Sail Slides and Jackline Question

[ALX357]

Would like some advice on whether this looks right, is acceptable in your
opinion, before i go back to the place i had it done, and maybe get it fixed IF it needs it.

I don't want to get at odds with this dealer, since they have been great in shipping orders quickly, are really nice on the phone, and willing to work at making things right. Did describe this sail problem to them after i received the sail back (they sub-out the sail mod work and might not have examined my sail after the work ) and they said that based on my description it sounds normal, that they all look and work that way.
'Said the Mac is not a racing boat, so they don't need a Cunningham, but that i could rig up one to "fix" this.
I am not entirely satisfied that the main halyard should pull along all the slides normally - but from the bottom, be skewed across to pull ultimately from the boom outside (aft) of the gooseneck. Normally the halyard pulls the sail from an attached point on the mast, stretches the sail straight, and not just pulling from the boom against the gooseneck. I might not be getting this across well, with the words, but just look at the forces and where the tension is now. Also there is a lot of space open, and a long edge of sail that is not attached to the mast, and the out-of line pull leaves a loose flap at the front edge of the tack. This is i guess to allow the sail to be flaked when it is reefed, without having to take out the slides, but it looks like a slide may be missing or something needs to be there.
I know it looks like i should just use the original tack point to hold the sail right at/above the forward gooseneck hinge, but that puts a real wrinkle in the sail there, and is obvioulsy no longer lined up since the rest of the luff edge is not inside the mast groove now but behind the mast and out of line with the jaws for the tack.
This arrangement as provided by the dealer looks like it may rip the sail eventually.

(NOTE) i have thought of at least two solutions, an easy one with only a piece of rope, and a more involved hardware addition
Note also i have already cut the luff rope stitches at the bottom - not the seam or sail, just the stitches which held the "shrunken" rope down within its sleeve (or relatively cf. stretched sail )

[Scott]

Your clew should be attached to the clip on the gooseneck.

Also appears to me that you need another slug down as close to the opening in the groove as you can get it.

[ALX357]

pulling the clew down and forward to the gooseneck makes a bigger mess out of the sail at the corner. The corner is really a 45-degree cut, with two clew grommets, one at each 45-degree corner. the clip at the gooseneck is directly level with the new attachment shackle on the boom which holds the other clew grommet. The other (forward and higher ) clew grommet is lined up for the luff rope to be inside the mast slot when attached there, but now it is not going to work, without some mod as i mentioned.
I agree it looks like a slug is missing but they said no, from the best description i could give. I am good with words, use alot of them, but this is a difficult situation to describe on the phone, and they might not have been able to visualize a problem or the missing slug.

[Frank C]

It is unlike any Mac sail I've seen, and it doesn't look right to me .... you need a fixed shackle point for that upper clew, so there's something substantial to counter the pull of the main halyard.

If you just want to solve the problem, drill a hole (beamwise) thru your mast track about 4 (or maybe 6) inches above the gooseneck, and pin that upper clew into the mast track. If you just want to test it out, snag the upper clew on the reefing hook - there's just bagginess down there when reefed anyhow.

If you're mad at them, I'd try faxing them the last photo. It's obviously abnormal. And who bolted that shackle through your boom track ... did you send them the boom with the sail? You (NOW ! ) need a bolt like that thru the mast track.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

they really forked it up badly.
don't know what they were smokin'.
maybe a "newbee" in training did the work.
or maybe they have never done this mod before yours.

regardless...it must be corrected.
either you do it yourself, or send it back.

[Moe]

I think I'd get a little longer jackline, NOT run it through the grommet above the ring, and tie it to the original ring, which I'd attach to the gooseneck. Then I'd use that new grommet above the ring for a cunningham. If you don't want a cunningham, you could secure that grommet to the jackline with a plastic shackle.

