Selden - Freeing the roach with Seldén´s backstay flicker
In recent years, sailmakers have increasingly been designing mainsails with a bigger roach than the mast is designed for. Seldén has a solution to this problem for fractionally rigged boats.
An over-dimensioned roach can easily get caught in the backstay when tacking or gybing. The reason is simple; the headbox is too short and the backstay attachments are too close to the mast. Many people ask why this problem cannot be solved by a switching to a longer headbox. Unfortunately, this would bring about a bending movement at the top of the mast, resulting in lower forestay tension and reduced trimmability.
To solve this problem, Seldén has introduced a package solution, consisting of a batten that lifts the backstay when you ease the backstay tackle. The batten, which is made of glass fibre, comes complete with fastening attachments, backstay block and detailed fitting instructions.
The backstay flicker comes in two versions - one for boats of up to 30 ft, the other for boats up to 37 ft. They are available at Seldén dealers throughout the world.
Accastillage { 27/11/2005 }
An over-dimensioned roach can easily get caught in the backstay when tacking or gybing. The reason is simple; the headbox is too short and the backstay attachments are too close to the mast. Many people ask why this problem cannot be solved by a switching to a longer headbox. Unfortunately, this would bring about a bending movement at the top of the mast, resulting in lower forestay tension and reduced trimmability.
