[Public-List] Mainster

[crufone at comcast.net]

Bill, 

Thanks for the description.  I have never heard of such a sail. Is the sail loo se footed as well?   I suppose that you need an easily adjustable topping lift for the main boom to help shape the mainster. Perhaps it is not even attached to the boom? Is the sail triangular or does it have shoulders as a symetrical spinnaker would have? 

Michael 





From: "Bill Wallace" <wayfarer3134 at yahoo.com> 
To: crufone at comcast.net, "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> 
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2011 11:25:51 AM 
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Looking for ideas to organize cockpit lockers 



A mainster is a nylon mainsail, ala an article in Good Old Boat magazine.  It is set flying (eg not attached to the mainsail track) in place of the mainsail during very light winds.  It doesn't slat even in the lightest winds, but is only good to 10-15 knots maximum wind speed.   Because it is nylon, you just stuff it into a bag and it doesn't take much space, so I don't mind carrying an extra sail. 


If we you want to sew your own, I find that I can easily buy ripstop nylon at fabric factory stores (Lens Mill Waterloo, Ontario and nearby) and if I'm not fussy about the colour, then buying the entire remaining roll gets me a cost of about $6/meter (yard).  Downloading one of the sail designing programs allows you to quickly design the sail and print out single-sheet outlines for each panel.  Those get transferred to the fabric and the edges cut with a hot knife (I use a propane soldering iron from Lowes - $20 - that way I don't worry about the cord moving the fabric - but do it outside in a light wind that moves away from you). 


Cost for me is about $200 for either the drifter or the mainsail. 
100 in fabric 
50 in high-tech rope for the luff/foot 
25 in thread/needles 
25 for a few rings and nylon webbing for attaching the corners 


sailrite sells a kit for about 450 I think the quote was, and for a first sail, I would recommend going that way.  This will be my third sail, so I'm keen to try designing it as well, and for the cost/effort, I don't mind ruining a sail if it doesn't work out the way I want.   


I plan on setting the drifter attached either just inboard of the forestay or just outboard for long runs  attaching it to the end of the anchor roller gives it another 30-40 cm further out and that should help the boat balance. 


If I like my sail, I will upload the sailcad files to the alberg30 site for both the drifter and the mainster (and eventually for the try/storm sails), but that won't be till next June at the earliest as I do my sewing and any woodworking over the winter and try to sail/install over the summer. 


Bill.