Hi new to the forum. I'm been sailing for over 40 years, I always had a Hobie Cat (until I got too old for that) and we've always had a smaller boat too. I picked up a nice CL14 for me and my kids last year and wanted to know if anyone has any experience with rigging them. To be more precise the furling jib. It seems the line that pulls up the jib, also acts as the forestay. This doesn't seem right to me. I've always had a wire that the jib clipped onto. is this the correct way, or am I missing a shroud? thanks in advance. I've never had a sailboat confuse me before.
cl 14
- Thread starter dewe48
- Start date
That is an older style furling jib. CDI used to make those, I don' think they do any more. Modern furlers have a foil through which the headstay runs. The sail furls around the foil.
So the line I pull the jib up with is actually holding the mast up and only secured by securing it to the cleat on the mast?
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 21,839
Looking at pictures of your CL14 she looks like a fun day sailing dinghy.
The furler looks to be a typical continuous line furler. The sail, furling forestay are all in one. You hoist the sail on the furler. Once up you can pull one of the two furling lines to roll up the sail or unfurl the sail.
you got this.
The furler looks to be a typical continuous line furler. The sail, furling forestay are all in one. You hoist the sail on the furler. Once up you can pull one of the two furling lines to roll up the sail or unfurl the sail.
you got this.
@dewe48 ,
Good morning! This "foil-less" feature is quite common amongst smaller sailboats (14-16 ft. range). Although foils are nice, they tend to weigh a bit. In order to reduce the amount of weight aloft, dinghies can be fitted with a furling system which allows the jib to furl around its own luff-tape. Boats that use these furlers also may have a thin steel cable which runs through the luff of the jib and has eye splices at both ends. This wire allows the luff of the sail to be placed under greater tension. On some boats (like Hobie cats), if the jib is not rigged with enough tension, performance is greatly affected. The CL14 looks like the type of boat that should be rigged with lots of tension on the jib halyard, so as to take full slack out of the shrouds. I hope this helps!
Good morning! This "foil-less" feature is quite common amongst smaller sailboats (14-16 ft. range). Although foils are nice, they tend to weigh a bit. In order to reduce the amount of weight aloft, dinghies can be fitted with a furling system which allows the jib to furl around its own luff-tape. Boats that use these furlers also may have a thin steel cable which runs through the luff of the jib and has eye splices at both ends. This wire allows the luff of the sail to be placed under greater tension. On some boats (like Hobie cats), if the jib is not rigged with enough tension, performance is greatly affected. The CL14 looks like the type of boat that should be rigged with lots of tension on the jib halyard, so as to take full slack out of the shrouds. I hope this helps!
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 21,839
Yes. The forestay and the sail are one piece. To raise the mast I would first secure the furler to the deck. Then lift the mast and set it into the deck. Attach the shrouds and then hoist the forestay with the sail wrapped around it.
Seems a bit like a Chinese Fire drill. It would take some getting time to get comfortable.
With a dinghy like this I would be setting the mast on the beach to begin my adventure. Easier to get around the boat and accomplish all the tasks. If the boat is left floating, suspect the sail would be left raised and furled.
Seems a bit like a Chinese Fire drill. It would take some getting time to get comfortable.
With a dinghy like this I would be setting the mast on the beach to begin my adventure. Easier to get around the boat and accomplish all the tasks. If the boat is left floating, suspect the sail would be left raised and furled.
Looking at photos of a CL 14, I don't see any forestay. It would seem that the jib luff becomes the forestay when you lift the mast. I can see how this would work as long as you know that you will be dropping the mast every time you lower the jib. I guess you can leave the mast up on the beach or at your shore-side home as long as you can cover the jib to protect it from UV degradation. It's not that much different than your Hobie 16, where the jib luff becomes your forestay when you raise and tension the luff. I recall on my Hobie 16 (without furling jib) that you attach the tack to the bridle and then hook the luff to the forestay with a single hank at the head. Then you raise the sail and set the luff tension to your liking. The permanent forestay goes slack as you tension the luff.
If you have it in mind that you want to leave your mast up and remove the jib, it would seem simple enough to add a forestay for light duty service when the jib is removed.
If you have it in mind that you want to leave your mast up and remove the jib, it would seem simple enough to add a forestay for light duty service when the jib is removed.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 21,839
An alternative it to use the halyard as the forestay to hold the mast in place. Take the Furler and sail into the storage shed when not in use.
Yes you cleat the halyard on the mast to hold the sail taught or to hold the mast in place.
This rig is likely not a taught rig. I would conjecture the boat sails a bit faster with a sloppy rig. Not guitar wire taut but with a little give. I'd start with the stays/shrouds up and with 1/2" play when you gently pull on them to see how the boat sails.
