bolt wire (bolt rope) [R03]: The (wire) rope that is sewn at the edges of the sail to reinforce them, or to fix the sail into a groove in the boom or in the mast. It may also be used with cotter pins or mini screw eyes to attach the sail to the mast.
There are multiple ways to attach the mainsail to the mast including.
- bead and tube
- bolt rope
- cotter pins and jackwire (bolt wire)
- jackwire
- mast loops
Here are two of the above methods described.
- The bolt wire (jackwire in the drawing above) is placed in the luff (lead edge) of the mainsail and secured through either miniature screw eyes [R48] or preferably through 1/16-in brass or stainless steel cotter pins [R11]to the backside of the mast. The bolt wire is a high strength fishing leader that is stiff and will keep the luff of the sail aligned with the mast shape.
- The bolt rope is inserted in the sail and into the trailing edge of a slotted mast. It needs to be large enough to hold the sail in place but small enough to allow the sail the flexibility to move from side to side and maintain its shape. The lead edge of the mainsail has a piece of weed wacker line (bolt rope) inserted into its lead edge that keeps the sail in the slot.
Sources
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- Bolt rope – weed wacker line – available from Amazon.
- Bolt wire – stainless steel leader wire (105 lb. rating) – available on Amazon.
- Clear duct tape – High strength, waterproof – available on Amazon.
- Cotter pin – stainless steel 1/16-inch x 1-inch cotter pin – available on Amazon.
- Cotter pin – brass 1/16-inch x 1-inch cotter pin – available on Amazon.
- Cyanoacrylate adhesive (thin) – High quality adhesive – available on Amazon.
- Line – Braided fishing line w/abrasive resistant fibers – select 100 lb. rating. Available on Amazon.
- Screw Eye (miniature) – available in brass, silver or bronze.
Related Articles
- “Sails: The Source of Power”, The Model Yacht, Vol 24. No. 1, Page 9.
- “Bolt Rope”
