difference
- Thread starter pokey
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A genoa is basically just a large jib, the leading edge of which is attached to the forestay. Wind conditions permitting,it can be used on any point of sail. A spinnaker is only useful with the wind abaft the beam: it's a full-cut triangular sail, usually of light material, that is attached to the mast at the top and has the two lower corners "free".
Different angle
A genoa is a large jib that overlaps the mast. It is at its best tacking into the wind in light winds. Like a jib, it needs to be tightly sheeted at the right angle to reach design efficiency. As you steer downwind into a reach, you come to the point where you can't sheet the genoa at the right angle - the optimal sheeting point is outboard of the hull! At that point, the genoa takes on a less desirable shape, ballooning forward at the forestay. The more you move into a reach, the less efficient the sail becomes. As winds pick up, you can reef the genoa on a furling forestay. But reefing beyond 15% to 20% again produces a baggy, inefficient shape. As winds pick up to 12 to 20 knots, a big genoa becomes too much sail. the boat will heel excessively, without producing more drive. An asymetric cruising spinnaker is a balloon shaped sail that is not attached to the forestay. A tack line holds it forward of the forestay. It is sheeted to the stern of the boat. We can fly our spinnaker well at 60 degrees off the true wind in light air, so it is no good while tacking close-hauled into the wind. (The forward edge will keep collapsing at closer angles.) But on reaches of 60 to 140 degrees and winds below 20 knots, this spinnaker is the ideal reaching sail. We have flown ours wing on wing dead down wind, but gybing downwind is really faster anyway. Between 20 and 25 knots, the spinnaker begins to overpower the boat, driving it to round up into the wind. It can be easily struck and stowed with a sock that pulls down over the sail after you get it into the wind shadow of the mainsail. A symetric, or full spinnaker is set on a pole mounted on the mast that holds the tack of the sail to windward. It can be flown dead downwind with the pole a right angles to the boat. Or it can be flown on a reach with the poll straight forward. Because of its full cut, the symetrical spinnaker cannot hold as close to the wind as the asymetric. Its optimal sailing angles to the true wind are around 80 to 180 degrees. A big genoa (with a 150% overlap of the mast) is a must for racing in light air, since races around the buoys always involve one or more windward legs. An asymetric spinnaker is the best reaching sail for a cruiser or a racer. David Lady Lillie
A genoa is a large jib that overlaps the mast. It is at its best tacking into the wind in light winds. Like a jib, it needs to be tightly sheeted at the right angle to reach design efficiency. As you steer downwind into a reach, you come to the point where you can't sheet the genoa at the right angle - the optimal sheeting point is outboard of the hull! At that point, the genoa takes on a less desirable shape, ballooning forward at the forestay. The more you move into a reach, the less efficient the sail becomes. As winds pick up, you can reef the genoa on a furling forestay. But reefing beyond 15% to 20% again produces a baggy, inefficient shape. As winds pick up to 12 to 20 knots, a big genoa becomes too much sail. the boat will heel excessively, without producing more drive. An asymetric cruising spinnaker is a balloon shaped sail that is not attached to the forestay. A tack line holds it forward of the forestay. It is sheeted to the stern of the boat. We can fly our spinnaker well at 60 degrees off the true wind in light air, so it is no good while tacking close-hauled into the wind. (The forward edge will keep collapsing at closer angles.) But on reaches of 60 to 140 degrees and winds below 20 knots, this spinnaker is the ideal reaching sail. We have flown ours wing on wing dead down wind, but gybing downwind is really faster anyway. Between 20 and 25 knots, the spinnaker begins to overpower the boat, driving it to round up into the wind. It can be easily struck and stowed with a sock that pulls down over the sail after you get it into the wind shadow of the mainsail. A symetric, or full spinnaker is set on a pole mounted on the mast that holds the tack of the sail to windward. It can be flown dead downwind with the pole a right angles to the boat. Or it can be flown on a reach with the poll straight forward. Because of its full cut, the symetrical spinnaker cannot hold as close to the wind as the asymetric. Its optimal sailing angles to the true wind are around 80 to 180 degrees. A big genoa (with a 150% overlap of the mast) is a must for racing in light air, since races around the buoys always involve one or more windward legs. An asymetric spinnaker is the best reaching sail for a cruiser or a racer. David Lady Lillie
- Jan 22, 2008
- 519
another difference
A genoa is mounted inside the foretriangle, the tack of the sail is mounted aft of the forestay at the bow and the head is attached below the forestay up the mast. It is tacked inside the triangle. It can also be gybed. A spinnaker is mounted outside the triangle, above the mast forestay attachment point,and forward of the forestay attachment point on the stemhead. It gybes outside the trinangle. It cannot be tacked.
A genoa is mounted inside the foretriangle, the tack of the sail is mounted aft of the forestay at the bow and the head is attached below the forestay up the mast. It is tacked inside the triangle. It can also be gybed. A spinnaker is mounted outside the triangle, above the mast forestay attachment point,and forward of the forestay attachment point on the stemhead. It gybes outside the trinangle. It cannot be tacked.
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