Runner Tails

[Bob Pingel]

OK, everyone get into race boat mode...

I am dealing with a Nelson Marek 36. The boat is frac rig, with runners. The runner tails terminate on the transom, come up to a block on the end of the of the runner, back to the transom and are tensioned with a winch. The current tails are vectran with a stripped cover.

2 questions:

1 - The tails are badly twisted - like a twist per inch or so. Where would this twist come from and how do I prevent it in the new ones? The tails are not coiled, they are stuffed into a mesh bag in the cockpit.

2 - Other than race boat coolness, what benefit is the stripping. I could see that the bare vectran may run through the block a little easier, but that is about it. The weight savings seems neglible, especially on deck.

Thanks,

Bob