Trysail track for Sniper

[philstar 62]

Hey team 

 

I'm looking for ideas on a try sail track on Sniper. 

Its an alloy mast with an internal track. 

 

Basically I don't want to put an ugly external track on the outside of the mast and have all the bulk and weight of the track on the mast. 

 

Ideas? 

 

Can we do a short track at the bottom of the mast which feeds into the internal track?

 

Or another alternative might be a dynex strop which goes from the gooseneck up the mast and we hoist the trysail on this. 

I think Katana uses this.

 

The rig is out of the boat until 21 september and I'm just looking for ideas.

[Island Time 1,286]

You can use a gate into the internal track above the height of the lowered main. I'll see if I can find I pic I have somewhere of this system....

[philstar 62]

That sounds like what I'm after.

 

a pic would be great Matt. 

[Bad Kitty 289]

And the picture yourself in x conditions? 50 knots, 6 metre seas? trying to get the trysail in the track over the main?

 

Not sure that's entirley practical, but I guess it depends a lot on what you conditions you think you may be sailing in? Although that's not always the same thing as the conditions you end up sailing in.

[Island Time 1,286]

The idea is to have the trisail pre loaded on the feeder track, in a bag at the foot of the mast. Here is a pic of an external track gate.

[Island Time 1,286]

I have seen a boat with a similar setup on an internal track, and the feeder gate went external to internal. May have been custom made though, it was a while back...

[wild violet 38]

Trysails are bloody near impossible to put up in crap weather solo,I ended up just putting a deep third reef in mainsail much easier to handle.

[Island Time 1,286]

I don’t agree with that. Mine is in its own track, just needs a the sheets run and a halyard. It’s pretty easy. Oh, and I have a pin thru the track to hold it down so the sail can’t be washed up the track by a wave. Learned that by experience! It has a custom bag at the mast on deck, where it lives on passages.

[Bad Kitty 289]

I don’t agree with that. Mine is in its own track, just needs a the sheets run and a halyard. It’s pretty easy. Oh, and I have a pin thru the track to hold it down so the sail can’t be washed up the track by a wave. Learned that by experience! It has a custom bag at the mast on deck, where it lives on passages.

Yep that's what we've got.

I'm just struggling with the idea of dealing with cock-ups with using the same track as the main, getting the main right down & then going in over the top etc. etc.

[Black Panther 1,717]

Under 40 ft i wouldn't bother.

[philstar 62]

I've ditched the gate idea, too hard to make it work with an internal track. 

 

We got inspiration from Nigel and Cory on Katana ( Sunfast 3600).

We're putting an eye bolt at the second spreader and rigging an prestretched 8mm dynex strop with a rigging screw at the base of the mast. 

It will work the same way as a separate trysail track, we can hoist the trysail on the topping lift or the main halyard. in addition its removeable, light and easy to rig. The Trysail will be rigged with soft hanks. 

 

I reckon its a good option. 

[Fish 0]

This idea sounds good / interesting, and very easy to fit on a bunch of 'ordinary' boats.

Do you get the tri-sail cut to allow for some sag in the luff, or not bother?

i.e. are you expecting the dynex strop to have some sag in comparison to a fixed track, and would it make any difference to the sail performance? (that is in the context of needing to sail off a lee shore in nusty stuff etc)

[Island Time 1,286]

Maybe. It will put significant compressive load on the rig between the anchor points, and is likely to vibrate, possibly substantially, in heavy conditions. IMO.

I'd rather just use a deep reef than this system without through testing....

[Tazzy Devil 18]

My boat has a track that runs harken external slides, about 40cm above boom height there is notch cut so you can feed a trysail with slugs internaly. Clever system. I went for 3 reefs in the main and the 3rd is very deep, but nice to have a trysail just in case (blown main or mast or something.