Let's see.... With a hanked on jib, has anyone ever had it not come down when you wanted to drop it? ....add a jib downhaul and it always works. Absolutely. With fancy roller furling jibs, I've heard of lots, ... and partially seen, some of the malfunctions that modern technology bestows on us sailors. When they fail to furl when needed, as the wind is rising and it is high time to shorten sail, where is the factory rep to lend a hand or his expertise? When you finally get back to the dock or are able to anchor, do you send the malfunctioning unit back to the manufacturer for a refund....? I guess I'm just too old fashioned a sailor. I want things to work when the chips are down and my life and the safety of our ship depends on it. Sail slugs or track slides are in the same category. They work, and you don't need two hands to pull a bolt rope out of the track as the boat wildly gyrates. ....and it's driving rain, and the bolt rope is stuck in the slot.... now what? I'll take safety over a 1/100th knot advantage any day. .......as an after thought, modern fin keel monstrosities are also disasters waiting to happen, as proven by the latest accident in the Gulf of Mexico where a "modern" fin keel racing boat lost a keel and rolled over, killing one crew member. Loose a keel....? Sorry, but I never want to loose a mast, nor a keel, and I choose my ship accordingly. ....... any other calamity I can handle. Connie Ronnie Keeler wrote:
There is are severals solution for the problem of slugs coming out of the track when the sail is lowered. The method I use is a "gate" that closes off the feed slot once the slugs are in the track. It attaches to the mast with two knurled captive screws and is flush with the inside of the track. I will check with my machine shop buddy to see how much he would charge to make some of more these "gate closers". Another solution is to feed the slugs in at the dock before hoisting the sail and use use a stop above the feed slot to keep the slugs above the opening and putting ties or bungies on the furled sail until you are ready to raise it. This is great for cruising since you only have to feed the slugs once rather than every time you raise the sail.
The "rasberries" are for folks who fail to recognize that there are different ways of doing things depending on personal preference and physical abilities. I know that Griselda's sail slugs, lazy jacks, downhauls and reefing lines make her slower to windward than without them but........ I am an old man with two artificial knees and bad hips who usually sails single handed. I would love to to have the agility I had at age 50 but, I have to live with my limitations and modify my boat to meet my needs. As she is set up with lazy jacks, single point jiffy reefing on a full batten main and downhauls, I can set, strike or reef my sails without going out of reach of my tiller extension, climbing over the travler, or scuttling along the side decks. If I were a young guy of 50 and raced her, I would probably have a suit of racing sails with boltrope and strip off every bit of windage I could from the rig.
Danielle expressed her displeasure with feeding a boltrope and some of us suggested an alternative. She seems pleased with the results and is less prone to corrupt her family members with her explatives; so......... OK fine. I really enjoyed the debate about the relative merits of slugs vs. boltropes but, as my (then 100 year old Great Grandmother) once told me, "there are more ways to kill a cat than choking it on hot butter".
. . . Danielle,
If you would be interested in trying one of the "gate closers" like I use, I will try to get or make one for you. I would need to know the size of the feed opening or have a tracing from your mast. If you keep your boat in the water or fully rigged on the trailer, it is very nice to have lazy jacks to contain the sail as it is lowered and jiffy reefing but they do add to set up time if you have to raise and lower the mast every time you sail. Enjoy your Monty and have fun.
Ron M17 #14, fixed keel "Griselda"
To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:40:22 -0400> From: paint4real@aol.com> Subject: Re: M_Boats: Soggy in Ketchikan> > Save the raspberries. They don't travel far over water and usually get blown back into the slider's cockpit, because the targeted bolt-roper is to windward and in a forward position.> > > -----Original Message-----> From: Ronnie Keeler <ronkeeler@hotmail.com>> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com>> Sent: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 8:08 am> Subject: Re: M_Boats: Soggy in Ketchikan> > > > > Danielle,> > Nice to hear you are alive and well ,tough soggy. Now that you have had a > chance to have slugs put on Ceto's main as I suggested (and started a storm of > controversy on the site), I hope you will join me in a collective rasberry to > those who are willing to endure feeding a boltrope to gain 1/10th knot of upwind > speed in light air. When I suggested doing it yourself, I forgot that not > everyone has the tools, time or patience to "do-it-yourself" so, I am glad Bob > advised finding a sailmaker. Having a reasonably priced sailmaker in the wings > is invaluable.> > There are many types of sailors and when I was an agile young man with teenage > daughters to crew for me, I was a "Boy Racer/ boltroper" in the Snipe class > where every 1/10th knot was important. Now that I am an old, hobbled up > singlehanded cruiser and daysailer, I will sacrifice that marginal bit of speed > for convenience and safety (I can set and strike my main and jib from the > security of the cockpit). One makes a choice of what kind of sailor one wants > to be and equips the boat to suit his/her needs. Life is full of choices.> > Happy sailing> > Ron> M17 #14, fixed keel> Griselda> Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:31:20 -0700> From: anniesark9@yahoo.com> To: > montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: M_Boats: Soggy in Ketchikan> > > Hi all,> > I am back checking email again - I got so behind with three sets of > out-of-town guests all through July! ! I'm so glad you guys were checking my > website. I do have new photos to put on there - I will get them up tomorrow - > I've been avoiding the computer, knowing how much mail I'd have waiting!> > When > my Dad and his wife were visiting for a couple of weeks, we got out sailing > several times, and he was delighted with "Ceto"! Being a very seasoned sailor, > and skeptical of the worth of a small boat, he was impressed by the M17's > abilities. He sailed her into the dock a couple of times, as he detests starting > up the outboard, and he just *had* to try it. We tried it with the genoa one > evening> , then the main the second. He was so sold on a smaller sailboat, I had > to give him my book on sailing small cruisers which he couldn't put down. > > > Another thing I've done in the last month of avoiding the computer is that I > found a sailmaker here in town, as Bob on the list suggested, and the sailmaker > put slugs on my mainsail, and repaired a small burnhole in its luff for only > $43.00. I was astounded, as I would have paid twice that to have avoided doing > it myself. The sail is SO much easier to handle now!!! The difference has been > huge, and with that old soft sail and my rusty abilities, I can't tell any > difference in the performance. Just a lot fewer four letter words being tossed > into the wind, is all!> > Our weather has been HORRIBLE for the last three weeks > - pouring rain 24/7 - cold and not even decent enough wind to be worth getting > the sails drenched. I haven't sailed at all this month. The weather here is > often this way though, I just go into denial when it's nice. > > I'll stay > caught up now, and send a note when I get new photos up.> > Thanks for thinking > of me!> > Danelle Landis> "Ceto" M17 #378> Ketchikan, AK> http://web.mac.com/anniesark9/Site/Sailing_Ceto.html> > > > ----- Original Message ----> From: Howard Audsley <haudsley@tranquility.net>> > To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com>> > Sent: Friday, August 8, 2008 7:18:27 AM> ! Subject: M_Boats: Danielle?> > > Have > we heard from Danielle in Alaska lately?> > I was going to check to see if she > had updated her website, but I no > longer have it.> > > _______________________________________________> > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats> > > > > > _______________________________________________> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats> _________________________________________________________________> Be the filmmaker you always wanted to beearn how to burn a DVD with Windows.> http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/108588797/direct/01/> ___________> ____________________________________> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats> > _______________________________________________> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
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