HEadsail furler conversion

[gedaggett]

Long story short; I think it might be cheaper to convert my 150 Genoa to a furled head-sail rather than get a full inventory of sails that I need. What products have you guys seen or used that are good for a conversion like this? (73 venture 222)

Thanks,

Gary

[cookwithgas]

Long story short; I think it might be cheaper to convert my 150 Genoa to a furled head-sail rather than get a full inventory of sails that I need. What products have you guys seen or used that are good for a conversion like this? (73 venture 222)

Thanks,

Gary

There are many ways to do this, but I made my own using the existing fore stay:

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... =8&t=16494

I tried it with the original jib:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81RTglcXRHE

Then I put a larger 140% Genoa on it and I like that better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztAMSByQ0l4

Have fun,

Aubrey Scott in Texas

[gedaggett]

Gonna stick with Hanks for now and see what I think. I will rig a smaller 50% jib with a wire luff so that I can bag it at the bow and take it up in a change to heavy weather if need be.

[cookwithgas]

Gonna stick with Hanks for now and see what I think. I will rig a smaller 50% jib with a wire luff so that I can bag it at the bow and take it up in a change to heavy weather if need be.

Hanks will give you a lot more versatility. I opted for simplicity because I have so much to learn, it is one less thing to worry about being able to furl up the jib instead of having it flop around on the front of the boat in heavy winds.

Good luck.

Aubrey Scott in Texas

[gedaggett]

That was my original concern as well. I have a group of sailors who are helping me with the setup and thinking through how to single hand this boat without the head sail furling among other things. My Main is like new, crisp and has reef points which I hope means will offer good performance in heavier conditions so that I don't have to fly a jib in higher winds. With the head sails I am going to have the Ginny (150) hanked on and then have a 110 and a 50 both with wire luff so that I can have rig them to be raised out of a jib bag that is at the bow of the boat. This way if I am under sail with the Ginny and the wind kicks up I can drop it and raise a smaller head sail on the fly. I will have some mods that I need to do to keep the sail on the deck but from the input and advice I am getting it seems that won't be too difficult. I often will have someone on the boat with me who can go and throw the Ginny down the hatch or strap it to the deck. I don't want to sacrifice the sailing characteristics for the furler.

[cookwithgas]

That was my original concern as well. I have a group of sailors who are helping me with the setup and thinking through how to single hand this boat without the head sail furling among other things. My Main is like new, crisp and has reef points which I hope means will offer good performance in heavier conditions so that I don't have to fly a jib in higher winds. With the head sails I am going to have the Ginny (150) hanked on and then have a 110 and a 50 both with wire luff so that I can have rig them to be raised out of a jib bag that is at the bow of the boat. This way if I am under sail with the Ginny and the wind kicks up I can drop it and raise a smaller head sail on the fly. I will have some mods that I need to do to keep the sail on the deck but from the input and advice I am getting it seems that won't be too difficult. I often will have someone on the boat with me who can go and throw the Ginny down the hatch or strap it to the deck. I don't want to sacrifice the sailing characteristics for the furler.

Before I installed the furler I installed a downhaul and found it helpful when single-hand sailing. This allows you to pull the sail down as opposed to just letting it fall. It also keeps the front of the jib firmly down on the deck until you are ready to raise it again.

Here is a link describing the installation of a downhaul:

http://www.practical-sailor.com/marine/jibdownhaul.pdf

Happy Sailing,

Aubrey Scott in Texas

[gedaggett]

thanks for the link. Great help.