Replacing my sail....hints and tips....

[Lafayette Mike]

I have a 1972 Sunfish with an original sail. It has the racing setup with the outhaul/cunningham adjustments. I race (sort of) on a small lake with about 5 other old people. Our only goal is not to be last, otherwise the beer and brats are gone!

I just obtained a new (10 year old) sail that has never been used. It was stored correctly and is in great shape. So I am going to install it next weekend.

I shouldn't have any problem replacing the old sail, but I'm curious if any of you have replaced a sail, and then said to yourself something like...
"Next time I do this, I am going to ....." or
"I wish I had done this while I had everything taken apart" or
"I wish I had known this last time I swapped out the sail!"

So if any of you have any hints, tips, tricks, or "wish I had dones", could you share them with me?

Thanks

Mike

 

[Wavedancer]

The generally accepted advice is to not take a new sail out in heavy breeze (>10 mph) for the first three outings or so.
And always loosen the outhaul and 'Cunningham' lines before storage.

See also
http://sailingforums.com/pages/Sunfish_FAQ/#How do I break in a new racing sail

 

[L&VW]

Make sure the tack of the sail is mounted very close to the union of the spars, or the sail will tear. (Most I've seen use a metal "S" hook at the tack).

Remember there's an "up" side to the sail!

The sail's attaching clips don't take kindly to removal. Some can be removed by pinching the small (split) ball on the end with needle-nose pliers. By doing a search here, you can find a way to modify a paper hole-punch pliers to pop the clips off. After re-attaching them, they may seem like they won't hold (or got broken). Some of that resistance can be fixed by gluing the clips on. Epoxy doesn't seem to stick to that plastic joint, but RTV should. 'Course, new clips are the way to go. I haven't experimented with using a spar-full of heavier plastic shower curtain rings, but four came attached to my last used Sunfish sail and seemed to be working satisfactorily.

This would be a good time to examine the ends of the spars, and possibly cut off an inch or two to realign or re-secure hardware. Spars that come in contact with the foredeck can scratch: a fix (as pictured below) would be to attach a small plastic screw-on cap for the metal eyebolts. Glue the end caps to keep them watertight. Another item would be to wrap the lower spar where the bronze gooseneck attaches, and make sure that galvanic corrosion hasn't perforated the aluminum there. I also take such opportunities to glue a small American flag to the upper leech of the sail.

 

[L&VW]

Make sure the tack of the sail is mounted very close to the union of the spars, or the sail will tear. (Most I've seen use a metal "S" hook at the tack).

Here's a photo that just appeared. The arrow shows where the tack of the sail is too distant from where the spars join. The sail in that corner is under great stress, and will probably tear—sooner or later.

 

[signal charlie]

If you are going to race then you may want to investigate using the sail ties that racers use vs the plastic clips. Someone in here who races can tell you the specs and how to tie them.

Racing pics