MacGregorSailors.com

Easier for kids to see forward with their heads sticking out of the forward hatch.

Neo wrote:

dlandersson wrote:I'm a tad confused, because it's easy to shorten a 150 Genoa to 110. 'just sayn'.

With scissors?

I was wondering about furling it .... Not sure how that effect the performance of the sail? .... I guess the effective Sail area would be much higher of the deck causing it to heal more?

NiceAft wrote:With a nice wind to your back, it can gull wing very nicely.

Would this be harder to do with a 110%?

Due to the shape Im not sure a furled 150% Genoa is a replacement for 110% Jib

It has been discussed a few times, I think BWY explains it well. I had both. Personally I strongly disliked the genoa since I sailed my a few seasons with the jib/spinnaker and knew what it was capable of before trying a genoa.

http://shop.bwyachts.com/articles.asp?id=257

100% JIB:

PROS: Very easy to tack, only a few feet of sheet needs to be moved in each tack, with a little practice you shouldn't even need to use the winches at all. Because this sail sheets to the tracks or leads (depending on model) inside the shrouds on the cabin top, they can sheet very close to the wind, which allows you to pull the Mainsail in tighter as well. Most MacGregor boats will point as much as 4 to 5 degrees closer to the wind with a Jib than a Genoa. This is a HUGE increase in upwind efficiency and greatly reduces how many tacks it will take to get upwind.

CONS: Will not give as much power as a 150% Genoa in light wind. Upwind, the loss of power is more than made up for by the improvement in pointing ability in all but very light wind on most models. Downwind and reaching the difference is more noticeable in light and even moderate winds. The decreased downwind performance is more likely to cause a desire for a spinnaker.

150% GENOA:

PROS: Gives the most power in light wind, this is most noticeable when reaching or sailing downwind. Some models need this added power more than others. For some sailors the improved downwind performance of the 150% Genoa is enough to eliminate the desire for a Spinnaker.

CONS: Doesn't sheet in as close to the wind as a 100% Jib when sailing upwind, which requires that you not sheet the mainsail in as far either to keep proper balance. Much more work to tack than a 100% Jib because you have to drag it past the shrouds, around in front of the mast, and all the way back on the other side. In all but very light wind it will always need to be winched in to sail upwind. Some people re-run the sheets on the 150% Genoa to lead between the shrouds if you are sailing it reefed to improve pointing ability upwind. This does help a little, but not even close to the pointing gain from the 100% Jib.

150% GENOA:
ANOTHER CON: If you mess up a tack the Genoa Leech can smack the spreader bracket really hard!..... Which can rip it open near the seem .... Now how do I know this?

BTW how can I protect the Genoa (and the UV Leech tape) from the spreader bracket in the future?

All the best.
Neo

150% GENOA:
ANOTHER PRO: It's easy to sail with just the genoa alone, with no main sail.

I rarely use the genoa, but it's something I noticed myself and have heard others say. I stick with the jib for its pointing ability, especially since the bay I'm in almost always has prevailing winds blowing the long way (lots of tacking to get anywhere) due to the shape of the land that surrounds it.

Tomfoolery wrote:It's easy to sail with just the genoa alone, with no main sail.

Is it hard to do that with just a 110%

Neo wrote:

Tomfoolery wrote:It's easy to sail with just the genoa alone, with no main sail.

Is it hard to do that with just a 110%

It doesn't handle as well as the 150%, IMO. It's not hard to deploy either with a roller furler, of course, but the boat wants to fall off more readily with the 110 and no main to balance the helm.

Tomfoolery wrote:150% GENOA:
ANOTHER PRO: It's easy to sail with just the genoa alone, with no main sail.

Yeah I do this all the time. I often go out for only a few hours after work. When I get back to dock its usually dark. I' m lazy and hate having to flake down the main and get the cover on it on most of those nights.

So is there a compromise .... 130% ???

You could argue the 150% is already a compromise between a jib and an asym spinnaker. Also the block locations on the Mac are optimized for either 110% or 150% sails. They are not in the right locations for a 130% sail.

Oh Ok.... So when you fly a 110% do you use the midship/Jib tracks?

Tracks on the cabin roof give you good sheeting angles for the 110%, for pointing you need to get a decent slot between the jib and the main and be able to pull the leech down and aft, the amount depends on your angle to the wind and if your getting leech flutter

sailboatmike wrote:Tracks on the cabin roof

Yep those ones..... Thanks for explaining that Mike

paul I wrote:

Tomfoolery wrote:150% GENOA:
ANOTHER PRO: It's easy to sail with just the genoa alone, with no main sail.

Yeah I do this all the time. I often go out for only a few hours after work. When I get back to dock its usually dark. I' m lazy and hate having to flake down the main and get the cover on it on most of those nights.

Except that Neo has an M and you guys have an X and the M was designed to be driven by the Main alone and maintain balance and speed.

From Rodger

This means that an owner can go out for a sail and forget the jib, and still get good performance. In high winds, the main alone is an excellent choice. The new boat is less likely to get in irons when tacking with just the main, and if it does, it is far easier to recover. It balances almost as well with the main alone as it does with the main and jib.

Since the front third of the main is now working, and not screwed up by the turbulence of the mast, the thrust is now forward, rather than to the side. The result is more speed and less heeling angle. When the mast is properly rotated, the boat comes alive. When the mast is centered, the boat slows measurably.

Hmmm ... Good information Kadet

Need a quick answer to my question....
What Luff rope size should I specify on the Genoa?