We are fast completing our Nutmeg. We'll be painting this week... and sewing our sail! I ended up biting the bullet, and buying some sailcloth to build our own sail, according to the plans. I just have some detail questions:
1. After sewing the basic shape, do we need to fold over and sew seems to prevent fraying along the edges? I bought sail material that seems very stable along the edges... but I have no experience with it to know for sure whether it will fray once we get it out in the wind.
2. How do you recommed that we attach the sail to the head and the foot? With string? Rope? Plastic ties?
3. Do you recommend that we put stainless steel grommets along the edge of the sail for attaching it?
4. I am not sure how to make sure there is some "shape" in the sail. I see in the plans that the trailing edge of the sail is to be "Straight"... and that there is to be 5" of roach in the head and the foot. I assume this means that these are not to be rigged straight, that the sail should be made 5" longer than the length of the head and the foot, and that they shoulkd be rigger with some bunching to allow some shape in the sail. Is that true? Or is there something else I should be doing to make this right?
5. And finally, a question about attaching the sail and spars to the mast. I can understand the spot half way along the head, where the sail is pulled up to the top of the mast. But, I am wondering if there is some attachment made to the mast at the foot... just to keep it from blowing up away from the mast by the wind. I see nothing about this in the plans... and I have never sailed with this type of lateen rig. Is there some loose fitting rope that should be used, or something else?
Here is a reply to your questions sent by e-mail to SBF Central, and we quote:
"Always hem sail material when you are sewing it. Sew in reinforcing patches at the corners that will be attached to the yard and boom. Put grommets in them and along the edges lying on the yard and boom.
Roach is not length, but the departure of the edge from a straight line measured at the midpoint. This gives belly to the sail.
Attach the sail to the yard and boom with short lengths of nylon twine. Cut them with a heat gun to prevent raveling. Tie a square knot and then tie a over hand knot in each free end right up against the square knot to keep it from untying. You can also buy the loops SUNFISH uses at a dealer. Check out Jim Michalak's essays on sailmaking, scroll way down to "...Lugsai Rigging"
For a downhaul to secure the boom to the mast use a piece of ΒΌ" rope. Tie it to the boom with a clove hitch. Pass it around the mast and lead it dowb to a cleat on the mast partner where the halyard cleat is also located. Use a clove hitch to attach the halyard to the yard. Back it up with two half fitches around the halyard."
Nutmegger
Also, check out Making the Tyvek Sail by Bill Wallace (some good descriptions of corner reinforcemet for grommets) and Dave Gray's "How to Make a Polysail" for a description of how to create 'depth of curvature for the sail to work' or belly in the sail.
