I have a Hobie 21 and about ... memory fart ... six? years ago I had a flat top main built for the boat. This sail weighs about half what the Hobie mylar laminate weighed and the bolt rope is smaller than the Hobie, which looks like about a half inch.

Each year the sail is harder to pull up. Two weeks ago, at a regatta, I spent about forty minutes trying to get the thing up high enough to latch and finally had to abandon and go back to the (very) old Hobie sail.

When we are hoisting the main there are wrinkles along the luff exept where the top two battens meet the mast, about two feet down from the headboard. So I think it's binding where the top two batens meet the mast.

Are all flat top sails much harder to hoist than pinheads?
Am I getting weaker?
Is there some fundamental truth I'm missing.

Charles <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />