Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

Messages In This Thread

• Out of curiousity, how many here flake their mainsails?
  • I do.
  • Not flaking my main would be like putting my pants on over two snow snowsuits.
    • Nice photo Tom.......beautiful yacht!
      • Thanks Tas. She's no yacht though.
        • Pretty good looking sailboat......very nice lines
          • Thanks Tas. Christmas is a 1961 Alden Challenger, their first fiberglass hull and deck.
            • Interesting, how many of the Challengers were built and how long have you owned her?
              • About 53 were built over over 4 or 5 years.
  • Always
  • Looks like I'm in good company here, I do it religiously... (grin)
    • Reefing a Leisure-Furl or other in boom furlers?
      • Well, I'm a wimp, so I would like to think I would have reefed...
        • One thing I forgot to mention...
          • As to going to the mast for a reef,
            • I never leave the cockpit to reef but it's slab reefing.
              • Same system here. No worries
                • Just curious, but why would one have..
                  • I've been asked that question before.
          • The way I dealt with the controls under the dodger
    • I'm curious, what's the price tag for a Leisure Furl ...
      • That's probably a good guess, though perhaps a bit low... Give Pete a call, he'll give you a deal (grin)
        • I have an old Hood stowboom and main for sale; much less than a new Leisure Furl
    • Flake as best I can.
    • Spectra is fine with a Dutchman
  • I was always told the best way is to "roll" the sail like a sausage. It will extend the life. (I flake my main)
    • That's what we do on the race boat... all sails are rolled.
  • What's the alternative?
    • The secret is to leave it loosely flaked.
      • That is how ours looks after releasing the halyard
  • Never...
  • Same here
  • We do with exceptions & compromise.
  • Nice looking Main flake ! Mine looks like that. I'm with Max, always, and we don't have
  • Nope for the reason Jon mentioned
  • Always. The crew complains bitterly!
    • It's a crew thing on our boat too(when I have one)
      • It's not the weight so much as
        • I enjoy watching the big schooners drop their long booms.
  • Never
  • I never did.
    • Addendum: I always alternated the 'flakes' at the mast....
  • I do a partial flake...
    • Not if the slide spacing is right.
      • Ahh, but the slugs stack up in the track and don't let the upper parts of the sail lie flat on the boom
        • Get a Strong Track or Dutchman track.
          • That doesn't solve the problem...
            • You have too many slides.
              • A sail with the slides out of the track flakes less than two inchs high Dave.
                • So what's wrong with your mainsail cover?
                  • Nothing Dave..but the height of the sail slides on the mast results in a poor flake...
                    • How many people does it take to drop your main???
                      • As I said above, I don't take the slugs out
    • My lower slugs are on a jackline so you can flake the lower sail area.
      • Not all sails are that way
        • That is evident.
      • Mine is the same, Tom
  • Always
  • Always.
  • I have lazy jacks and flake my main...
    • Topping lift or lazy jacks, what's the difference?
      • Dave, I'm still here occasionally...
  • I do
    • Hey, a Rhodes 19! Very cool, Tas.
      • Thanks Dave, my Rhodes 19 is in pretty good condition for a 1964 boat.
        • My first boat was a Rhodes 19 centerboard.
          • So was mine, well, my brother's...
            • Hi Brian....with a Hull number of 1060, do you remember what year it was built?
              • Not Sure...
                • We have not been able to find the Class number....
          • Bet that was pretty exciting.....I have not sailed one with a center board.
            • And we capsized on only the jib.
              • I have been fortunate and not had a capsize quite that bad...
  • Kinda
  • First flake to port.
  • Not possible on my boat....
  • I always flake. On my small main it's easy even by myself.
    • It wasn't so easy on this boat
      • What boat is that?
        • That is the Bounty, the Australian one not the American one
          • Cool! Looks like fun
  • Never. Just dump into the lazy jacks, throw a few sail ties around and go!