Front Frame Necessary on t28?

[vancouver]

Monday I was out sailing with new crew. Actually new to me, but very experienced racing crew. The winds were light and as usual the genoa was hanging up on the front lowering frame. The one labelled B in the owners manual. I have the laminate sails and with the UV protection the clew is quite stiff and has trouble getting past the frame. One of the crew asked if they were necessary for mast support or could they be removed. I said I don't really know. Does anyone know?

[Ron]

B is MAST SUPPORT !!!!!!! A and B become the aft and forward lower shrouds once the mast is up. There is a specific procedure to tune them in the manual. Do it right or you could bend them when the wind picks up. They've got to pull down on the mast rather than push up.

I've got the Kevlar sails too and I don't recall it ever getting stuck on the B frame. Very light air will cause some problems with the A frame though.
Wrap any sharp points (pins, clamps, bolts, nuts, etc.) with tape. It should help. I also put a 6 foot section of loose plastic tubing around the wire shrouds. It acts as a roller while tacking. Most marine stores sell this type of thin flexible tubing for various wire sizes. And finally, maybe try tacking by backwinding the gib. Don't let go of the soon to be lazy sheet until the backwinded sail helps bring the bow around. Then pull and feed the two sheets (at the same time) to let it swiftly glide around all of the rigging. Do it right and you won't even need the winch handle.

The other two frames are lifing aids and can be removed if you want to. But you WILL need them to raise or lower the mast.

[wingman]

It is probably not worth buying new sheets, but if you do, then do not have separate sheets, but just loop one continuous line through the clew make a small "knot" at the halfway point. Done right (you can experiment), the clew is much less likely to hang up than if you connect the sheets with bowlines.

Also, sheets one size smaller than those delivered with the boat will work better in the winches. The old sheets are great for spare dock lines when cruising. No extra line goes to waste on a boat!

John Enderle
Bay Wings