Sail cover and luff tube

[Éric Bouvéron]

Bonjour,

Finaly we hoisted the sails on our Tiki 21, nice and easy, to my surprise -I am a pessimist- and after some photos put the main down. And then we tried to put it in the sail cover we had made as on the design.

Just impossible. The luff makes such a big amount od fabric that it just cannot come inside. I went on the net and seen some Tiki21pics where the sails are so nicely tied, and some, well, not so nicely...

So, How do you deal with the sail cover? Do you used the designed cover, or do you make one bigger? Which volume of the luff are you abble to get with your sail down? Mine is so monstruous!

Thanks for your answers,

Éric

[Blanc Jean-Paul]

Hello 

Some view of you sail (if possible) can help to reply.

Mechanically a luff tube can't be the best a sail. 

Friction is important when the sail is in the wind.

This is dangerous when you have to quickly sink the sail in an gale for example.
Cheer,
"Kaahua"

[Éric Bouvéron]

Jean Paul, here are some pics. 

The sail goes up and down soooo easily, I am very pleased. However, the mast and sail were dry. Mast is wood, painted, sails are dacron. I take a pic of the sails hoited and lowered.

Au fait, si tu veux des photos de détail de mes voiles, pour ton appréciation, passe-moi une adresse mail. Les photos sont prêtes.

[Ian Bamsey]

See here for a picture of my home made sail cover on the Tiki 21

http://tiki21gratitude.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/real-sailors.html

[Éric Bouvéron]

Thank you Ian, I have seen the blog, and didn't payed attention to the picture... 

So your sail takes as much volume as mine, and I think that I will just try to get some fabric and modify what I have now.

Thanks again,

Éric

[Ian Bamsey]

Éric, you should note that it is really a squeeze getting the sail in the bag. It needs to be carefully packed and compressed with sail ties in order to get it in the bag.

Ian

[Brad Ingram]

I have an oversized main sail on my 21. It took a few months of use for the sail to scrunch up more than it did at first. I lower the gaff to chest level and get it parallel with deck. then I take a sail tie and wrap it around the gaff and under the foot up close to the gaff jaws. I loop the end through the loop on the sail tie and pull it tight which compresses the luff pretty well. I then flake the main back and forth over the gaff until I can't anymore. After that I just wrap the gaff with the rest of the sail then tie it up nicely with two more ties. 

I also tie a line from the bottom reef cringle and loop it through the top cringle and pull tight to help compress the luff in front of the mast. 

[boatsmith]

I hated folding the mainsail on my wingsail. I am used to folding or rolling my mainsail with more love.

I have read that some folks have used a different fabric for the pocket that wads more compactly.

[Ian Bamsey]

My process is the same as Brad's