I've got a KA sail and Severne extension. I've forgotten how to thread it so it all lines up.
They are at different angles. Anyone got a diagram?
Think of a box. with 4 edges, the line goes up one side, across the top, down the other side, across the bottom and up the other side, then comes down through the middle to the cleat.
You just need to get your head around, this box concept.
If like mine the line starts from the front left hand edge of the extension, it goes to the front left hand of the sail pulley, it will then come out of the back right hand side of the pulley, go down to the back right hand extension pulley come out of the front righthand side of the extension, go up to the middle front sail pulley, come out of the back middle and go to the cleat.
(hope I've finally got this right, threading the rope comes naturally, but this old brain is having trouble replaying the procedure in my head!)
I'm going to chirp in here because this is one of my biggest irks...
The biggest source of friction of downhauling, doesn't come from the ropes touching each other.
There... I said it. Now figure out what is the biggest source.
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..
Think of a box. with 4 edges, the line goes up one side, across the top, down the other side, across the bottom and up the other side, then comes down through the middle to the cleat.
You just need to get your head around, this box concept.
If like mine the line starts from the front left hand edge of the extension, it goes to the front left hand of the sail pulley, it will then come out of the back right hand side of the pulley, go down to the back right hand extension pulley come out of the front righthand side of the extension, go up to the middle front sail pulley, come out of the back middle and go to the cleat.
(hope I've finally got this right, threading the rope comes naturally, but this old brain is having trouble replaying the procedure in my head!)
I got the box analogy but got lost in the rest. I need to read this with the setup in front of me..
You start with the extreme (outer) rollers in the sail and save the centre one for last. By remembering that one can usually work it out on the beach. There are also lots of diagrams out there, here is one example: www.redsurfbus.com/2011/10/threading-downhaul.html
The idea with using the corners of a "box" is a good one too, I'll try to remember that one. :)
Select to expand quotesboardcrazy said.. I got the box analogy but got lost in the rest. I need to read this with the setup in front of me..
Not surprising Sue, I just about needed the thing in front of me to write it up
I drew this up years ago and surprisingly it was still in my profile:
I hope it makes sense.
Small criticism, on mine any way, there's only 2 bottom pulleys. A rope retainer to the left of the first pulley and a cleat to the right of the bottom pulley.
Your diag looks like 3 bottom pulleys, had me a tad confused at first.
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..
Small criticism, on mine any way, there's only 2 bottom pulleys. A rope retainer to the left of the first pulley and a cleat to the right of the bottom pulley.
Your diag looks like 3 bottom pulleys, had me a tad confused at first.
Yeah, I guess so. I drew it up in Visio many years ago, so it's not going to get updated anytime soon 
I think it was something I quickly ran up to answer a similar question on here a long time ago. It gives you the principle of which way the lines thread, even if it doesn't match the exact pulley setup. I drew one for regular inline pulleys too.
The funny thing is that I haven't had to think about perpendicular pulleys for years and would need to follow my own diagram to nut it out the first time.
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..
I drew this up years ago and surprisingly it was still in my profile:
I hope it makes sense.
Thanks. I was wondering how you crossed over without getting problems. I got it lined up but I think I went to the wrong pulley first as where it started at the extension was pulled at an extreme angle. I thought the downhaul would break.
I have a powerex ? ( North) extension. I wonder if that works?
I'll have trial rig when I get a chance.
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..decrepit said..
Small criticism, on mine any way, there's only 2 bottom pulleys. A rope retainer to the left of the first pulley and a cleat to the right of the bottom pulley.
Your diag looks like 3 bottom pulleys, had me a tad confused at first.
Yeah, I guess so. I drew it up in Visio many years ago, so it's not going to get updated anytime soon
I think it was something I quickly ran up to answer a similar question on here a long time ago. It gives you the principle of which way the lines thread, even if it doesn't match the exact pulley setup. I drew one for regular inline pulleys too.
The funny thing is that I haven't had to think about perpendicular pulleys for years and would need to follow my own diagram to nut it out the first time.
Mine has 3 pulleys so this is good. Thanks.
Select to expand quotemathew said..
I'm going to chirp in here because this is one of my biggest irks...
