[Rhodes22-list] Replacing IMF mainsail

[David Keyes]

Thanks to all who have replied, including pictures, on lowering the sail and even doing it over water.  I concur with Rummy's caution about dropping things in the water.  I have discovered that if it can fall in, it will fall in.  I have already gone down 25 feet with just eye goggles to retrieve Stan's entire tiller-motor linkage, which headed towards the center of the earth just as I was installing it.  There are wallets, cell phones, tools, hats (I now have a floating one), prescription sunglasses and other things down there, all from my boat.  I know to tie things and to be careful; I just don't do it every time, and every time, if it can fall in it will fall in.  Except, people have not fallen in.:)

So I don't know if I will try the sail replacement in a parking lot up the ramp on a borrowed trailer using a borrowed car with a trailer hitch (I will need to determine if a trailer not designed for the R22 would sufficiently support the bottom of the boat during this limited movement and sail replacement operation), or whether to try this at the dock if I have enough space (like maybe the narrow finger pier to the side of the boat on the other side of the dock from my pier) in front of me to work.  I have to allow for not only the length of the mast, but also of the IMF tube that will slide out of it.  (By now, the tube and sail would be dipping into the water, it seems.)

Let's happily assume that I have the mast lowered without any disaster.  (I have Stan's new crane system where the mast lowers towards the back with the crane towards the front.)  Now what?  I would also like to know anyone's experience in actually replacing the Doyle IMF mainsail with a new one (which I will try to find out from Stan where to order--although when I find out the cost maybe I'll try to get the old one fixed--but then there I am with the mast down and no immediate replacement sail).  I assume that somehow I slide out the IMF tube, probably out the bottom of the mast (?) after it is lowered and after I have removed the lower sliding block and collars, and I suppose there is a similar collar that will appear near the top of the tube.  I am not sure what to expect on how the old sail will be detached and how the new sail will be attached to the IMF tube.

I will probably be able to figure a lot of this out after I get the mast down.  I am just trying to get an advance clue as to what I am in for.

Thanks,
David Keyes (the list has my last name spelled wrong)
S/V Arrowhead