Nacra14sq

[Guest Richard Hastings]

After years of sailing monohulls, I have recently bought a Nacra 14Sq (moved to the dark side, according to the monohull sailors). I will be sailing at Fizroy Falls Reservoir with the Southern Highlands Sailing Club (in NSW).

The boat has (to me) an unusual halyard system. The sail is attached to the rope halyard with a ring welded to a twisted shackle. When the sail is pulled up the ring slides over and onto a halyard hook on the back of the mast.

That part works well - too well as there is no way I can release the halyard to lower the sail, other than tipping the boat on its side.

Does anyone know if this system can be made to work? If so, what is the trick? Am I better off going to a wire rope halyard, metal pulleys, and a standard halyard lock at the front of the mast?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

[richard campbell]

richard

there is not much room between the top of the mast and the halyard lock . have you tried pulling up the halyard then turning the mast 90 deg to the sail this should generally work it does with my 14 let me know how you get on!

[Village Idiot]

pull the sail all the way up and rotate the mast either way 90 degrees and pull down on the sail with it rotated ,it usually only works one way so if it doesn't work one way rotate it the other.....

[DoubleCat]

Have found exactly the same issue, since buying a 14sq.. Speaking to other club members I got advise to replace the S shackle with the next size down. This allows more room to pull the shackle over the ring when turning the mast to unhook it.

Best $4.50 I have spent this year - works very well. I don't know why they don't change the factory spec to use these as the original equipment as it makes pulling the sail down a lot easier.

[Guest Richard Hastings]

Thanks all of you for your quick replies. Now that you have said what to do, it seems obvious, but there is no way I would have worked it out on my own.

Now all that remains is to get it to go faster than those Nacra 5.0s that I compete with.

Richard

[Guest High Fying]

What a timely topic posted by Richard Hastings, as last Saturday for about the umpteenth time since I bought my 16sq 18 months ago, with the the sun fast setting, I was struggling to release my ring off the hook. I do not know how many tugs on the halyard, rotating mast left and right, 90 deg and more before somehow miraculously all works as it should and the main drops to deck. Frustration to the max.

DoubleCat, thanks for your tip, looks like I'll give the smaller shackle a go.