Adding Hanks to a luff tape sail

[Noah]

Anyone know how hard it is to add hanks to a luff tape sail? I've got a couple of sails in my inventory from when the boat had a roller furler and I would like to convert them back to hank on. What is entailed in doing this?

Thanks,

Noah

[Thorne]

Doesn't seem like it would be very hard, but won't there be a problem with sail shape -- I thought that roller furling sails hung differently than hanked-on ones.

Depending on the design of the jib hanks, you can just set some small brass grommets and attach the hanks -- or stitch 'em in if that works better.

[Todd Bradshaw]

#2 spur grommets will normally fit between the two embedded cords in the continuous support luff tape. Into those, you can attach either the sew-on or peen-on brass jib snaps. The grommetless, screw-on nylon jib snaps are also a possibility, though somewhat less durable.

http://www.sailrite.com/Categories/Snaps

(the Wichard, one-handed version on page 2 are really nice when you're bouncing around hanging onto the headstay compared to the Swedish piston type)

I assume these sails are probably a bit big for the nylon 90-degree twist-on hanks.

http://www.sailrite.com/Categories/Hanks

The halyard end of the sail (head) usually doesn't have a problem with the fact that the tape (and your newly installed grommets and hanks) are about 1/2"-3/4" forward of where they ideally should be. The tack corner, on the other hand, may or may not set properly depending on the system used to attach the tack ring to the boat. You may be able to add a shackle as a spacer if needed to get the luff an equal distance behind the stay from the tack all the way up.

Option three is to cut off the flap and forward cord on the luff tape or remove the tape altogether and replace it with regular tape, grommets, snaps and a real luff rope or wire. This, obviously is the best option, but also the most expensive.

[Figment]

Oh absolutely go for the Wichard snap-hanks. I can put them on blind and they come off one-handed in half the time of piston hanks.

[Noah]

ok, sounds do-able, but we are talking $130 in hanks...ouch.

[rbgarr]

Todd B'shaw-

Those Wichards look great. When singlehanding and coming into the mooring I like to have the jib off the foredeck. Having those will shorten the length of time I am up on the narrow pointy end. The boat (nice, placid girl that she is) is agreeable about coasting slowly to windward on her own while I frantically undo those old piston hanks and try to keep from falling over board. it would be nice not to depend on her good will so much.

Why do you think they won't last as long?

[Kim Whitmyre]

I'm just now putting the plastic piston hanks on my small jib: it had snaps, which were a real pain in the gluteus maximus. $75 for the hanks (I bought 2 spares) but no grommets or hole making required. A friend who sailed a similar sized catamaran as mine thru the South Pacific went to the plastic hanks: said they worked great and put less weight on the luff of the sail.

The Wichard have got to be the easiest to use, I have to admit! Just too much money when including the grommet work and stitching, maybe even leathering. . .

[Todd Bradshaw]

It's not the Wichards that I question the durability on, it's the plastic hanks. The plastic shackles, hanks, etc. sometimes get kind of brittle after a while (UV maybe? or losing their plasticizer? I don't know) and get covered with tiny cracks and a generally "dried-out" look to their surface. Hanks also do get some abrasion from the wire and I don't know how well they resist it compared to metal. They may be fine, but I'd suggest that should the plastic start to look deteriorated, it well may be and they probably could use replacing.

The other thing to be aware of about the screw-on hanks and the similar boltrope shackles for mainsail slugs is that they are generally quite strong in use as they rest against the luff rope or wire, but they have no reinforcement parallel to the luff. It's just a small screw stuck through the luff tape. What this boils down to is just that you don't want to force the sails when raising or lowering them. If a slug sticks as you're hoisting the main, for example, you'll want to find it and free it, rather than just hauling harder on the halyard as you might tear the luff at the screw hole. No biggie, but something to be aware of - don't hoist the jib when you're accidentally standing on it. The manufacturers usually suggest that if you're using plastic hanks on large boats, the first and last hanks should be metal.

Metal hanks aren't immune to problems either, so it's hard to say how they compare without running some sort of side-by-side tests. I once replaced the 3" or 4" Swedish hanks on a Yankee that had been on three Atlantic crossings. These things must have been close to 1/2 lb. each and the metal on their bearing surface was worn about 75% of the way through where they contacted the headstay.

I had the Wichards on the jib and Genoa for our trimaran and loved them. I kept waiting for them to fail, which would justify the fact that the Swedish piston type are far more common, but they never did. The bail is the "spring" and the spring tension is generated by the anchor holes of the bail being slightly offset. Other than the bail itself, there are no moving parts. I'd never go back to piston snaps.

If you really want to treat yourself sometime, find a couple of the Wichard Stainless Tack Hooks. It's the same business end and bail system, but the aft end just has a hole or two. I use them for everything from my wife's key ring for her lab to the snap on my dog's leash, the lanyard in my kayak where I hook my car keys, etc. They also do work for jib tacks and a lot of other handy things on a boat and they're extremely strong. They're not even close to being cheap, but really a nice bit of hardware.

http://webpages.charter.net/tbradshaw/wichard%20004%20copy.jpg

Check the discount houses for hanks. I put up the Sailrite links because the stuff is easy to find and I knew they would have them, but they do take a fairly healthy markup on accessories. You might find hanks for less with a little searching. Also remember that if you use the metal hanks with that little leg which gets stuck through the grommet and peened down (rather than the sew-on type) peen them gently with lots of small hammer taps until the gap is closed. If you try to do it with a couple of big hammer blows, the legs tend to crack and break off. They're REALLY expensive if you're breaking 30% of them during installation.

[Kim Whitmyre]

Wichard forged steel stuff borders on art, IMHO.

I'm fortunate in my use of the plastic hanks: I'm hot-knifing the old flat tape that the snaps used, right close to the luff. This gives me the sewn-on portion of the tape to use as a mounting surface for the screw-on hanks.