'box' downhaul method

[LeopardSkin]

So it’s just personal preference then?

Choosing the brand of your sail quiver is personal preference.

However, 6:1 pulley-ratio downhaul-line threading (ie. the sail tack has 3 wheels and the extension has 2 wheels) differs if your sail tack pulley block is perpendicular or parallel to the extension pulley block, as illustrated in the two prior videos. There is only one correct path to thread the line so there are no line crossings in each of the two situations.

Goya, Duotone, Neil Pryde, Sailworks, Ezzy, Hot, GA, and Patrik have tack pulley blocks that are in the same plane as the sail.

sail block lies flat.jpg (316.46 KiB) Viewed 625054 times

Severne, Naish, Gunsails, and North have tack pulley blocks that are perpendicular to the plane of the sail.

sail block perpendicular.jpg (259.51 KiB) Viewed 625054 times

.
Point-7 sails are a mix of the two orientations.


.
The Duotone Uni.XT extension can be laced multiple ways.



.
.
Not all sails have enough clearance between the top of the wheels and the pulley block cage to comfortably use loop and go downhauls. With loop & go downhaul and outhaul, you can easily rig in 2 or 3 minutes.

[Pavel]

Thank you for the info LeopardSkin.

[LeopardSkin]

[mjamero]

Is there any advantage to using the box method vs just going from first to last pulley if the rope doesn’t overlap?

Always done the box method. Why? On on high-tension race sails it's quite noticeable. Your final span from the block to the cleat is by the centre block pulley rather than an end. This means tension is balanced across the block (even downward pull). If you do the other method, wrapping around each pulley, from one side to the other, you end on one end which puts more tension on one end than the other. This can cause a twist that makes the rope rub against the edge of a pulley (sharp and could snap), makes it a little more difficult to down haul, and strains the tack strap stitching (especially during the initial down haul before things balance out during sailing) which can shorten the life of your sail. The box method keeps tension balanced acoss all the block pulleys on both sides and keeps everything aligned.

[mjamero]

Were you able to find the sprectra locally or in the gorge (Sailworks)?

Victory Products on Ontario St. (SE Marine Drive) sells authentic Marlow Forumline Windsurf downhaul line by the foot. I've bought mine there for years. I go in every other year or so and buy enough to redo every line in my quiver (extensions, boom out hauls, and boom clamps). The stuff is awesome. It's extremely durable, does not stretch, and is high strength.

Victory Products
https://victory-products.com/pages/search-results-page?q=formuline

Marlow FORUMLINE
https://www.shopusa.marlowropes.com/en-us/formuline-efl?_gl=1*1wswvij*_gcl_au*MjAzNzUzOTY2NC4xNzg4ODkxMjQx*_ga*MTYyODc2NTUwOC4xNzg4ODkxMjQy*_ga_YX7R41XKTZ*czE3ODg4OTEyNDEkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODg4OTE0MTIkajM2JGwwJGgw

[LeopardSkin]

Is there any advantage to using the box method vs just going from first to last pulley if the rope doesn’t overlap?

This video shows two non-standard lacing methods. Both methods result in acute angles. Even though there is (sort of) no line crossing, the lacing is not clean. Not recommended.

This vid is fake news. It is painful to watch.


I tried the non-standard lacing method. Look at how crappy the acute angle looks. By the way, look at my fuzzy Dyneema/ Spectra line. It's about 200 - 300 days old. Still holding strong. Maybe I'll buy Formuline next time.

20260908_183358~2.jpg (6.76 MiB) Viewed 596893 times

If you try the non-standard lacing on a sail that has a tack grommet instead of a pulley block, the portion of the line with the acute angle will try to pop out of alignment.

grommet.jpg (1.31 MiB) Viewed 596893 times

The box method is the best method. It works on grommets, as well as pulley blocks.

[Pavel]

Thanks for the info Mark and LeopardSkin. Good call on replacing all the lines every two years I’ll check out that store on Marine Dr.

[Pavel]

What’s the correct sequence to rig a Severne sail with parallel block and 4 pulleys using a 3 pulley extension?

Thanks in advance.

[LeopardSkin]

What’s the correct sequence to rig a Severne sail with parallel block and 4 pulleys using a 3 pulley extension?

It would be similar to the previously-posted Streamlined 6:1 method, except there is one additional loop of line to accomplish the 8:1 advantage, and the lacing is swiveled 90 degrees.

Using a Streamlined extension where the sail and extension pulley blocks are parallel.

Severne Race downhaul lacing

severne race lacing.jpg (86.64 KiB) Viewed 560474 times

[Pavel]

Ah perfect! I was rigging it right than. I tried the box method and couldn’t figure out the pattern without crossing the lines.