There has been a lot of discussion about stackpacks and ordinairy sailcovers. Both have their pros and cons. Those p&c are amplified a lot when the sail gets bigger, like the main of a N36.
A stackpack allows to quickly store the main but it is present when sailing. Doyle and Mack came up with a nice solution to minimize windage, but still, without having a conventional boom, it’s a lot of cloth flapping around.
When sailing, a sailcover is stored down below, making it a better choice in many ways. However, when covering the main, it takes effort and time to get it where it’s supposed to be, especially on a Nonsuch sail. Slots for the craddle lines make it easier to work with, but it looks messy and it allows water in. (my previous system… not happy with it at all)
So why not have a hybride? Just thinking out loud here. Actually, I’m not just thinking out loud, I’m in the progress of making a hybride.
The “bottom part” is the maindrop-part. It is there, where the sail weights the most. It is only 1/6th of the surface of a full stackpack. Zippers on both sides allow to take the “top-part” (sailcover) off. Where the zippers end, and the sailcovert continues, will be “closed” with tourniquet turners.
What are your thoughts? Is it the best of both worlds combined or have a made problems of both systems add up?
It sounds like a great idea. If I’m following your intent, it sounds very similar to a design that Butch Garren and several other Chesapeake Bay Nonsuch owners developed, as well as a similar design that Ted Eedson wrote up and posted on the INA website.
To see Ted’s, go to International Nonsuch Association - Authorization required and look for “Nonsuch 26 Top Loading Sail Cover - Posted October 2020”. Here’s a pair of pictures lifted from his document which show how it looks on his boat at the dock and under sail:
I’ll send you the plans for the Chesapeake Bay design privately. It was originally done for N30’s, but it’s been scaled up and down. I’ve used that one with good results on both of my N26’s, Butch and the Chesapeake folks have had it for N30’s, and I helped my friend Phil scale it up for his N36. Here are some photos of that design that I got from Butch when I was getting ready to do mine:
I’m looking forward to hearing more about what you come up with. I’ll bet you come up with some really good improvements.
The canvas guy who made my sailcovers according this design did a great job on the first one. I got my second Nonsuch just as he was retiring, and my sailcover was literally his last project before packing it in. Unfortunately, I think he was retired in his heart while doing mine, so it’s not near the quality of his previous work. I’m looking at repairing or replacing soon.
So, I’m looking forward to hearing more about what you come up with. I’ll bet you come up with some really good improvements. I’d be interested in seeing the design you come up with.
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch e26U #233
Marina del Rey, California
Yes, the sail cover material flapping around is not nice. When I bought Mistoffelees, 21 years ago, it come with a home made zip up sail cover that was built into the lazy jack lines attached to the wishbone. It was customized using the original sail cover material. The prior owner made the mast surrounding part a separate zip off piece that zips onto the rest of the hanging sail cover just aft of the mast. That small that goes around the mast is zipped off prior to sailing. Some people whose sail cover remains around the mast while sailing have found that the lose material often feeds into the turning block at the bottom of the mast. My version requires a bungee cord that goes around the mast and attaches to both sides of the sail cover pulling the thing straight & taught - no flapping around. The archives will some detailed postings of how to build your built in sail cover.
Oh, wait a minute, now I get what you had in mind, Mark.
I didn’t notice this morning that the red line in your drawing is labelled “zipper”.
You’re planning to have a zipper on each side, with the top section of the cover above that red line completely zipping off. Is that right?
So, the top piece comes off when departing, gets folded up, and stowed away. On return, the crade lines guide the sail into the bottom piece, and the top part gets laid out and zipped back on from both sides. Now, am I understanding you?
If so, sounds like a really interesting idea that should work pretty well.
If you pull the slack in your reefing lines back to the sail clew, you won’t need any slots for them.
Depending on how long the zippers need to be, I don’t know whether you might have trouble sourcing a continuous zipper of that length.
And the top piece might need a section that loops around the mast, so that it doesn’t flip back in a breeze and leave the head of the sail uncovered.
