Question
Rush Wind Sail sleeve
I just purchased some used Rushwind Convert sails with a lipstick mast and I am having problems downhauling the sail properly. It seems like the issue is occuring about half way up the sail inside the sleeve where there is a fitting that the mast supposedly slides through as it is goes up the sail. When I try to downhaul the sail it will not take proper shape with the fitting seeming to be an unnatural stress point. Eventually, with enough downhaul applied the mast will just pop off of the fitting leaving the sail disconfigured.
I know I may not be explaining this with the best of terms but hopefully the attached pic will help make some sense and I can get some advise how to properly rig this sail???
AnswerHey Dave,
The 'fitting' you speak of is called a 'camber inducer'. This induces a pocket in the body of the sail for more power and stability. Race sails will have 3 or 4 cambers. Because this technology works so well to keep a sail stable for power and speed, they built sails with one or two cambers for recreational sailors. The 'Convert' name of these sails means that they can be rigged with or without the camber inducer.
If you were to look closely at the camber, you may be able to remove it from the batten. Then there will probably be a small pocket to insert the end of the batten into right near where the camber connected. Another possibility is that there is a separate batten that you would use instead of the batten/camber. If you have bought them new and there is not an extra batten, then it was designed to use the batten in the sleeve. If you got them used, you might try to contact the seller and ask if there were extra battens.
Some people really like the stability of cambered sails. They are usually a bit more powerful on the low end and much more stable at high speeds. I actually have a couple of Rushwind Converts and I really like them. Try rigging with the cambers and if you just don't like them, try rigging without. They are really designed to work best with the camber in them.
As to rigging the sail with the camber. First, go to the outhaul side of he sail and loosen the batten strap as much as you can and still have about an inch of strap left in the ladder buckle. When you slide the mast into the mast sleeve, thread the top of the mast over the camber. Insert the mast all the way and then apply most of the downhaul. Then attach the outhaul and pull the sail fairly flat. Now go to where the camber is and unzip the pocket. Reach in the pocket with one hand and with the other, push down on the batten right about where the dark green panel is on the sail. Push down and with the inside hand, pull the camber onto the mast. Zip the pocket up. Now go to the outhaul end of the batten and tighten the strap on the batten. This will 'induce' the camber and add shape to the sail. Get the strap snug enough to remove wrinkles in the batten pocket area.
Now release the outhaul and readjust the length of the boom so that there is about one to two inches of gap from the outhaul to the end of the boom. Now adjust the down haul until there is a nice shape to the sail and all the wrinkles are out of the lower part of the sail near the mast. If the top of the sail starts drooping, that is okay. This allows the sail to spill air out the top. Now go to the outhaul and tighten the outhaul. Stand the sail up and try to rotate the sail. If the camber pops around fairly easily, then you are ready to sail. If it is really hard to get it to rotate, then loosen the batten strap just a little.
This should get you rigged and sailing.
Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover
