Luff Tape Conversion Kit Instructions - Convert your Hank on Sail to Roller Furling 

We are so glad that this video was helpful! We are also happy to hear that the Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 Sewing machine you borrowed worked so well and that you will be buying one yourself. Thanks!!!! Let us know if you have any questions.

No worries, we'll make sure to put the sail to good use!

A hot knife could be used, but most of the sailcloth is coated in a resin that helps to prevent unraveling. So, scissors are used, since it is easier to cut the Dacron with them.

Let us know if you have any questions along the way.

A straight stitch can be used instead of a zig-zag, just be sure to sew a second and possibly third row of stitches when sewing a straight stitch. Yes, a straight stitch can be used for the webbing just be sure to make several passes on the webbing. No, the luff tape rope does not need any tension, we tension (make as straight as possible) only the luff edge of the sail to make installation of the luff tape/rope easy. Let me know if you have more questions.

Thank you so much for your quick and professional response.

Jens-Henrik Thrane Sailrite has based the luff tape conversion video based on a hank on genoa on the order of a 150% which is typically the most difficult to convert. The issues this type of sail can have when being converted is luff length, foot round and clew height and how can you convert this sail and minimize the amount of corner patches that have to be rebuilt in the process. Sailrite recommends that you take out a wedge where the maximum width of the wedge is at the head and going down to zero at the tack this addresses all 4 issues that need to be resolved in a conversion. The luff is shortened to the proper length, the sail will be rotated forward which will raise the clew and resolve the excess foot round problem and only head may need additional reinforcement added depending on the amount of reduction in the luff. If you wanted to shorten the luff by cutting off a parallel line to the luff to achieve the proper luff length it will work to fit your furling unit but you would typically have to add patches to both the tack and head. If you have the typical foot round associated with a genoa (non furling) you may need to recut the foot so the excess foot round does not interfere with the furling drum. On older boat designs with a lot of shear you have the possibility of the sail having a negative or very little clew height which you do not want in a furling sail so you may also have to move and rebuild the clew corner higher up the leech. Now that you have all that information but you want to know what is best for you and this particular sail in your inventory you need a scaled ruler and accurate I and J dimensions factoring in any mast rake as well as the basic luff, leech and foot dimensions of the sail and a close estimate of the foot round. Draw your rig to scale with your pin to pin on your forestay you can account for possible shear add your drum height tack measurement(how high the sail will be off the deck when attached to the drum). Draw in your existing sail then the sail with dimensions with the changes parallel to the luff. The sail will furl along the LP line so add that in and check the clew height. To check the foot round, mark a line from the bottom/maximum foot round parallel to the LP line if the line is at or above the tack you are ok if not you will need to cut off some foot round until it is above the tack.

Sorry, we don't have a video on that. Not many people go from furling to hank on.

@@SailriteDIY Can it be done, and do you supply the materials?

No, why, no But your sail so do what you want. Systems set up to use continuous support tape are not designed to handle slugs which is what would need to happen. And if you attached a slug to the hank the metal hank will damage the extrusion whether it is aluminum or plastic and in a short order damage the sail when furled.

The best way is to follow the instructions for converting a sail to be as close to the original shape as possible (here is the link: www.sailrite.com/PDF/Convert-a-Sail-to-Rollerfurling-Instructions.pdf). The additional weight will have a slight increase but it shouldn’t be calculated for conversion purposes. If you do not like the draft depth of the sail you are converting you may address that with the luff curve taking out more to flatten a bit less to make it fuller.

Mark Young Thank you for your inquiry to Sailrite regarding your current finished project. Our company’s desire is it to equip our customers with the best supplies and materials along with clearly written instructions and or videos that will enable you to do it yourself. Since our current company focus is for the DIY (Do It Yourself) market we no longer sew finished projects. If you are interested in building this project yourself we stand ready to help with advice, free video instructions and of course the best supplies available! If you can’t find a video or instructions on our website for your particular project just call or email us and we may be able to help direct you.

Most sailors don't have an industrial sewing machine. Do you have a link of someone who does?

Mark Young We sell the worlds best portable industrial sewing machine called the Sailrite Ultrafeed. Here is a link: www.sailrite.com/Ultrafeed-Sewing-Machine#!Ultrafeed-Sewing-Machine We sell thousands per years, but all you need to do is ask around the marina and you will find someone that owns one, if you do not want to buy your own.

Here is a good link for Luff Conversion Kits and Prices: www.sailrite.com/search?keywords=luff%20tape%20conversion

***** The only gain is a hank on sail converted to a roller furling system. Which is a preference for some but not everyone. The choices is always yours to hank on and off your sail or use a roller furling system for easier use.

For this sail we used v-69 Polyester Thread.