Help with Cam Sails

> 10 years ago
Reply
Register to post, see what you've read, and subscribe to topics.
davea
davea
WA
37 posts
WA, 37 posts
27 Jun 2004 10:26am
Hi Guys,

Was out sailing yesterday with my Neil Pride sail 6m sail. Thought I would try some sails my mate has. They were KA sails. It was 6m and it has 3 cams and 5 battens in it (i think) and they are race/slalom. No matter what I did, the cams always popped of the mast. I tried changing the down and outhauls but no matter what I did, they would not stay in place.

There is no writing on the sails, so I dont know if I am using the right mast, but I have a 460 mast with an ISMC (or whatever) 21 rating.

Are the sails crap, am i rigging them wrong or am i just missing something.

Anyway your advise would me much appreciated.
Justan
Justan
WA
41 posts
WA, 41 posts
27 Jun 2004 3:36pm
?? too much outhaul maybe? Not really heard of this happening before If the cams are removable via zips, some cams need to be inserted the right way up, and take the mast bend and battern angle into account - so maybe the cam is upside down? Do they feel like they are getting stuck and won't rotate when you pop the sail? Maybe if the cams are too tight on the mast, the battern is make an s shape and flicking them off the mast as you go to pop it.

I bought a KA sail 5.8 metre Predator a while back. Everyone asked "why did u buy that rubbish", and after I used it a few times I have to agree with them. They seem to be quite strong but seem to have awefull performance. I figure what's the point in having a strong sail if you cant get planning. They don't seem to have a very good reputation which is unfortunate because they are aussie made.

Ultimately, you can't got past the 'Big 3' for performance and sailability. NeilP, Gaastra, and North.

Justan
SimonM
SimonM
WA
126 posts
WA, 126 posts
27 Jun 2004 6:34pm
If people have been lazy rigging the sail and have been popping the cams into place after the sail was rigged, then the edges of the cam get bent over, and they eventually fatigue and break off. This may be the case in this sail. Normally it would be near impossible to pop out cams while sailing in a straight line unless you had no downhaul at all or broken cams. Are you using the right amount of downhaul? (should be written on your sail)

I've ridden good and bad KAs - in the past, at least, they did not seem very consistent with their sails.

-Simon M
davea
davea
WA
37 posts
WA, 37 posts
28 Jun 2004 8:07am
Hi Guys,

Cheers for the response. There is nothing at all written on the sail. The cams pop out when i hit the water, and sometimes when it I am about to launch. Ah well, I might have to find some other sails to use.

Cheers guys.
pole boy
pole boy
WA
292 posts
WA, 292 posts
1 Jul 2004 8:42am
if your cams keep coming loose, it is probably a mixture of not enough downhaul and to much outhaul. you will find by putting more downhaul on this should automatically fix your problem. been sailing raceboards for years and often have the same problem when pumping in light winds. by using more downhaul you are taking more pressure off the cams so they are less likely to be thrown forwards. good luck with it anyway.

Life is but a dream, from which we all must wake.
Please Register, or first...
Topics Subscribe Reply