Considering going to roller furling - comments/pointers?

[OverEasy]

Ahhhh……. The exuberance of youth matched with its nimble dexterity and deft acuity!!!


The above are my personal physical/emotional/ psychological state when climbing onto the foredeck while underway

[Jimmyt]

I have decided for now to stay active on the foredeck, especially since the lakes that I sail are not subject to the high seas of coastal areas. I call my boat my "floating gymnasium", so since I enjoy the activity (and need it!), it will be hank-on and changing sails for the foreseeable future.

Good attitude. Staying active is what it's all about in my book. I'd rather be getting my exercise on a boat deck than in a gym.

[dlandersson]

Ditto

Ahhhh……. The exuberance of youth matched with its nimble dexterity and deft acuity!!!


The above are my personal physical/emotional/ psychological state when climbing onto the foredeck while underway

[Highlander]

when did u guy,s last watch any of the big Ocean or world racing boats they all have at least 4 head sails including spinnakers all on furlers
as for these two clueless puppies who wanna b world cruisers trying to sell u merchandise & stupid clueless advise , for every one reason they had for not having a furler I had at least 4 reasons to solve their stupid suggestions , u don,t blame a furler for lack of maintenance or seasonal inspections or lack of sailing knowledge or experience, or just plain stupidity & their is ways to lock down a furler 3 of mine have locking devises & this is nothing new just to prove how clueless they r & their is ways to lock down a lockless furler as they r ,
So tell me all these big ocean & world sailing racing teams who spend multi millions of $$$$ on furling equipment the small Olympic racing teams & local small boat racing teams who enter into regional , state & country racing venues all use furlers .
So tell me what u know & these racing venues don,t
Yes most local sailing clubs prefer hank on because its cheaper & what,s already on their boat for wkly races " non competition" just local clubs sailing against each other , some will remove their furlers for the race as they have a crew for the race
anytime I,ve had a furler issue it was always because of human error because my equipment is maintained , u can go on youtube & find countless failures of hank on jibs & genoa,s where downhauls have jammed or what ever & mostly due to wrong installation , bad or lack of maintenance , lack of knowledge or experience, stupidity, or just sheer arrogance !
I,ll keep my furlers all 4 of them thx U , but if u r trailering a lot I can see why u stick with hank-ons but all the good furlers have intendent halyards & self sail feeders which make it a breeze to change head sails
just don,t believe half the crap u see on u-tube it all comes down to personal preference & comfort
Just sayin That,s all
J

[PSNA]

Wow-

So much misinformation and bad advice in this thread.

First of all, buy a furling system. It will make sailing more enjoyable and safe.

The vast majority of people racing in PHRF events have furlers! In fact, as long as the headsail is 155% or less, you actually get an offset in your final rating. It's a moot point.

With that said, does a furling headsail affect the performance of your boat? Of course, it does. However, there is very little impact until the sail is furled down to 115% or less. The reason boils down to sail shape. A 150% genoa furled down to 100% will look much different than one built with hanks.

Let's get real here. The Mac is not nor will it ever be a boat that will effectively compete in any sort of organized racing. It is a boat built for a purpose and it is certainly not racing. Buy a different boat if you want more speed. People spend megabucks to purchase an Island Packet. They are buying them for a purpose as well. The boats are built like a brick outhouse and will take you anywhere. But they are as slow as a snail.

Address the elephant in the room. Learn how to sail! I have seen guys racing with old derelicts with blown-out sails win races week after week because they KNOW how to sail.

Look at Dennis Conners. In 1983, he lost the America's Cup with a boat called Liberty. It was a pig compared to Australia II. However, Conners was that good of a sailor that he was able to stretch the series to a seventh and deciding race and almost beat the cheating Aussies.

Buy the furler and enjoy what it brings to your sailing experience.

[PSNA]

Good stuff guys, and thanks!

I decided to go with a 4-oz Rolly Tasker hank-on 150% genoa for the following reasons:

-Desire to sail at peak efficiency/speed. Just because.
-Sunk costs in (used) 75% and (new) 100% jibs.
-The fact that I actually enjoy messing with the sails.

When I started down the "hank-on" road, I figured that eventually I would go to roller furling. I have decided for now to stay active on the foredeck, especially since the lakes that I sail are not subject to the high seas of coastal areas. I call my boat my "floating gymnasium", so since I enjoy the activity (and need it!), it will be hank-on and changing sails for the foreseeable future.

Thanks again for the comments and insights!

A 150% genoa for your Mac should have a cloth weight of 5 oz. There is no such thing as 4 oz. It is actually 3.8 oz. and that belongs on a much smaller boat. Would love to know who is recommending this as they are doing you no favor.

