Anyone care to elaborate on how they put a bolt rope on the luff of a sail? Especially on Mylar sails?
I’ve been messing around with some scraps, and I can’t quite get it nice and straight. I end up with puckers. Granted I’m using 1/8" nylon chord (it’s the smallest I can use to keep things in the slot), and double sided tape.
Try using the outside tubing from “dubro” flex cable ( real use is for control surfaces or throttle on large planes ). I have used this and it works great. Clyde
guzz, are you doing this for scale purposes?
I have en ec12 and rather than doing a bolt rope, which is allowable, we attach slugs to the sail to fit in the track. Much much easier than trying to get a bolt rope. Plus it allows the sails to rotate much more freely.
here is a link to how the ec12 folks doit…
http://www.ec12.info/Sail%20Preparation.htm
here is a link to a jackline method with larger slug on the smaller line. which woudl do the same thing as a bolt rope…
http://www.ec12.info/images/Editors/Jackline.htm
another option would me to cut a strip of mylar and make a bolt rope and sleeve separate from the luff, and then attach(sew/tape) the bolt rope sleeve to the sail…
or, make your luff pocket large enough to accommodate the bolt rope you want to use, and then thread the bolt rope in the pocket after the fact.
hope this helps…
I went to my local craft store and picked up some wide ribbon and used sailmakers tape to attach. By taping down the sail, I was able to lay the tape, then the ribbon with minimal puckering, but it took a few attempts to figure it out.
In my case, my mast is slotted, and I use 3mm carbon rod in the pocket, in the slot for the main. I found that the ribbon (polyester I think) had the best flex, allowing the sail to move relatively freely.
Grav
I just have a slotted mast, that’s all. Previously I used several tubes taped to the luff. I want to remake my sails (now that I have more material), and I just wanted to try to make a full length bolt rope luff. Just curious how other people do it.
I’m not very keen on using a jack wire. I don’t like having cut-outs with PET film. Cut-outs are weak spots that encourage tearing.
My old sails tend to pop out of the grove (between the tubes) easily, unless I really tighten the down haul. I think I know of a way to avoid this in the future (again using “slugs”), but still open to suggestions.
I think to have a true bolt rope, it would be easiest to make your luff pocket, and then using some wire or thin carbon rods, feed the bolt rope through the pocket…
or you could purchase some from graham at sails ect… http://www.sailsetc.com/sailmakingmaterials.htm#
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