Measuring · CS-SP-01

How to measure for a stack pack

Measure the packed sail and the actual boom; a guessed cover is still a guess.

The stack pack is a mainsail cover with integral lazy-jacks, so the sail flakes straight into the cover on the boom. It has to be cut to the packed shape of your mainsail, the mast, the boom body and the boom groove on this boat, not to a brochure size. The main measurements are in centimetres; groove details are marked separately on the form.

Before you put a tape on anything

Before measuring, flake and pack the mainsail exactly as it will sit in service. The easy mistake is wrapping the tape round the boom as well as the sail: the form asks for the packed-sail wraps only, with the boom left out. Measure the mast and boom separately, photograph the tape positions, and leave uncertainty as a note rather than turning it into a tidy value.

The coded measurements

CodeWhat to measure
AFront packed-sail and headboard circumference; no boom
BPacked-sail circumference at fixed 50 cm station; no boom
CPacked-sail circumference at fixed 30 cm station; no boom
LAft mast face to mainsail clew bearing on boom
MComplete mast circumference
PComplete boom circumference, not groove perimeter
YBoom-groove mouth width
XBoom-groove cavity width / diameter

Why we ask for the boom, not just the sail

This stack pack is not a loose bag with a logo on it. The form asks for the packed sail, the mast, the boom body and the boom groove because those parts decide whether the cover closes cleanly and sits where it should. It also says the mast height and boom station are not universal, so we review the values against annotated tape photographs before cutting. Guess the boom shape or measure over the wrong thing and the error looks just as official as a real measurement.

The rule that runs through every form we print

If you aren’t sure of a bearing, leave it blank and tell us. A blank is a question we answer with one phone call. A guess is indistinguishable from a measurement, so it survives all the way to the cutting floor and comes back as a cover that doesn’t fit. Four honest numbers and a note beat five where one is fiction.

The words on this page, explained

Not sure? Send a photo.

A few phone photos of your boom, frame or stowed sail answer half our questions. Send them with your enquiry and we’ll guide you through the rest — then confirm every dimension before we cut.