222 Jib Genoa forestay rigging

Jun 22, 2016
54
Pearson 26 Chesapeake Bay
Going over everything on the 222, still not sure what to do about the jib. It's getting sunburned and I want to replace it. Do I need a forestay if I'm going to use a furler?
I bought all new standing rigging from DR marine, and have a new headstay. Before I order a new jib/Genoa I thought I'd ask owners of 222's what they would recommend for a setup. I do like the idea of sunbrella, and furling it up and being done for the day, and leaving the boat rigged in the slip. I will be sailing the mid Chesapeake bay, in varying conditions here, and I'm no racer. Do you recommend a 135%? I prefer sailing comfortable, and durability over speed, but in mid summer we tend to run out of wind until fall approaches.

I have a Barton composite or plastic furler, and the top swivel. Maybe I should replace the furler while I'm at it, although it is in (seemingly) good shape.

Can you recommend a sail maker, furler, and size?
 

Dave Groshong

SBO Staff
Staff member
Jan 25, 2007
1,867
Catalina 22 Seattle
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
My 192 is spec'd with a 110% jib, and sheets between upper and lower shrouds, to a block on the cabin, and back to cleats at the rear edge of the cabin. I know of people with a 135% genoa on 192s, and it requires jib track running down the side decks, which does open the sheeting angle a little bit, probably affecting pointing to a small degree. I am not super familiar with the 222, other than it is the bigger predecessor to the 192. If you have jib track down the side decks, you could run a 135%, which might come in handy on lighter wind Chessie days. You might consider a jib sock for UV protection, and this would lighten the sail some compared to Sunbrella strips on leech and foot, but I don't know how much this would really help on a Chessie Shake and Bake day. If you had a CDI furler, which includes an integrated halyard, your jib halyard would be free for the jib sock, or if you had a spinnaker halyard rigged. Other considerations for a 135% would be foam luff, to take up excess sail material when reefed, and attempt to give better sail shape. Also, you should have reinforcement patches sewn into the leech and foot at common reef points, say 110% and 90%, so that when you do roll the sail up to reef, you don't immediately stretch it all to hell. I can't see the point of a 150% or 155% genoa on a recreational boat like this. That's a fair amount of sail to carry in wind, but very poor shape when all rolled up to reef, which you'd probably have to do relatively early with such a big headsail.
 
Jun 22, 2016
54
Pearson 26 Chesapeake Bay
I ordered a new jib, I'll hank it on each time for now. I think I'll put the furling setup on hold.

The 222 has the jib cars and winches on the cabin roof. I think next year I might take them off and move them beside the cockpit. Getting up there is a little out of the way solo, but for two people I suppose it's pretty good.
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
I ordered a new jib, I'll hank it on each time for now. I think I'll put the furling setup on hold.

The 222 has the jib cars and winches on the cabin roof. I think next year I might take them off and move them beside the cockpit. Getting up there is a little out of the way solo, but for two people I suppose it's pretty good.
A hank on jib can be poor-man's roller furling with the addition of a downhaul line and deck bag. Generally a 3/16" double braid polyester line is fine for the downhaul, run so that you can get to the halyard at the mast and the downhaul. I stand in my cabin and reach the halyard on the mast in my 192, and pull down the jib with the downhaul, then cleat off on side of cabin. Cleat both sheets with the clew near the centerline of the boat, and the sail stays under control and on the deck until you get where you're going and stow in the deck bag. This allows you to keep the jib hanked on. I got my deck bag from leesailcovers.com. The main annoying thing is to unreeve the sheets and keep them in the bag, then have to reeve them when you remove the bag before sailing.

As for moving your deck cars, don't. They are in position for your 110% jib to get good sheet lead angles. Moving the sheeting point to the cockpit will have the sheets potentially pull from a bad angle, either making the foot too tight and too much twist in the sail, or too much leech tension and draft in the sail. I think probably the former. Then again, if you have a good lead position on the cabin top (if you extended a line from your jib sheet through the clew of the jib, it should roughly bisect the luff at the midpoint) and your proposed jib sheet leads along the cockpit continue that line, then you could consider it. However, this will open the sheeting angle (angle between centerline of boat and close hauled sheeting of the jib) because the lead will move outboard of the centerline, and your pointing will suffer.
 
Jun 22, 2016
54
Pearson 26 Chesapeake Bay
These are good points. I saw a lake sailed 222 online, equipped with a big Genoa and the cars were along the cockpit. With a bigger headsail the cars had a decent angle and looked like a comfortable setup to single hand with, being closer to the tiller. I thought this would be a great idea for me in my boat. The more I thought about it, the more I think for me, on the Chesapeake Bay, it might not be as good of an idea.
For now I'll stick with how it is. I'm really anxious to get it in the water, and I don't want to wait for a furling setup. The jib I ordered was in stock and ready to ship, so I ran with it. I'll take my time and plan a furler for next year. It's time to get her in the water now. I still need to see how helpful a yard will be to pick her off the trailer so I can pull the centerboard and paint it. I want to replace the pendant, because I'm not sure how everything looks under there. Rather not take a chance of it breaking, and me snapping the board.

Thanks for the input.