Raising the main sail

[Postville]

When raising the mainsail should I take it as far up the mast as possible? On my boat this will position the boom above the track slot.
When I position the sail track stop at the bottom of the slot to keep the boom below the slot , the head of the sail is 6 inches below the top of the mast.
The boat sails well like this but is was wondering which position is best.
Another question, is there an alternative way to attach the forestay to headstay stemhead? The cotter pin is so small I find it hard to get through the clevis pin. Is there an option to the quick release lever that DR Marine sells complete with cable? Can the quick release lever be fitted to the existing forestay?
Thanks, Bob

[tomodda]

Bob:

THe higher the better, but it's not that 6 inches is going to make a HUGE difference. You sure that the mast and sail are both the right dimensions? Look at the By-laws (Measurement section, book 3) and run a tape measure up your slot and sail luff. What do you mean that the boom goes "above the track slot"? The slot on my mast (what's left of the mast) goes from head to foot, with a slight widening to get the sail up into the slot. Do you mean that if you hoist the main to the very tp, the boom winds up in the wider portion of the slot?

About the forestay, fitting a quick-release lever means that you'll have to redimension the stay, no? Unless you already have a shroud adjuster (turnbuckle) up there, then you can swap out then adjuster with the quick-release pretty easily. Otherwise, have you tried a split ring instead of cotter pin? I hate cotter pins for anything that I'm not going to open more than once a season (and then I tape over it). A small keychain ring, for instance, no reason to get fancy.

In the meantime, a suggestion - try using the fore halyard to raise the mast. This is assuming you have a tabernacle, as most people, and your boat is still on the trailer. Clip the forestay to a sidestay temporarily, then attach your fore halyard to the stemhead - just don't attach it to the same hole as where you plan to put the forestay.. most stemheads have more than one hole. Push the mast up by whatever means necessary. I usually pull it up onto my shoulder then walk it into place. Once the mast is up, pull DOWN on the halyard (and yes, you can also use the halyard to help you raise it). Get as much tension on the halyard as you can and tie it off (tie, not just cleat!). Your mast should be perfectly secure. Unclip the forestay from the sidestay and take it around forward. Now you have both hands and all the time in the world to mess with clevis pins, cotter pins, split rings, etc. Way less hassle. Pro tip, if you need a bit more tension on the fore halyard to get the tip of the mast that last inch forward, push the halyard with your elbow, bowing it. That's usually enough to get the last little bit of slack for attaching the forestay to the stemhead. Once attached, you can slack off the fore halyard and go about the rest of your rigging. Hope this helps!

[GreenLake]

On my boat, I raise the sail to the top, and that does raise the boom above the stop. I then use my elbow to push the boom down and there is a downhaul attached to the gooseneck that can be cleated off at the mast right below the boom stop. That adds a bit of tension to the luff, but it's what the sailmaker tells me the sail is designed for (as long as the boom stop is the correct distance from the top -- but 6 inches sounds about right).

I've never been able to cleat the boom first and get the same result by tightening the halyard. It's too hard to get that much tension going.

My sail has a second cringle above the tack for a Cunningham. That can be used to add even more tension to the luff of the main should there be folds right aft of the mast in the middle of the luff. Usually not needed at all in light winds.

Actual cotter pins would be something I would judge appropriate for a boat that is kept at the dock or at a mooring. That is, when you need to be absolutely positive that the clevis pin can't come out while you are away. Normally, you'd use a split ring; there are some where one end curls in a bit, those are easier to connect than the ones where you need a fingernail to separate the two turns.

For anything but a short daysail, it would be appropriate to tape down your rings, so nothing can snag on them and pull them free. I've never seen it after only a few hours, but we used to have an active forum participant who lost his mast on a longer, multi-day excursion when the ring came off.

[Postville]

Thanks for the responses.
I will try to get the sail all the way up first, then pull down.
I trailer the boat to the lake , so I have to attach the forestay every time out.
The more I sail the Daysailer, the more I appreciate the design.
Bob

[GreenLake]

The more I sail the Daysailer, the more I appreciate the design.
Bob

That.

Good luck!