Jib or genoa on furler?

[Dan B]

Took the advice recieved on this board about problems I had sailing to windward -
1) Tightened the rig (replaced chainplate adjusters with turnbuckles in the process)
2) Used less than full centerboard
3) Rolled up the genoa to jib-size
4) Led the genoa sheets through the cabin top tracks to get a better sheeting angle

and - VOILA! off to windward we go at a angle that is at least 10 degrees closer to the wind than before I made the changes.

So now the question becomes why have the genoa on the roller furler instead of my jib (which is still in a bag stowed in the cabin?) I got to windward at a decent angle, but it was very slow. My guess is that with the genoa rolled up that much the shape (and the height above deck) is a bit less than optimal. I wonder what the better all-around trade-off is - jib would get me upwind, but less power on a reach or run. Genoa gets me more power offwind but semi-worthless upwind.

I am curious as to what others use on their furler - jib or genoa? I see mostly jibs flying on the lake where I sail, very few genoas.

[Don T]

Hello:
I have to say, I have the genoa on my furler. Mostly for convenience. The wind can be so fickle around here I can change my sail plan easily. I like staying in the cockpit, especially when the wind and waves can get up so fast.

[Janusch]

Again one of those trade-off questions. Depending on where you sail if it is a small lake and you are constaintly tacking with plenty of wind, I would just have the jib up, but like in my case I can go hours before I have to tack and spend a lot of time going down wind so I have my genoa on the rolling all the time. The increased speed on a reach and broad reach more then make up for the less then perfect rolled up genoa upwind.

[Mark Prouty]

I glad you asked that question. I am new to this and was going to use the Genoa. I was basing it on some information from Duane: "boat sails better with more headsail and less main"

An 'X' will sail better, and faster on her feet, rather than heeled way over. This is different than many sailboats, an 'X' can be easily overpowered. While sailing on the edge of distaster at large heel angles may be fun, it is not necessary. You were correct to reef early although the factory huge reef is usually to much. Having one half way up helps. Going up wind, bring the centerboard about 1/2 way up for better balance.

In general I find the boat sails better with more headsail and less main. If you are reefed to the factory reef you should be able to use quite a bit of headsail up until about 25 knots of wind. I get better speed with my full genoa out and the main reefed than I do with the full main and the genoa rolled in a lot. At least with my genoa once you roll in past 1/2 way it's shape is very poor.

Remember, in a sloop rig the headsail is a key component of the drive given to the boat. This is the leading edge of the wing doing a large part of the work. The main is more of a trim tab keeping the airflow smooth through the slot and off the back of the wing and fine tuning the power. For the most part you can get the headsail trim right and leave it pretty much the same through most wind speeds and make adjustments to the power with the main.

Here an excellent primer.

At 15 knots you should be able to sail with almost full sails, just don't sheet them to tight. Just bring the sail in enough to stop luffing and start it drawing. Sheeting past this point won't gain any speed but will increase heel. You can depower the headsail by moving the car back which opens the twist at the top of the sail to reduce heeling. You can also do the same with the main, take off some vang and mainsheet tension to let the boom lift and the sail twist off at the top spilling some air to reduce heeling as well. Opening the slot will also help regulate the power. Try these approaches before going for the reef, paticularly before rolling in the headsail a lot. If you do roll the genoa in to about 100% you may want to move the block from the cockpit tracks to the cabintop tracks to get a better sheeting angle. Keep that head sail working, if needed reduce the main with a reef early and keep the genoa as full as possible.

[Frank C]

I agree w/ parts of every answer you've received, but I think the main determinant is - What is your typical minimum wind speed?

Like any boat, the Mac goes fastest in higher wind speeds. But it's so light that it becomes overpowered in short order. In winds that are usually over 15 kn. (minimum) you probably want the jib. In this regard, I'm a little contrary to Duane's opinion ... I wouldn't even think of heading out with Genoa if predictions were 'gusting 25.' I've enjoyed my boat on SF Bay, mostly upwind, usually with full jib and reefed main. These are the conditions where you break things, always on the edge, and I love it.

And it's simply a bummer downwind. I guess an assym would solve that problem, but I've never liked sailing "with" the wind - too quiet, little perceived air movement, sometimes too hot, etc. I'd much rather spend my entire day upwind or reaching in heavy winds, and then drop sails completely for the downwind, home run. This gives me 45 minutes to organize stuff, and gives the Mate some quality helm time w/ the big, quiet Suzuki.

If you don't share my objections to running, and especially if your average winds are less than 15 kn, you'll be happier with the Genoa. The jib (Mighetto's "beginner's" sail) is the right call for summertime on our Left Bay. However, I'm just about to move East (near Annapolis) and I'm pretty sure the Genoa will be best on the big, beautiful Right Bay.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

And don't forget the *other* beautiful left bay..(remembering the battle of the bays in the 2002/2003 superbowl)....where today, its been 27 knots gusting to 38 knots