hard sail ties...

[groundhog]

... any tricks to softening the hard strap style sail ties?

[St Anna]

Are you referring to gaskets to lash a mainsail?

If not, then please ignore my rambling on.

I run an 8mm stretch cord (occy strap) from tack to clew and back. I have 5 clips in 5 sections, partitioned by snipped off cable ties. Each clip is on the same side (stb).

When the sail is dropped into the lazy jacks, I reach over the bunched up sail for the first clip, stretch it over to clip onto the stretch cord on the other side. I now have 5' of bagged' sail. I move aft and repeat until all of the sail is wrapped up.

This system, I have nothing to carry, tie or worry that I may collect a hook in the face if I let go.

The following photo shows the occy cord behind the cat. In this photo, I was hindered in tidying the sail because of the rotten cat jumping up. So please ignore the cat, we try to!
http://i665.photobucket.com/albums/v...a/minke019.jpg

[WanderingStar]

Wash them.

[groundhog]

Wash them with anything in particular?
They have been on the boat for several years getting rained on... that doesnt count for washing?

[hellosailor]

What's a "hard strap" ? Old stiff nylon, or what?

[Liquorice]

Soft sail ties:
Old running rigging (mainsheet / jib sheet); decore; eye splice in one end; whip the other end.
sam :-)

[ilikerust]

Originally Posted by St Anna

Are you referring to gaskets to lash a mainsail?

If not, then please ignore my rambling on.

I run an 8mm stretch cord (occy strap) from tack to clew and back. I have 5 clips in 5 sections, partitioned by snipped off cable ties. Each clip is on the same side (stb).

When the sail is dropped into the lazy jacks, I reach over the bunched up sail for the first clip, stretch it over to clip onto the stretch cord on the other side. I now have 5' of bagged' sail. I move aft and repeat until all of the sail is wrapped up.

This system, I have nothing to carry, tie or worry that I may collect a hook in the face if I let go.

The following photo shows the occy cord behind the cat. In this photo, I was hindered in tidying the sail because of the rotten cat jumping up. So please ignore the cat, we try to!
http://i665.photobucket.com/albums/v...a/minke019.jpg

I'm trying to make sure I'm envisioning this correctly. Can you clarify, or maybe provide another pic or two? Sounds like a pretty slick setup.

Thanks

[tdw]

Originally Posted by ilikerust

I'm trying to make sure I'm envisioning this correctly. Can you clarify, or maybe provide another pic or two? Sounds like a pretty slick setup.

Thanks

Same as ours....Sailing Dog used that system in conjunction with his lazy jack set up and I pretty much copied that idea. Works well but if you have a traditional sail cover be careful where you attach the jack lines. Mine now interfere with the clips on the sail cover. Preferably get a boom bag...I wish we had, going with sail cover was about the dumbest thing I have done to the old girl.

Have a look at this post from SailingDog. Should be self explanatory.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/629938-post13.html

We don't retract our jack lines. If we did so it would make attaching the sail cover a lot easier but it is a major bore. Another negative however is that I noticed this weekend that the jacklines are chafing the sail cover. Probably means the jack lines will have to retracted after sail is tied down. Bummer.

Boom bag would have solved all these problems.

[WanderingStar]

Lots of fabric aboard becomes stiff in the weather, lines too. Just put them in the laundry, fabric softener should help.

[sailingdog]

Thanks Fuzzy... BTW, I swiped the idea from my friend's grandfather, who showed me that on a boat 30 years ago.