Self Tacker

Originally posted by ssailor How do you mean bend in the middle surely there is hardly any sheet tension as the sail passes from side to side?

Part of the problem was that the slider was just a U bolt it would stick during a tack and would not go right to the end. Also the sheeting point was in board of the outer attaching point so it would twist the whole thing under load so that the center point of the track would lift up slightly.
The Aluminium tube it was made from was verry soft I just bent it over my knee, Stainless steel would be alot stiffer if heavier.
You would need to make the attaching points quite strong to resist all the twisting loads, remember that as the lead for the sheet is turning through nearly 180 degrees  the track takes almost double the sheet load.


 

Ive got a benedict 7 hull thats been modifyed by ovington and has extended wings(racks like the new ones but solid like a 49ers), and a prodder. It currently has a spaceframe with a open foredeck but we are in the process of replacing that with a carbonkevlar fibre foredeck.

I was wondering if a system along the ideas of the clothes line but using solid steel rod in stead of soft aluminum clothes line would work! - its certainly hard enough to bend into shape!

How do you mean bend in the middle surely there is hardly any sheet tension as the sail passes from side to side? 

Edited by ssailor

what kind of 14 do you have? mate tried the cloth trail, but it relly didn´t work very long, even in our light winds.

Yeh it would work but only straight across a boat - it cannot be curved because it would need support - I am currently looking at using stainless steel rod to the same effect but it can be bent thus being a no go grab rail!!

Thanks for that jim c, unfortunatley the dart track is predrilled so its an unlikely option now!