[ALX357]

Thank you for the confirmation, that the sail shape and rig is abnormal... On their instructions i drilled the boom holes in the groove and put in the twist shackle for the lower aft clew grommet, and they said that they always do the sail slugs that way. They have a sail guy they use to do it. Since then, they tell me that the boom clew shackle hole is a bit too far aft and i would do better with the shackle (shackle's pin holes ) moved forward half the distance to the front edge of the boom extrusion.
I posted the "before" photos to get your feedback.
, but after taking the pictures, i spent several hours looking at the problem and finally came up with the same idea of drilling the mast similar to the boom and using a long pin, horseshoe shackle inside the luff slot, and then a captive pin halyard type shackle to attach to the upper clew grommet.
It sailed fine on Sunday, everything tensioned and lined up right, good sail shape finally, but ithis boat shouldn't need so much remedial hardware and rigging to do such a simple thing as hold the clew. i also devised a two-line reefing setup, using a bail, and a couple of eyes and cleats on the boom, which also worked great. I had to use nylon washers to reduce the huge reefing cringles they put in, so i could use the usual small hanging reef lines.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

here's Duane's reef mod Duane's BWY Jackline
notice that the picture on the right has a slug/slide combo located just above the cleat.
that's the one missing on yours.
that is...there needs to be 2 slug/slide combo's. one at the reef point (yours has that one) and one just above the slide stopper on the mast (yours is missing that one, but Duane's has it).
that's how Duane's is rigged and that's how i'd have it rigged if i waz u.
now send it back to BWY and tell 'em to "git er dun!"

[Don T]

Hello:
On my sail the jackline goes through the grommets and the slugs are not attached to the sail, only the jackline in between the grommets. I don't get your setup. The whole reason for the jackline is to have the sail free of the slugs when dropped or reefed.

[ALX357]

that is the way this sail is.... jackline with 2 slugs not directly attached to the sail, while the rest of the slugs above the top reef are attached with plastic shackles, but below the reef line, are threaded onto the jackline. THere are two slugs on the jackline, but the concensus is that there needs to be an additional one.

[Jeff Ritsema]

It would be helpful to have photos of the entire jackline setups of the different postings. Duane's, for example, doesn't show the entire line.

[Frank C]

that is the way this sail is.... jackline with 2 slugs not attached to sail, the rest of the slugs above the top reef are attached with plastic shackles, but below the reef line, are threaded onto the jackline. THere are two slugs on the jackline, but the concensus is that there needs to be a third one.

Well, on second look ... I must agree that it appears the bottom grommet MIGHT be able to carry a slug, with the main halyard tension still carried to that new boom shackle. However, it's still unlike anything I've ever seen before. Also, that bottom grommet will be in the flare of the mast track, so even that idea is hosed-up. Can't imagine what someone was thinking.

Further, I disagree with the concept of applying halyard tension to the boom. IMO, that tension belongs directly on the mast, NOT on the gooseneck. I sure looks like a weird way to rig the mainsail.
Still waiting "to see the light."

[ALX357]

Frank....
exactly my take.... note i added an overall picture on my original post.
today i emailed the photos to BWY, and i guess tomorrow TUE. will be their first opportunity to look at them and reply.
Just for the curious, the boat is on the trailer in my back yard, and that PVC thing on the front of the mast up by the spreaders is a removable snap-to-fit cradle for the furled genoa. I normally never leave it on when raising the mast - there it is too high to reach and take off - but i was working on the tack problem and rigging the double line reefing lines.

[Frank C]

AXL,
My factory-issued mainsail has the tackring embedded at a 90* corner, luff to foot. As someone noted earlier, Duane could probably answer this in a NW-minute , since he has the same BWY setup.

I'm looking forward to hearing the logic for applying main halyard tension behind the flexible gooseneck linkage. Even though the mainsheet easily overcomes that tension, the gooseneck isn't designed to that purpose. Further, the gooseneck casting, the front boom cap, is demonstrably marginal, just to its intended purpose.

Good luck ... if I was in your spot I'd be willing to reverse the deal and take a used mainsail instead, to which I'd add the "normal" reefing & slugs. Maybe I'll be able to snap some pix of "normal" next weekend.

[ALX357]

I am not actually changing anything on the sail itself pending their next reply.
Bill in Oconomowoc says if the slugs are positioned correctly you don't need jacklines, and only fairleads and cleats for a double-line reefing setup on the boom from the cockpit.