Gennaker question

[pcjrusso]

I have what I was told is a gennaker that came with my Oday 34. Well after 2 years I had time to pull it out. It is in a dousing bag I understand how to fly it . But my confusion is it has a head and two clews, no tack the labels look like factory labeling. Can someone give, me some insight.

Thanks
Pat

 

[DRhoads]

I pulled this from Yahoo:
A gennaker is a combination of a spinnaker and a genoa. It has a defined tack that mounts at the front of the boat and the clew swings from side to side the same as a genoa. It's made out of the same material as a spinnaker. It's head, tack, clew, luff leach and foot are all always in the same locations. What differs it from a genoa is that it's luff is only attached to the headstay at the tack and and at the head via the halyard.

A spinnaker mounts with the tack attached to a spinnaker pole and the clew and tack as well as the luff and leach switch when the pole is gybed. When packing a spinnaker the three corners are called the head and two clews since the pole isn't attached and the sails sides are referred to as the two luffs and a foot. A spinnaker is always a faster sail than a gennaker with the wind aft of the beam.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

If it has two clews and no tack then it's a regular spinnaker and not a gennaker.

You can still try flying it like a gennaker by tacking one of the clews to the front of the boat. Most people us an adjustable tack line so the tack can be raised or lowered depending on point of sail, wind speed, etc.

Do you have the sheets, blocks, tack line, and everything else needed? I would take some time to make sure you have all the gear and know how to run all the lines. Then pick a day with light wind, say under 10 kts and give it a try. Make sure you have plenty of sea room.

There are a number of good youtube videos out there that show how to rig, launch, fly and douse a spinnaker with a dousing sock.

Good luck,
Barry

 

[tkanzler]

By any chance, did you lay it out to see if it is indeed symmetrical? Sounds like it is, but I'd spread it out to see, just because.

If you do that, and it is symmetrical, you can also measure it in case you want to put it on the market and go shopping for an asymmetric spinnaker/gennaker.

 

[Ron20324]

If the "luff" and "leach" are different lengths, the longer would be the true "luff" on an asymetrical. Mark it/them in some way. Mine has different color reinforcemnet for easy identification.

 

[pcjrusso]

Thank you all for your knowledge response. I will spread it this weekend I do seem to think it was not symmetrical, if I find that to be true I will fly as a gennaker and see what happens.

Thanks again
Pat
TBM Lasalle Mi

 

[Scotty C-M]

Congratulations! The gennaker is a really fun sail to carry. Look on U-Tube for lessons on how to rig and trim it.