[Jimmyt]

I have enjoyed sailing my 26S for just over a year using a 100% hank-on jib, changing it out for a smaller jib in higher winds (all protected water sailing). Lately, I am find myself wishing I could fly a genoa to keep the boat moving on days with lighter winds, but I have misgivings, and am looking for advice.

My questions would be:
1. Is it realistic to think of a 150% furling foresail as a "convertible" sail that I could completely unfurl in light winds, and furl for better control in higher winds?
2. How does partially unfurling a sail affect its performance in terms of speed and ability to point in comparison to a hank-on sail?
3. If performance is my goal, should I just get a 150% hank-on genoa and continue to change out sails as needed?

My sailing thus far is just for personal enjoyment, but I want to be experiencing good performance, and may want to start racing at some point.

So what about it, 26S owners? How do you approach the light-wind problem and still maintain performance?

Thanks!

The original question (above), regarding sail performance on a 26s, specifically asked whether a 150 could be used furled down to a 100 or smaller and achieve the same performance as hanked-on smaller sails. As PSNA says above, the answer is no. Furlers are great. I have two (Genoa and main). But, when you are significantly reefed (furled), the sail shape isn't as good as a smaller sail.

If you want to put multiple sails on multiple furlers, like highlander has, so you are actually just using Furlers to make sail changes - not reefing with furlers, then there is little difference between the two options.

If someone wants to squeeze everything they can out of their 26S, or their Island Packet, I applaud their efforts. Their boat their rules.

I don't know Stickinthemud57 well, yet. I am certainly not going to respond to his question by telling him to learn how to sail. Nor am I likely to tell him to go buy another boat if he wants to go faster. That's not the way I roll.

Also, I'm not sure I'd call differing opinions misinformation or bad advice. After all, this is the Internet. When you seek advice here, you have to carefully evaluate the responses before acting on them. Different members have different backgrounds, education, expertise, etc, so it is only natural that advice will vary widely. Every post has value, if you look hard enough.

Why can't we all just get along...

[PSNA]

"If you want to put multiple sails on multiple furlers, like highlander has, so you are actually just using Furlers to make sail changes - not reefing with furlers, then there is little difference between the two options."

Oh well.

Ignorance is bliss.

[PSNA]

"I have two (Genoa and main)"

And how much performance did you lose with a furling main?

[Jimmyt]

"If you want to put multiple sails on multiple furlers, like highlander has, so you are actually just using Furlers to make sail changes - not reefing with furlers, then there is little difference between the two options."

Oh well.

Ignorance is bliss.

Yes, I am ignorant. Really isn't all that blissful.

[NiceAft]

Gentlemen, as a moderator, I say careful where this is going.

As to the jest of this thread, my opinion is whatever your pocketbook will allow, that's where you go. As I previously thought, if you are a serious racer, go for the hank on. I hope no one believes our Mac's are speed demons. There is no vgra-xd sail solution for our little yachts.

[Jimmyt]

"I have two (Genoa and main)"

And how much performance did you lose with a furling main?

I'll let you be the judge. Here's a video of it in action. Should give an idea of sail shape at various reef points. It also transitions from loose foot as you furl. Sail shape is likely impacted by the change in thickness between the UV strip and sail cloth, so it may give better shape with different sail composition. My UV strip is very heavy material.

[Jimmyt]

Gentlemen, as a moderator, I say careful where this is going.

As to the jest of this thread, my opinion is whatever your pocketbook will allow, that's where you go. As I previously thought, if you are a serious racer, go for the hank on. I hope no one believes our Mac's are speed demons. There is no vgra-xd sail solution for our little yachts.

No worries Ray. I'm out.

[PSNA]

Gentlemen, as a moderator, I say careful where this is going.

As to the jest of this thread, my opinion is whatever your pocketbook will allow, that's where you go. As I previously thought, if you are a serious racer, go for the hank on. I hope no one believes our Mac's are speed demons. There is no vgra-xd sail solution for our little yachts.

Most racers who choose not to use a furler also do not use hanks.

They have their sails built with tape along the luff which is inserted into either the Harken Carbo Foil or Schaefer's Tuff Luff.

You only see hanks today on budget sails, some one design classes and smaller boats.

[NiceAft]

PSNA,

I see you are in Florida.

Cjoymilano has been inquiring about info for a Key's trip. I don't know where you are in Florida, but if you can assist, please connect to his thread. You can find his thread by going to "Quick links", clicking on "active topics" and seeing his Keys thread.