Raising the sail alone

I was thinking while raising my sail last time, would it be easier to raise the sail with out the boom, and then slide the boom in the the bottom and downhaul it? Just wonderin if anyone has tried it...

Luke

That probably would make it easier to keep the bolt rope aligned with the sail track. I have a sail feeder on my mast, from the murrays catalog. It seems to work pretty well, I havn't had any problems getting my sail up.

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Marcus
H16
Narragansett Bay, RI

Hoisting without the boom can help on a few points. The outhaul and weight of the boom can hinder hoisting.

If the boom is in place, be sure the outhaul is fully released and the main blocks are free running or not attached.

Take a look at an FAQ I wrote awhile back for some additional technical help.

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=371

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Hey Luke-

I don't recall ever hoisting the sail any other way except without the boom or seeing anyone else do otherwise either. This was the way the local dealer showed us to do it. I don't know what it says in the assembly instructions but it makes a HUGE difference in the amount of effort needed. The sail feeder is a lot of help too. It is easy to slip the boom on and off. Try it, you'll like it

Definitely check out Matt's FAQ for other helpful hints too. Good stuff.

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The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.

FWIW, 95% of the time I raise the sail with the boom attached just because that's how I store it. I roll the jib up inside the main (starting at the head and working down) so that when I get to the boom I can wrap the mainsheet around the bundle several times and tie it off; then I have a nice package that I can put on the hangers in the shed at our sailing club. Yes, it does take a bit of additional effort to get the last 24" of sail up but I've never found it to be a big deal.

That said, if I had a fancy new sail and not one that's 33 years old, I'd probably be a bit more leery of every little crinkle that storing it that way might cause.

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Warm regards,

Jim

I always raise without the boom attached. The only advantage I could see of keeping the boom attached is that it would make it easier to carry around the sails. It really doesn't take that long to pur the boom on, and thread the outhaul. And I never worry about a tang or the gooseneck rubbing holes in my sails.

Matt G
Hobie 16 SN#1960
Burbank CA

Good point Matt G (Gee how many Matt's are on this forum? )

As I said, my sail always comes off the boom and gets rolled up and put in the bag. Even if you have a neat storage system Jim, I think it is a good idea to get the metal away from the cloth. Oh well my 2cents on top of my 2 cents.

Happy sails- by the way, that link to Jim's site to where he builds a rudder is awesome!! Check it out sailors..

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The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.