I know this will start another round of semi-religious rants but I need
the distraction.

I often hear people discuss Roller Furling (RF)saying that it has poor
sailing performance compared to conventional jibs, that the possibility
of its failure is dangerous and its use leads to poor sailing skills.
I used to think so too but when I got it I became a true believer.
Actually, my boat came with two good North jibs (a 100 and 150) and I
was loathe to just buy another sail and leave them unused, a RF system
with sail would cost over $3000. Eventually, I re-did many things on
my boat spending a huge amount of money and bought a RF system thinking
I would spend a lot of time single handing. I bought a larger CDI
system.

Now, I am really happy and think the RF has totally changed my sailing
life (doesnt this sound like a cult). First, it was easy for me to
install as it goes on over the existing forestay.
Second, the newer RF and sails for them enable a change in sail size of
about 30% close to the wind and far more off the wind. This means that
a 150 can become a 100 or even less off the wind. Many times I have
gone out in afternoon, put up the Genoa only to have the evening
seabreeze come up so i have to take it down. Then, do I really want to
take the trouble to put up teh 100, prob not. The reverse is also
true, many times I have put up the 100 only to have the wind slack off
so I then have to take it down and put up the 150 genoa, often I just
dont do it. With RF, I always have the right sail so I end up sailing
closer to optimally more of the time than when I had separate head
sails. So, the boat is saile dbetter more of the time than when I had
conventional jibs. Because of this, my sailing skills have improved
cuz I spend more time paying attention to how the jib sets.
I also sail more than I did with conventional jibs because there are
times when conven. jibs are too much of a pain to use. For example,
goin up and down the ICW, like most people, I drop the sails at
drawbridges for better visibility and to avoid fluky winds near the
bridges. Frequently, the jib was just too much of a pain to hoist and
drop when the distance between bridges was so short so I didnt use it.
The RF is so easy that I nearly always use it in this situation.
Similarly, in a very winding channel, sucha s the western one into
Cedar key, with a convent. jib, at least half the time the jib is
flogging like crazy cuz your heading right into the wind and drives you
crazy putting it up and down. The RF solves that prob easily.
As far as safety goes, I maintain that not going forward to haul a sail
down to change it and put another up makes use of my RF considerably
safer than without it even considering the slim possibility of RF
failure. The only failure mode I can think of for my RF that might be
a safety issue is failure to furl but that would simply involve a trip
forward to hand wind it, certainly no worse than a trip forward to
change a sail. I have only used my RF for a year now so have had few
opportunities for failure but in a year of sailing with my conv. jib I
would surely see at least one instance of halyard wrap making the jib
hard enough to drop that someone had to go forward to help it.
As far as using a storm jib with RF, there is a storm sail that slips
over the RF and is hoisted with the unused jib halyard.
My RF impressed me so much that I began to consider other things I had
always thought as useless frills, such as lazy jacks although I have
not yet installed them.

On 21 Jun 2005 09:54:33 -0700, wrote:

I know this will start another round of semi-religious rants but I need
the distraction.

You're right. Consider this an ecumenical response. Roller-furling is
a compromise in which the convenience and utility outweighs for many
the slight to obvious performance hit...which is a function of the
sailmaker and the quality of the furler, for the most part, but can
also be a function of an complacent or inexperienced skipper.

When I go short-handed bluewater cruising, I will have beefy RF on
every forestay, because that is sensible and safe. When I sail my 33
footer on Lake Ontario, or when I club-race, I prefer hank-ons. Partly
this is a function of an IOR '70s boat with a huge (15') J, which
allows pretty high pointing, and partly because I use a lot of
old-school tricks, like barber-hauling and down-hauling, to make my
sailing race-style efficient, even when cruising. I like to sail as
long as possible, and in the light air of summer Lake Ontario, that
means getting creative. I have a genoa staysail, a whisker pole and a
monster asymmetrical in addition to a 180% light genoa and a 140%
composite sail I converted BACK to hank-on from tape (hey, it was
barely used by racers and cost me $200!..."old" race sails are
frequently a real bargain for budget cruising!).

That's my style, and it works for the boat I have and the sailing I
do. Securing sails on deck is easy, and changing sails isn't hugely
hard even single-handed, although I will usually just favour a 100%
working jib on a pendant to make my tacking easier when alone.

