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would you buy this?
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freecal18



Joined: 16 Jun 2012
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 4:48 pm    Post subject: would you buy this? Reply with quote

have you ever rigged up a sail in changeable winds only to find that as soon as you get out on the water it is a meter too large or too small for conditions? i know i have, living in MN changing winds are just the standard. i was just thinking that when conditions are like that a sail with a removable section would come in handy. a sail that could vary by .5 of a meter or a full meter and could be changed without derigging at all. kind of a two sails in one idea. i was thinking this because i know a guy who successfully "chopped" the top part of his sail with no significant performance difference other than the size drop. think rather than a vario head to accommodate a larger mast a vario sail that could serve as say a 6.0 and a 6.5 and the size could be changed in seconds without derigging it. so what do you think? practical? does it already exist? would you buy it if it did? what size changes would work best (eg. 6.0-6.5 or a 6.0-7.0)?
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What you're suggesting isn't very practical at all. Back in the late 80s/early 90s there was a sail brand (unfortunately, I can't remember its name) that had a zippered bottom section that could be used or removed to get, in concept, two sails in one. A friend of mine had one, but when it come down to changing one way or the other, it took arguably more time to modify it because all the components need to undone and revised. Moreover, the sail's performance in either mode was really not up to the standard of the average normal sail.

In my view, the best way to solve your problem would be to rig a couple sails, so that you could choose the best one over the course of the day. As long as you have the necessary components, it's the best way to go. Even if you need to share the same boom, the change-out would be very quick.
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thombiz



Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 799
Location: Corpus Christi

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Multi-Sail
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep, that's it. Thanks.
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NickB



Joined: 30 Jun 2009
Posts: 510
Location: Alameda, CA

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 6:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't most of the modern sails will let you accomplish this +/- .5m variation through tuning of the downhaul and outhaul. Bag it and tighten the leech for + .5m, flatten it and open up the leech for - .5m.

I don't know if a "vario" concept would be compatible with this kind of tune-ability but if someone has the design skills to make it work, why not...
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spennie



Joined: 13 Oct 1995
Posts: 975
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Two words: Adjustable Outhaul.

I put them on my 5.6, 6.6, 7.2 and 8.2. Wifey was a little sketchy at first, but loves them dearly now. Most people think it's just for racing, but think about it: Wind picks up while you're out sailing, reach back and give it a tug, you're back in the groove. Wind backs off (or going downwind), release it a bit and you're golden once again.

I've even heard of guys putting one on one side of their wave sails, power going out, give it a tug, flat riding the wave. Sailworks has an easy-to-install & easy-to-use AO that's less expensive than some of the others, available on their website.

Hot tip for using your AO: Chinook clew pulleys.

_________________
Spennie the Wind Junkie
www.WindJunkie.net
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norcom



Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 137

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've thought about the idea of a "zipper sail" quite a few times. Very Happy Guess I'm not the only one.
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isobras



Joined: 17 Jul 2012
Posts: 439

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's been done. The Multisail changed sizes over a significant range via zippers. They were very good sails, but not only was it just as quick to rig a new sail, the latter leaves ya rigged and ready when the wind resumes its initial speed.

And, yes ... many of us rig 2, 3, even 4 or possibly more sails in a day (and may try 2 to 4 boards) in an attempt to capture changing wind conditions. Even the incredible range of modern sails doesn't make one sail and board cover wind that may range from 12 to 45 mph throughout a day of B&J sailing.

Mike \OO/
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Bluejaytoo



Joined: 21 Apr 2012
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep, I had one of the original Multi-Sails. The Multi-Sail reps were always apologizing for it and kept trying to get me to replace it with a new one. It went the way of the ex-girlfriend, good riddance! I love the little eyeball guides on my North Natural that let me fine-tune the downhaul for wind conditions.
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freecal18



Joined: 16 Jun 2012
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
A friend of mine had one, but when it come down to changing one way or the other, it took arguably more time to modify it because all the components need to undone and revised.


what if the components did not need to be changed in any way? i was thinking the top section would zip off rather than the bottom, allowing it to be more hassle free.[/quote]
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