The biggest source of friction of downhauling, doesn't come from the ropes touching each other.
There... I said it. Now figure out what is the biggest source.
1 , Friction on the pulleys. They don't spin easily or at all with load on them. That is why formuline rope is better than normal rope because its slipperier and they slide around the rollers that don't want to spin. It's not because its more bendy or anything else. Actually, the opposite.
2 , angled rope on pulleys makes it even harder on those pulleys that really don't want to spin. If those pulleys had bearings in them, it wouldn't make any difference what rope you used. Apart from the bendier the better, which is opposite to formuline rope.
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..
1 , Friction on the pulleys. They don't spin easily or at all with load on them. That is why formuline rope is better than normal rope because its slipperier and they slide around the rollers that don't want to spin. It's not because its more bendy or anything else. Actually, the opposite.
2 , angled rope on pulleys makes it even harder on those pulleys that really don't want to spin. If those pulleys had bearings in them, it wouldn't make any difference what rope you used. Apart from the bendier the better, which is opposite to formuline rope.
I agree. I used a Harken pulley block for the few sails I had that didn't have a built in tack pulley. They downhauled noticably easier.
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..mathew said..
I'm going to chirp in here because this is one of my biggest irks...
The biggest source of friction of downhauling, doesn't come from the ropes touching each other.
There... I said it. Now figure out what is the biggest source.
1 , Friction on the pulleys. They don't spin easily or at all with load on them. That is why formuline rope is better than normal rope because its slipperier and they slide around the rollers that don't want to spin. It's not because its more bendy or anything else. Actually, the opposite.
2 , angled rope on pulleys makes it even harder on those pulleys that really don't want to spin. If those pulleys had bearings in them, it wouldn't make any difference what rope you used. Apart from the bendier the better, which is opposite to formuline rope.
You sir get not one, but two gold stars.
- Pulling sideways on a pulley-block increases friction exponentially.
- Pulleys get full of salt ( which has numerous after effects ).
I just spent an hour sorting out the sail.
I tried the Powerex extension 1st and I couldn't get enough downhaul. It felt like the the ratchet ( or me ) was going to break. It wouldn't even think about rotating.
I then tried the severne RDM ext. I managed to get extra downhaul on and it rotated well although maybe slightly overdownhauled.
I figured out a way to thread it.
Thread clockwise. Starting bottom RHS where it comes out go to the top RHS then down to bottom LHS, up to top LHS then down through the middle bottom , over the middle top and cleat off.
Well I should now have a usable sail next time it blows..
Select to expand quotesboardcrazy said..FormulaNova said..
I drew this up years ago and surprisingly it was still in my profile:
I hope it makes sense.
Thanks. I was wondering how you crossed over without getting problems. I got it lined up but I think I went to the wrong pulley first as where it started at the extension was pulled at an extreme angle. I thought the downhaul would break.
I have a powerex ? ( North) extension. I wonder if that works?
I'll have trial rig when I get a chance.
It looks like an ABC logo.
When they don't line up I just go in to out on the pulleys. When rigging a sail with eyelet only, I go in to out also instead of going right pulley-left pulley-middle pulley because the line often gets caught in the middle of the eyelet, skips, binds, a mess...
I suffered a pretty bad pulley amnesia at the golden lake one day, i forgot how to thread them, wanted to get out there and only got more and more flustered as i couldn't get it.
I like the box description, still can't get my head around it though.
I'm glad i made this vid awhile back when mobdog showed me because i've had to go back to it heaps of times. Your pulley orientation sounds different so it might not help.
if pulleys are in the same plane you do a spiral, if they are at 90degrees you do a box.
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..
if pulleys are in the same plane you do a spiral, if they are at 90degrees you do a box.
Boxes and spirals, i'll know i know how to windsurf when i reach the point of understanding and visualizing this.
Sue i was rigging your old sail yesterday and *tried to make a vid of threading Power XT extension for Severne sail but yeah nah, i got bamboozled box brain threading syndrome again so no vid of that.
But here's another one with mobdog showing another pulley threading orientation.
Mine is 10yo now!!! But that's when they line up... Otherwise spring/spiral to the end.
