reefed main or working jib

seanshine · May 11, 2009

I think you did it right. Afterall, you were doing hull speed. If you have a larger jib hoisted, your only option would be to reef. You were smart to use a smaller jib when you knew it would be blowing 25 knots. If the wind started blowing even harder, you at least had another option and that would be to reef. BTW, reef early. Don't wait...

CalebD · May 11, 2009

I also think you did just fine by using the working jib. You still had the option of putting in a reef.
Every boat reacts a little different to reduced sail area depending on hull shape among other things.
Some boats (my Tartan 27 falls into this category) will actually sail faster and more upright with a reef in 25 knots of wind. If you had a lot of heel then you might have sailed faster with less main sail area.
You should try reefing first another time to see if there is a difference in performance and what works best for your Helms 24.

tommays · May 11, 2009

Depends on the boat mine does better Or i do better

with a reefed main

I see a lot of boats both ways depending on boat and owner preference

Ron20324 · May 11, 2009

If the conditions are already dicey, if it gets worse it is easier to drop the jib if it's a roller. If it's a hank-on, it is alot easier/safer to drop and control the main.

druid · May 11, 2009

For years I avoided the jib-only set because I visualized the wind catching the jib and pulling the bow off the wind, making me helplessly careening downwind. However, I found when I tried it I got decent weather-helm once the boat got going and there was no control problem. In fact, the last three boats I've owned sailed upwind WAY better with just a jib than just a main.

Obviously, the BEST setting is reefed main and reefed jib, balanced, but sometimes you'd need like 3 reefs to get it down enough, and jib-only seems to work. It's certainly good for downwind - I often sail jenny-only just so I don't get blanketing from the main.

druid

Maine Sail · May 11, 2009

myerssl said:
Thanks guys, but I may need to clarify. I only had one sail up, the jib. The mainsail was still furled. The boat was heeling over about 20 degrees and seemed to be doing fine.

But, I'm still new at this, so when my friend mentioned that I should have put the mainsail up (reefed) instead of the jib, I thought I would bring up the question.

Thanks,

It is entirely dependent upon your vessel. J Boats sail like Lasers with a main only but many of the 70's & 80's era boats designed with short booms and large overlapping head sails do much better under genny rather than a reefed main only. If you have three reefs then the boat will usually balance better with two sails. You'll need to try main only on your own vessel to know if it is better than worse.

catsailor · May 11, 2009

A few more factors...

* It depends on balance. Which combination keeps the helm reasonable, because balanced helm hints that the boat is still maneuverable.
* No-backstay boats (many cats) need a full main to keep the forestay tight. They should play the traveler more than the main.
* Flat jib is easier to feather than genoa. In a tender boat, a jib is hard to feather into gust, compared to a full main.
* Fully battened sails tend to reef later... because they feather well.
* Down wind, more genoa, up wind more main.
* The genoa is easier to furl or drop going downwind, when it is time to go back up wind.

No single factor.

And everything everyone else said.

Benny · May 11, 2009

Depends on your point of sail. Upwind a reefed main, working jib configuration can add stability.

Manny · May 11, 2009

My 27 won't sail on main alone, it will round up all day long. Heavy winds or laziness dictates just using the genny and the boat sails fine. It still has weather helm in the strong gusts. Tacking can be an issue if there is not enough speed, or if the wind is too strong but usually it's not a problem.

Manny

Jim Kolstoe · May 11, 2009

Aside from questions about which is faster and how much to you like sailing on your ear, keep in mind that over powering a sail boat tends to make it slower, not faster. Further, each sail is designed for a specific wind range. Exceeding that range over-stresses the sail, contributing to blowing out the sail or, less dramatically, premature bagginess.
I went single-hand today is somewhat strong winds, and opted for main only, which is my normal choice. The strong weather helm has me thinking of trying a reefed main and 100% jib (the other is a 150%) to see if it provides sufficiently better balance to justify the extra work. As noted above, the best choice of your boat depends on both you and the boat. Your best choice is to get out there and play.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo

Stu Jackson · May 12, 2009

Jib or main if only one

In general, masthead sloops sail better with jib only because the jib is the "driver" on masthead rigs.

Answer is: there IS no "right" answer. Upwind or downwind are very different. On a masthead rig, the main will be less powerful than the jib, but if you're not in a hurry, who cares? We sail a lot with just the jib because our mainsail cover is the only "work" left on the boat.

Experiment with both and see what YOU like for YOUR boat.