Got a Topsails Surf Squad 5.5 for free from a friend to recut for my mini. This is the result.
The 2 photo's above are from the original sail, without the mast sleeve.
Cut away and puzzled something together
The result and a detail of the attachment to the boom.
so far, and maybe, so good
Fantastic effort there. Well done.
There is nothing wrong with cheap/free sails and the wind doesn't know the difference.
When you fit the eyelet to the tack on the front of the sail, just make sure that you tie a short length of heavy cord through the eyelet, around the front of the mast.
This is to take the strain/weight off the stitching on the bottom of the mast pocket.
Just fit some wool "tell tales" to let you know what's happening with the sail.
I use 200mm of yellow and black wool (to work out which side they are).
I just lift an existing stitch along a batten pocket or sail seam about 25% back from the mast pocket and slip them under, with a knot in one end.
Do this at 3 or 4 heights up the sail. It really helps to know what your sail is doing when you start off.
Lots of fun to be had with this sail.
Chook, thanks for your comment and I sure will take the idea of the tell tales with me.
I don't think that it's necessary to have an eyelet on the tack (see my last photo) with a piece of rope around the mast, because in windsurfing you use the eyelet only for downhauling the sail. With a lot more power on it. The outhaul is made by using the eyelet in the back, with less power use. Correct me if I'm wrong. I can always go to a real sailmaker to put an eyelet when the stitching has broken, but I'll try this first.
Chooks suggestion is good There is a lot of tension back along the foot to the end of the boom an eyelet and rope around the boom takes the load off the luff pocket as he said
Some of my sails have a webbing loop sewn on there
Windsurfer booms are fixed to the mast further up so the strain is spread more
Ok, I understand this, so I'll stitch the same webbing loop as on my last photo in the direction of the mast. But stubborn as I am, I still believe that in windsurfing the sail has a lot more tension to handle to get the loose leach at the top of the sail. That's why they use 6 pulleys for downhaul and at least 1 for outhaul.
