Thoughts on Parasailer?

[dlandersson]

Anyone have any thoughts on the Parasailor?

http://www.parasailor.com/us/home.html

I've got a quote for $2,400

[Russ]

I don't understand the advantage of this over a spinnaker. You would have to do a lot of downwind sailing to spend that much money. I'm a fairly lazy sailor and really don't like that much work.

[RobertB]

Looks like the UFO of the sailing world.

I could hear it now if I used one "Mommy, what is does that strange man have on his strange boat?"

[K9Kampers]

To sail faster downwind... isn't that why we have big outboards?

[mastreb]

Wow! My quote for the 38' was $8000! But then, an inexpensive spin is $4000 on that boat. I'd like to see how well it works. Having a broad downwind range of use and the ability to gybe across seamlessly would be pretty fantastic.

[Crikey]

Just goes to show you - there's a lot of aerodynamic tricks still out there for a sailboat to utilize. Fowler flaps anyone?
I'd like the Blue Passion model for my please.

[dlandersson]

My thoughts pretty much. Seems to be pretty flexible and fairly easy to use once deployed - don't have to keep "tweaking" it.

Wow! My quote for the 38' was $8000! But then, an inexpensive spin is $4000 on that boat. I'd like to see how well it works. Having a broad downwind range of use and the ability to gybe across seamlessly would be pretty fantastic.

[mastreb]

I'm reading Jimmy Cornell's "Ocean Passage Planner" in preparation for my retirement dream of circumnavigating, and he relates a story about using one of these Parasailors in it. According to him, they don't need to be tended or trimmed really at all, even in extreme weather. They put it out in a 30 knot wind, and I guess the way it works if its over-powered it just opens up and spills air at the "mouth" (or whatever you want to call that slit). He also said it moves with the wind like a kite and literally needed no tending even in those storm winds. It just floats around ahead of the boat and pulls, period.

It's disadvantage is light air--If winds are under 10 knots, it won't remain inflated and in that case you get sudden collapse issues.

So I don't know that it's a replacement for a spinnaker as much as it's a cruiser's downwind travel sail. I think it might be overkill for anyone who's not doing offshore sailing.

[dlandersson]

Okay, but the web site says 3 knots. If it was 10 knots, I wouldn't consider it.

I'm reading Jimmy Cornell's "Ocean Passage Planner" in preparation for my retirement dream of circumnavigating, and he relates a story about using one of these Parasailors in it. According to him, they don't need to be tended or trimmed really at all, even in extreme weather. They put it out in a 30 knot wind, and I guess the way it works if its over-powered it just opens up and spills air at the "mouth" (or whatever you want to call that slit). He also said it moves with the wind like a kite and literally needed no tending even in those storm winds. It just floats around ahead of the boat and pulls, period.

It's disadvantage is light air--If winds are under 10 knots, it won't remain inflated and in that case you get sudden collapse issues.

So I don't know that it's a replacement for a spinnaker as much as it's a cruiser's downwind travel sail. I think it might be overkill for anyone who's not doing offshore sailing.

[mastreb]

If it's really 3 knots, that might be okay. But they have to >never< go below 3 knots is the problem. Also, without a furler deploying any spinnaker is a two-person job and quite a hassle. If you're doing downwind all-day legs cruising, I can see the value. For day sailing I doubt I'd use it much.

I'm putting it in my "cruising equipment" wants list, along with solar, aft arch, watermaker, and radar. All the stuff I can't justify until its my lifestyle

[dlandersson]

Maker "claims" the lines run to the cockpit and its a one-person job. My hesitation with Spinnakers is the two person requirement.

If it's really 3 knots, that might be okay. But they have to >never< go below 3 knots is the problem. Also, without a furler deploying any spinnaker is a two-person job and quite a hassle. If you're doing downwind all-day legs cruising, I can see the value. For day sailing I doubt I'd use it much.

I'm putting it in my "cruising equipment" wants list, along with solar, aft arch, watermaker, and radar. All the stuff I can't justify until its my lifestyle

[mastreb]

Okay, I'm convinced: You buy one and tell me how it works

[dlandersson]

Right up front, I appreciate you're letting me play devil's advocate on my thinking process.

Okay, I'm convinced: You buy one and tell me how it works