I am after one of those straps that can be sewn onto the top of a sail's luff sleave so that I can use the sail with a longer mast than recommended. Asked at my local shop (SHQ) but they did not have any. Any suggestions where I can get one or what they are called?
I realize I will not get optimun performance but it is a 4.2 sail that I will only use once or twice a year and I can't justify spending $500 or more on a good quality mast that I will seldom use.
Take it to a sailmaker I had a couple done in the old days I used old sailworks plastic head caps but if you dont have one they can make a pouch out of the webbing
Neil pryde used to have an extender strap, not sure if they still do. It was an accessory for their smaller sails. I think I may have one somewhere.
If SHQ said "nah we don't have any" but did not even suggest a sailmaker would have some from old sails or could make one, or even suggest the NP extension strap.... then I'd not be going back to SHQ again
Good morning, Bill,
The NP extender is not sewn into the luff, rather, after removing the fitted mast plug, the extender is looped around the webbing that the mast plug was affixed to. You then fit the mast plug to the extender, rig the sail and adjust the extender to suit.
The extender relies on friction to stop the extender from expanding under load. From sad experience, I found the friction clamp was not enough and it slipped whilst on the water. The solution was to tie an overhand (shoelace) knot in the material coming out of the friction clamp, close to the clamp, so that if the clamp does slip, it can only go as far as the knot.
Sounds complicated, but very easy to set up.
If SHQ don't have one, you might try the NP dealers in NSW and Qld to see if they can help, otherwise conatct NPMaui, who seem to have a wide range of NP accessories.
Hope this helps.
I have the same deal with the webbing slipping but find if I push the sliding barrel across so it locks tight, whilst somebody else downhauls, it helps it lock up.
Basically you give it a hand to get in the right position to lock up as first time it is used the webbing is a little slippery and has not enough friction to move the sliding bit into place.
You need to only do that once and there is no more slippage after that as it is locked up
BWB,
Attached is a photo of the NP mast extender.
As shown, it extends the mast by about 400mm (less when the strap is threaded through the rollers).
Hope this helps.
Baywavebill,
You might want to try this out first. I recently did that for a 4.2 as well to see if it would rig on a 400 mast. Short answer is it didn't. The mast was simply to stiff.
baywavebill,
If your 4.2 has a recommended mast of 370 and you want to rig it on a 400 then possibly would be ok, though if you wanted to rig it on a 430 then that could be disastrous! Very much depends on the length and type of mast recommended for your 4.2 as well as the mast you plan to use in it (whether it's bend curve and stiffness would work with your 4.2, particularly with an adjustable head fitted).
All,
I used the mast extender for many years, rigging a 4.0 NP wave sail on a 400 mast when the rigging spec called for a 370 mast. Didn't want to buy a new mast and so I put up with the 4.0 sail being very much "Off" or "On" in power with very few days where it pulled constantly. Never had a problem downhauling the sail using a normal hand puller.
Two years ago, bit the bullet and bought an X3/370 and the difference in the sail handling was amazing, even though the mast was bottom-of-the-line.
Wouldn't recommend the extender based on my own experience, but can understand why they are used.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for all your advice guys. My sail is a 4.2 NP Firefly which recommends a 370 mast. I was hoping to get away with using the 400 XCombat mast. Looks like it can be done but with a real compromise but if its only 1 or 2 times a year I might prefer to spend the $500 a 370 mast would cost, elsewhere. ???? Worth a try with the extender just to see as it will not cost much.
Hi Bill
how much sticks through the top?
The pryde sails are notorious for having luff lengths of 398cm...
Rig it on the 400 and see what it looks like
ps hope you're well.. bumped into Becky on the train the other day and said I hadn't seen you in a while.
