ALADO

A sail flying from a foil provides an even distribution of stress along the luff of the sail, so a much thinner luff rope and less reinforcing is necessary than with hanked-on sails. The sail also holds its shape better.

The luff rope of hanked on sails is normally too large to fit in most foil slots. Therefore, the luff rope must be removed and a small diameter luff rope installed. This is normally accomplished by trimming off the luff rope and sewing on luff tape containing a smaller luff tape. This luff tape is especially made for this purpose and little, if any, sail area is lost.

If your sail goes all the way to the masthead and the foot is close to the deck you will have to shorten the sail by about three feet, in order to make room for the drum, top terminal and provide room for installation. This is usually done by cutting off the peak, and then tapering the top of the upper portion of the leech to restore the triangle. Any furling system utilizing foils necessitates sail shortening, and when done in this way there is very little loss in sail area and essentially no loss in driving power. Actually, you will sail better because: a) your sail will hold its from better when flying from a foil; and b) you can easily adjust sail area to meet wind conditions.

You should also sew Ultra Violet (UV) protection along the leech and foot of your sail. This will greatly prolong the life of a furled sail.

These sail modifications are a routine job for any competent sail maker.

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