confused:

"WE GOTS THE MAC-10 WORLD SERIES!!! THE ONLY REGATTA WHERE KEVLAR IS FOUND ON SKIPPERS & CREW, NOT THE BOAT!!!" ;)
 
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Nice sail!

If we're talking grommets, the best grommets for sail material are spur grommets, purchased from a sail supply vendor like Sailrite. The spurs grip the fabric and help distribute the load. Set a grommet firm but not too tight, it is possible to smash a grommet so much that the outer ring cuts the fabric and then there is a BIG hole in the sail.

View attachment 32592

Exact same set up I got from SailRite.

- Andy
 

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