Re: M_Boats: help with slug order
What was the problem with slugs? Bill P. **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)
I'm getting old too but won't admit it. Ask my wife. It's been 9 years since I last used slugs and I don't remember all the reasons. I'm getting old. Oh, yeah. I said that already. Aerodynamics is part of the reason. When rigging at the dock, in the wind, you need to raise the main all the way, while shoving slugs up the slot. Let's see, that's one hand to aim the slugs, one to pull the halyard and one to keep the previously loaded slugs from dropping out. And I've only got two hands for singlehanding. Who said slugs are easier? With a boltrope, just start the first few inches, cleat the halyard and on to the next task. No need to flog the whole sail before you're out on the water and it's time to use it. I started handling boltrope sails under race conditions 54 years ago. It comes naturally and seems more seamanlike. Bill Riker M15 - #184 Storm Petrel -----Original Message----From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Wcpritchett@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:29 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: M_Boats: help with slug order What was the problem with slugs? Bill P. **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007) _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
Hi Bill, Let me put in my two cents worth... All the big boats I've owned had sail slugs or slides (running on a sail track). When I got my M15, the mainsail had a bolt rope, but the previous owner had added slugs. The foot of the main had a bolt rope, and feeding that into the boom slot was a two man job, which is why I only did it once a year. The rest of the time, I just removed the boom with the furled main and put it in the cabin when we headed to another sailing area. From your description of how you operate, you seem to be doing it the hard way. On LEPPO, the slugs were fed into the mast slot and then the sail stop was put in, keeping everything in place. I have never tried hoisting my main while trying to feed sail slugs into the slot. You are right, doing that requires three hands.... My main was furled on the boom - I used bungee cord stretched along one side of the boom, with an eye in the middle. On the other side of the boom, I had two hooks, located halfway between the eye and the ends of the bungee cord. With the main down, I would furl the main, grab the bungee cord, pull it over the main and hook it under one of the hooks. Then I did the other piece, and the sail is furled. To set sail, I would unhook the bungee cord from the furled main, hoist the main, and cleat it off. No fuss: no muss. Almost a one-handed operation. With the main up, I would then loosen the topping lift, haul in the main sheet, ..... and away we go. The same sort of operation was used on my big boats; sail slides running in a mast track. The advantages are: 1. You can easily drop the main - no pulling out the bolt rope to get the sail down. 2. The main can be neatly furled on the boom for the night, and is ready to go at a moment's notice (fire in the harbor; pirates attacking; civil unrest, ....etc.) 3. From the racing standpoint, the bolt rope is probably more aerodynamic, but that is of very little interest to me. I want ease of handling; I want a main to fall down when I release the halyard. This latter is a function of the weight of the main; big sails fall down very easily and can be contained with lazy jacks; M15 main sails have to be persuaded to fall down - they aren't heavy enough to fall of their own accord. Connie William B. Riker wrote:
I'm getting old too but won't admit it. Ask my wife.
It's been 9 years since I last used slugs and I don't remember all the reasons. I'm getting old. Oh, yeah. I said that already. Aerodynamics is part of the reason. When rigging at the dock, in the wind, you need to raise the main all the way, while shoving slugs up the slot. Let's see, that's one hand to aim the slugs, one to pull the halyard and one to keep the previously loaded slugs from dropping out. And I've only got two hands for singlehanding. Who said slugs are easier?
With a boltrope, just start the first few inches, cleat the halyard and on to the next task. No need to flog the whole sail before you're out on the water and it's time to use it.
I started handling boltrope sails under race conditions 54 years ago. It comes naturally and seems more seamanlike.
Bill Riker M15 - #184 Storm Petrel
-----Original Message----From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Wcpritchett@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:29 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: M_Boats: help with slug order
What was the problem with slugs?
Bill P.