Thanks everyone. It just didn't seem right to me that the mast was being held up by a cleat on the bottom of it. I think the kids will love this thing. A little more of a challenge then the sunfish they had already mastered. 
So I put the mast up the order day and I'm understanding the way the jib actually holds it up. Now I'm confused with how to keep it furled. I get it rolled up, but then it just unfurls as the rope slides thru the pulley. Also there is no hardware to attach the sheets to the jib. From what I can tell from photos I could find it looks like there's just a knot there.
Attachments
Lastly, can someone tell me what this thing is for? I'm embarrassed that picture was before I cleaned it up. This is the first time I've been confused by a boat
The furling line probably shouldn’t slip on that drum. I’ll defer to any others with more experience with that type of furler, but I think you might want to check that the furling line is the right size and that the drum isn’t worn or greasy to prevent it from holding. From the looks of it the furler wouldn’t prevent unfurling in very strong conditions, but I would hope it could hold at least some tension.
Jib sheets are generally just tied onto the clew with a bowline, or with a cow hitch if one continuous sheet is used. You really don’t want any extra hardware up there weighing down the sail and threatening to hit people in the head.
Hello dewe48, I agree with Davidsailor's thoughts on the furler. The line should hold in the drum if the line is cleated aft at the cockpit once the sail is furled. Both lines would need to be cleated because that appears to be a continuous line around the drum of the furler. We had a similar arrangement on a boat years ago. If you change the line the challenge will be to get the line spliced into a continuous loop by someone who can do the job without having the splice look like the anaconda that tried to swallow the Alligator.
RE: the stainless steel gismo.....That is a type of Garboard drain. When the boat is moving the water in the boat will go out through the open drain. The angled loop is what opens and closes the drain. We never had one of those. Let us know whether the water comes "into the boat" with the drain open and the boat floating still in the water!
Question: Should the forestay and furler be attached to the forward hole in the stem fitting rather than in the aft one?
RE: the stainless steel gismo.....That is a type of Garboard drain. When the boat is moving the water in the boat will go out through the open drain. The angled loop is what opens and closes the drain. We never had one of those. Let us know whether the water comes "into the boat" with the drain open and the boat floating still in the water!
Question: Should the forestay and furler be attached to the forward hole in the stem fitting rather than in the aft one?
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 21,839
Yes. The line looks a size or two large for the drum of the furler. Note this is a furler on a small boat. The systems are not like a 25 or 30 footer.
To stop the furled sail from unraveling you will need to cleat or secure, perhaps cam cleats, both of the lines. With the line being large it is not captured within the sheave. It will find it's way off the drum. And this will allow the sail to unravel.
If I wanted to leave the sail and mast up on the boat overnight, I would get some velcro ties to wrap around the sail in a couple of places. This would help to keep the sail wrapped. You can also sew a sail sleeve to wrap around the sail like a jacket. That would also help protect part of the sail from the sun and weather.
If like most 14ft boats, I would pull the mast and store the sails in a covers area out of the sun when not in use. This has the added benefit of teaching young sailors the work of rigging a boat. A good skill for them to have.
The second picture looks like a "fast Drain" to empty the boat of splash and rain water beneath the hull. As you go zipping around you can flip the drain open and water will be sucked out of the boat. Not to be used sitting at the dock. Water might start filling the boat. We used them on Flying Dutchman when out in the ocean on a strong breeze. Took seconds to empty the wave splash coming in over the bow.
To stop the furled sail from unraveling you will need to cleat or secure, perhaps cam cleats, both of the lines. With the line being large it is not captured within the sheave. It will find it's way off the drum. And this will allow the sail to unravel.
If I wanted to leave the sail and mast up on the boat overnight, I would get some velcro ties to wrap around the sail in a couple of places. This would help to keep the sail wrapped. You can also sew a sail sleeve to wrap around the sail like a jacket. That would also help protect part of the sail from the sun and weather.
If like most 14ft boats, I would pull the mast and store the sails in a covers area out of the sun when not in use. This has the added benefit of teaching young sailors the work of rigging a boat. A good skill for them to have.
The second picture looks like a "fast Drain" to empty the boat of splash and rain water beneath the hull. As you go zipping around you can flip the drain open and water will be sucked out of the boat. Not to be used sitting at the dock. Water might start filling the boat. We used them on Flying Dutchman when out in the ocean on a strong breeze. Took seconds to empty the wave splash coming in over the bow.
Thanks for all the help. It's actually up to 60 today so I hope to get this thing in the water and try it out this weekend. I'm sure I'll have more questions then.
I had to make sure it worked for the kids. What a fun little boat