Were I older than my mid-40s, or cruising in salt water, I would hold
a different opinion. Having said that, however, RF is not bulletproof,
and a malfunction or a bad wrap situation can be critical on a boat
with RF, rather than a "oops, go get the No. 2" on a boat with hank-on
stays. Finally, I can do the minor sort of sail repair hank-on sails
require personally, and I learn more about sails by spending more time
on deck watching them do their thing.

But I don't consider myself evangelical about it G

R.

wrote:
I know this will start another round of semi-religious rants but I
need the distraction.

It's just possible that folks have better things to do with their time than
provide you with "distraction." Still, I suppose we shall see.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

Well, having used both, I'd have to say that its pretty nice to be able to
partially furl when the wind picks up, and then furl completely without
having to go up front in the spray. Anyone that has gone forward to drop
a headsail in 8-12's and 28kts wind can relate to what I'm saying ;-) If you've
got enough wind to drive at hull speed, it probably doesn't matter that the
partially rolled jib isn't a very efficient sail.

However, that being said, I like being able to fly the appropriate headsail,
and the only way to do that is by hanking the right one on. For daysails, it
doesn't seem to be much of a burden.

YMMV,

Don W.

wrote:
I know this will start another round of semi-religious rants but I need
the distraction.
snip

Don W wrote:

Well, having used both, I'd have to say that its pretty nice to be able to
partially furl when the wind picks up, and then furl completely without
having to go up front in the spray. Anyone that has gone forward to drop
a headsail in 8-12's and 28kts wind can relate to what I'm saying ;-)
If you've
got enough wind to drive at hull speed, it probably doesn't matter that the
partially rolled jib isn't a very efficient sail.

However, that being said, I like being able to fly the appropriate
headsail,
and the only way to do that is by hanking the right one on. For
daysails, it
doesn't seem to be much of a burden.

YMMV,

Don W.

wrote:

I know this will start another round of semi-religious rants but I need
the distraction.

snip


A nice small, close sheeting, flat, easily doused self tending jib
is such a pleasure over a baggy, draggy, unpointable, unluffable
gordian knot killer threat. Especially when the jib halyard and
downhaul is led to the cockpit.

No way I would ever go back to a roller furler. I just reef the main
until the helm balances, and go, pointing higher than you would
think. It's like an automatic transmission in city traffic.

I would even prefer twin headstays with two jibs at the ready, if I
got all twisted up about half a knot boat speed on a nearly calm day
or fighting wowser weather or lee helm and a bitchy genoa which
needs replacing every year if you sail "seriously", but I'm not.

An easily driven hull, well balanced rig, superior performance
modern high aspect bilge keels, tight, self tending yankee jib and a
vented bustle make it all O.K.

I figured out that having a thwartships exhaust is quite a sneaky
trick. My engine exhaust goes down to a crosswise exhaust pipe just
below the level waterline, and when heeled, seemingly allows air to
be sucked deep under the bustle to relieve the suction at hull
speed, when the wake is trying to suck the boat back. It gurgles a
bit, and I think it allows the hull to exceed it's theoretical
limitation due to waterline length. But then, I don't have a
knotmeter, so maybe it's all a sailor's pipe dream.

Is there a class racing rule somewhere that penalizes such a dirty
exhaust trick?

There are so many little things that make a cruising sailboat the
pleasure that it can be. Struggling with too large, baggy sails,
excessive heeling and weather helm, all for a tiny twitch in speed
isn't it. FWIW, YMMV.

Terry K

On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 23:19:49 -0300, Terry Spragg
wrote:


There are so many little things that make a cruising sailboat the
pleasure that it can be. Struggling with too large, baggy sails,
excessive heeling and weather helm, all for a tiny twitch in speed
isn't it. FWIW, YMMV.

That's why I love my No. 3 on a pendant about four feet off the deck.
It ends up like a hank-on yankee, but if I get my sheet leads
positioned properly, it catches a bit more air at the top of the stay
than tacked in the usual spot. Visiblity is excellent and tacking is
effortless.

I do like my No. 2, though. Like a lot of people who've bought old
boats with hank-ons, you usually get two No. 1s in fair to poor
condition, a fair No. 3 and a mint No. 2. So in light air I just use
the No. 2 like a No. 1...with my large J and little weight in the boat
I get driven very nearly as fast to windward, and only miss the extra
cloth downwind.

My main is only 10 feet wide at the foot, so it has to be blowing 20
knots before I'll reef and 30 before I'll put in a second reef.

The secret to easy hank-on sailing is using a jib downhaul. I can
douse cleanly in a few seconds from the cockpit, solo, and it's just a
matter of some light line and a small block at the bow.

R.