**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007) _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
I apparently opened a bucket of worms when I suggested using slugs on the main as an alternative to feeding a bolt rope. At least there has been a lot of discussion in the forum both pro and con. I think the real answer lies in how you use the boat and personal preference. One reason slugs work well for me is that I keep me boat in the water at the dock behind my house. I also have a little gadget I machine up that closes off the feed gate in the mast slot. I had one on my Balboa 20 when I bought it years ago that was spring loaded. The ones I make these days have two knurled knob captive bolts that go into threaded holes in the mast to hold the aluminum piece in the opening. Once the slugs are in the slot and the opening closed, one can effortlessy hoist the main with the cabin top winch and cleat it down. You only have to head up into the wind and release the main halyard for the sail to drop neatly between the lazy jacks. If I trailered often and had to rig the lazy jacks and feed the slugs every time, it might be a different story. Maybe we need to have a similar debate about rigging a sailing dinghy. Is it better to have a sleeve sail, lacing, mast hoops, a bolt rope or slugs? My Fatty Knees 9' dinghy has a loose foot sleeve sail. I just raise the boom against the mast, lift it out and roll the sail around it. The whole rig fits in a 6" diameter tube of plastic pipe that I hang on bicycle hooks on the posts of the boathouse next to the hoisted boat. The screw in cap on the tube keeps the mud dobbers from building nests in the sails. There are hooks below that for the oars and a big hanging mesh bag for the daggerboard and rudder. Ron M17 #14 Griselda> Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 17:23:46 -0400> From: chbenneck@sbcglobal.net> To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: M_Boats: help with slug order> > Hi Bill,> > Let me put in my two cents worth...> > All the big boats I've owned had sail slugs or slides (running on a sail > track). When I got my M15, the mainsail had a bolt rope, but the > previous owner had added slugs. The foot of the main had a bolt rope, > and feeding that into the boom slot was a two man job, which is why I > only did it once a year. The rest of the time, I just removed the boom > with the furled main and put it in the cabin when we headed to another > sailing area. > > From your description of how you operate, you seem to be doing it the > hard way.> > On LEPPO, the slugs were fed into the mast slot and then the sail stop > was put in, keeping everything in place. I have never tried hoisting my > main while trying to feed sail slugs into the slot. You are right, > doing that requires three hands....> > My main was furled on the boom - I used bungee cord stretched along one > side of the boom, with an eye in the middle. On the other side of the > boom, I had two hooks, located halfway between the eye and the ends of > the bungee cord. With the main down, I would furl the main, grab the > bungee cord, pull it over the main and hook it under one of the hooks. > Then I did the other piece, and the sail is furled.> > To set sail, I would unhook the bungee cord from the furled main, hoist > the main, and cleat it off. No fuss: no muss. Almost a one-handed > operation.> With the main up, I would then loosen the topping lift, haul in the main > sheet, ..... and away we go.> > The same sort of operation was used on my big boats; sail slides running > in a mast track.> > The advantages are:> > 1. You can easily drop the main - no pulling out the bolt rope to get > the sail down.> > 2. The main can be neatly furled on the boom for the night, and is > ready to go at a moment's notice (fire in the harbor; pirates attacking; > civil unrest, ....etc.)> > 3. From the racing standpoint, the bolt rope is probably more > aerodynamic, but that is of very little interest to me. I want ease of > handling; I want> a main to fall down when I release the halyard. This latter is a > function of the weight of the main; big sails fall down very easily and > can be contained with lazy > jacks; M15 main sails have to be persuaded to fall down - they > aren't heavy enough to fall of their own accord.> > Connie> > > > William B. Riker wrote:> > I'm getting old too but won't admit it. Ask my wife. > >> > It's been 9 years since I last used slugs and I don't remember all the> > reasons. I'm getting old. Oh, yeah. I said that already. Aerodynamics> > is part of the reason. When rigging at the dock, in the wind, you need to> > raise the main all the way, while shoving slugs up the slot. Let's see,> > that's one hand to aim the slugs, one to pull the halyard and one to keep> > the previously loaded slugs from dropping out. And I've only got two hands> > for singlehanding. Who said slugs are easier?> >> > With a boltrope, just start the first few inches, cleat the halyard and on> > to the next task. No need to flog the whole sail before you're out on the> > water and it's time to use it. > >> > I started handling boltrope sails under race conditions 54 years ago. It> > comes naturally and seems more seamanlike. > >> > Bill Riker> > M15 - #184> > Storm Petrel> >> > -----Original Message----From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com> > [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of> > Wcpritchett@aol.com> > Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:29 AM> > To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: M_Boats: help with slug order> >> > What was the problem with slugs? > > > > Bill P.> >> >> >> > **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for > > fuel-efficient used cars.> > (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)> > _______________________________________________> > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats> >> >> > _______________________________________________> > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats> >> > > > _______________________________________________> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats _________________________________________________________________ Need to know now? Get instant answers with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/connect_your_way.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL...
Bill, I wouldn't argue about a bolt rope being a more efficient set up aerodynamically. However, I have never had to raise the sail to get the slugs in the slot. Just stick 'em in the slot one at a time and slap a slug stop in under the last one. No need for the halyard at all in my experience. Rik Ayn Rand was a prophet - - it isn't my fault William B. Riker wrote:
I'm getting old too but won't admit it. Ask my wife.
It's been 9 years since I last used slugs and I don't remember all the reasons. I'm getting old. Oh, yeah. I said that already. Aerodynamics is part of the reason. When rigging at the dock, in the wind, you need to raise the main all the way, while shoving slugs up the slot. Let's see, that's one hand to aim the slugs, one to pull the halyard and one to keep the previously loaded slugs from dropping out. And I've only got two hands for singlehanding. Who said slugs are easier?
With a boltrope, just start the first few inches, cleat the halyard and on to the next task. No need to flog the whole sail before you're out on the water and it's time to use it.
I started handling boltrope sails under race conditions 54 years ago. It comes naturally and seems more seamanlike.
Bill Riker M15 - #184 Storm Petrel
-----Original Message----From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Wcpritchett@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:29 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: M_Boats: help with slug order
What was the problem with slugs?
Bill P.
**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007) _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
participants (5)
-
chbenneck＠sbcglobal.net -
Rik Sandberg -
Ronnie Keeler -
Wcpritchett＠aol.com -
William B. Riker