PDQ OWNERS FORUM

Anytime the wind passes ~15 knots the leach just folds over as though there were no battens. I don't think it is a trim issue - I have been sailing for 25 years. I think it is a leach stretch issue. Tightening the leach line helps a tick, but it is way beyond that. The PO was sailing with the topping lift on all of the time - I believe this may have been the reason. Overall, the sail seems fine.

Off the wind, no problem. Only to the weather to beam reach.

I think I need to take up ~ 3 seams about 3/16" over ~ 2-3' taper length. I can't see any damage to the luff tabling, but I have not taken it down for a good look. I have recut 3 jibs before to move draft, but never a main.

Have other PDQs suffered from this? I wonder if the damage was caused by running with the main eased too far, laying on the shrouds in strong wind.

It seems strand to me that the weight of the fabric in this sail seems little heavier than on my Stiletto 27, though this boat is 6 times heavier. Why not more beef? I don't think I but the business about the sail failing before a capsize - that is just a recipe for flimsy, disposable sails.

the sail is just blown out, from age. I doubt it has anything to do with topping lift or the lack of weight to the cloth. But before you take on a job of recutting, try tensioning the battens a bit more.

Try the needle test on the sail cloth, there may not be enough life left in the cloth to justify the trouble of recutting it. Sails don't last forever.

Several members have purchased new sails recently. Mine came frome Calvert and have a very nice shape (after I got the battens tensioned properly) The main was about $2500 with four battens and two reefs, in 9 oz. Dacron. You should be able to save several hundred by ordering off-shore. Talk to Bacon's.

The 32 has more options without the 36's backstays; you could even go with a squaretop and deeper roach, for a lot more sail area.

I will check the battens, but I think it is more than that.

The cloth still seem to have good body and resin. It seems stiff enough. I find myself wondering if some manner of abuse, such as keeping the topping lift on all of the time (PO told my this was their practice - no kidding), led to unequal stretching.

As for re-cutting, I consider that a DIY job; if it is just a matter of tightening a few seams, it is a job I have done before, and not all that difficult. If not, nothing lost.

As for square top mains, my understanding is that the purpose was more one of automatic heel control than area; with the square top there is a great tendency for the leach to open up, assisted by this "lever." I am not sure how valid that is on a heavy cat that does not heel easily. On a tall-masted mono, a Stiletto, or a beach cat the issues are different. Or do I misunderstand?

Its not that complicated. More sail area, more power. How you set it is up to you and the situation. You've got the topping lift idea backwards; It relieves the leach.

Page 83 wrote:Its not that complicated. More sail area, more power. How you set it is up to you and the situation. You've got the topping lift idea backwards; It relieves the leach.

Yes, I understand about the toping lift very well; what I do not understand is what other practices may have occured.

No matter. I can see the current shape, and I think it salavagable, for now. In a few years, a new sail.

All this talk about sail stretch and recutting etc... has me feeling terribly ignorant. I also run with the topping lift set all the time but the lift line goes slack when I raise the main, even when reefed. Is this okay?
Also, my jib has quite a bit of twist in it and the top often flutters. The telltales on the leeward flow straight back but windward they flow back near the bottom and up near the top of the sail. Am I doing something wrong?
I usually leave the main traveller just windward of center most of the time, is this right?

Last Sunday in 20 - 25 knts I was doing 7-7.5 knts pointing at about 50 degrees with full main and jib. I found that if I pointed much tighter it would drop off to the 3 to 4 knt range. Does this seem reasonable?


Sorry for the thread hijacking.

You provided a lot of good info on mast climbing at http://www.multihulls4us.com/forums/sho ... .php?t=776 Thinwater. Thanks.

Tom: You're fine; I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think that you could move your jib sheet blocks forward a bit you'll bring the top of the sail in. This will change with wind strength.

amytom wrote:All this talk about sail stretch and recutting etc... has me feeling terribly ignorant. I also run with the topping lift set all the time but the lift line goes slack when I raise the main, even when reefed. Is this okay?
Also, my jib has quite a bit of twist in it and the top often flutters. The telltales on the leeward flow straight back but windward they flow back near the bottom and up near the top of the sail. Am I doing something wrong?
I usually leave the main traveller just windward of center most of the time, is this right?

Last Sunday in 20 - 25 knts I was doing 7-7.5 knts pointing at about 50 degrees with full main and jib. I found that if I pointed much tighter it would drop off to the 3 to 4 knt range. Does this seem reasonable?


Sorry for the thread hijacking.

Actually, they left the tension on! What you practice is normal.

What concerned me was the running down wind with the sail all bent over the shroud. It hurt just watching.

I had problems with my main sail when I first got the boat as the battens were way too flexible for the job. I took the sail in to North Sails to have some reinforcing put into some areas that had lost their shape. They fitted the sail with heavier battens and now it holds it's shape nicely.

Henry

I had that impression too. But I wouldn't want to invest much in that without being sure.

I would very much appreciate any information you can easily scare up.

Thanks.

My original battens were 1 1/4 wide X 3/32 thick. My new battens are only 3/4 wide but are 9/32 thick ( possibly 1/4 inch nominal but they measure a bit over ).
The short upper battens are a bit smaller but in each case the new battens are far stiffer than the originals.

Henry

My battens are nominally the same - 1/8" x 1 1/4", though the upper 2 are perceptibly thinner than the lower 2. They measure 2 pound and 3 pound stiffness, respectively (force to deflect a 40" sample 4").

I added a 1" x 11oz. carbon TOW to each side for the last 65% of each batten, tapering the start, so now my battens are "tapered" like they were on my Prindle. The aft portion of the top battens are now 8 pound and the lowers are 10 pound, probably close or a bit more than what you have. Hey, it was just a back-of-the-envelope calculation. My target was 6 pound and 8 pounds, but I can live with the result just fine. It helped.

Thanks for the input, doubledutch.

is still falling off a bit. The photo is in a 15 knot breeze on a beam reach.

I think I need to tighten 2 seams about 3/16" each. I think that will set it right. I tried it with 1 and 2 reefs, and it set fine.

Can't find the photo in a breeze, but it looked the same.