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Hi
I'm having an awful time rigging a new 10m cammed race sail for the first time. This is my first cam sail. It's on a matching 550 mast but I can't get the cams nearest the boom to stay on the mast. I have experimented with a variety of downhaul/outhaul tensions but the cams pop off the mast. The mast is made by the same manufacturer as the sail and they only make SDM masts for that size sail so it can't be that the cams are for a skinny mast. I feel like I have the downhaul correct because the triple pulleys on the sail are lined up with the mast length numbers on the extension. However, at this tension, the mast has not bent sufficiently to fill the leading edge of the luff pocket. Should the downhaul tension cause this to happen? I'm using a screw driver and my foot on the end of the mast extension to apply tension. Is this enough? Everything I read says I need more tension. How do you know when you've got this right? Any help would be most welcome. I've spent a couple of frustrating hours on this now and have so far have only managed to get blood stains from my hands on my sails.
Cheers, Hoadles
I suspect that your extension starts at 4cm or something like many do and you are not getting pulley to pulley contact so you are 4 - 8cm too short on the downhaul...?
Pretty sure you don't have enough downhaul. And you even said that you have tried with different outhaul settings aswell, so it must be not enough downhaul.
Couple of observations from my experience:
If the top cam is also refusing to latch on to the mast, then it is most certainly insufficient downhaul. In my sails, minimual downhaul gets the bottom cam on. A bit more downhaul and the second cam up will stick. More DH again and the third cam will stay and so forth. Pretty much the reverse when de-rigging - my cams all pop off the mast in sequence top to bottom as downhaul is let off. You only advised about the two cams near the boom, but if the bottom cam is staying on, then downhaul is your answer.
You would need everything going in your favour to downhaul a 10m sail by hand (formuline rope, nice big smooth pulleys on sail and mast base, sound technique and big muscles). A winch makes things soooo much easier and safer. I must post a picture of my beastie downhaul winch - like nothing you've ever seen before!
I run most of my mast bases at 4-6cm of additional extension over what the nominal figure is (eg for a 470cm luff on a 460 mast, I'll be running that base at 14 or 16 cm, not the 10 cm that the strict mathematics would dictate). Not sure why this is the case but it's reasonably consistent across all my sails including the ones where there are manufacturer markings on the sail to indicate when sufficient downhaul is set.
Good luck. Eckas
Do you realise that for cammed sails it is best to apply half the downhaul, then lots of out haul. Then pop the cams on and after the cams are on downhaul the rest of the way?
for downhaul - you can put a loop on a wood piece like in the photo to start
i did not see sail brand and model discussed
thought most 10-ohs rigged on 520s ??
for loop - it is at about 1:19
Try sliding the mast into the luff pocket but not in the cams first. Downhaul the sail. Put the boom on at recommended lenght. Release the downhaul. Push downward force on the batten which relates to the cam you are fitting, (This will push the cam downward and make it easy to lock onto the mast.) Repeat for each cam. Then complete the downhaul. Again..... Not with a screw driver!!!!! Use your harness hook or a rig winch. Also would be good to know what brand/ modle sail as some brands have their different querks when it comes to rigging.
Never use anything sharp to downhaul with. If the rope snaps you'll stick yourself. Nobody looks good with a screwdriver sticking into them.
