Goodbye staysail

[med2463]

Removed staysail and all hardware. Amazing how much hardware/winch was necessary for that itty bitty sail. Lot less stuff on deck to trip over now. Was a pitb to tack, too. After hours of practice we got better, but still had to go up on foredeck sometimes to get jib off the staysail. Plus tacks were slower to time it just right so it wouldn't hang up on the staysail. Filled in all deck holes and will paint the deck this summer. For us, it's mo bettah for our style of coastal cruising. So, we've got all the staysail stuff up on a shelf in the garage.:dance:

 

[higgs]

It has been tempting to do the same, but I sure do love the rig on a long tack off the wind. I also like the option of going with only the staysail in heavy air.

 

[Ray Bowles]

I know it can be pain if tacking repeatedly in a narrow channel. On our Island Packet 38 it also had a boom that really helped with tacking. Both our head sails were roller furling and we would roll in the genoa to tack. This might be the answer in your case. We found it helped the speed of the boat by about 5 to 10% when all sails were trimmed correctly.
Since we used the boat as live aboard crusiers the trips we took were longer by nature and didn't require frequent tacks. The sail combination choices we had when dealing with storms and higher winds made the staysail a valuble option to have.
We each sail our boats differently so if it works better for you that's great. I do think you can sale all the hardware and the sail on this site. Good luck.
Ray

 

[Snotter]

My last boat had a stay'sl stay. I kept it attached at the top but rapped it around a side shroud and attached the bottom to a stanchion. It was not in the way that way. I did use it on occassion as it was a simple matter to connect it up when I needed it. However, I did not have a boom to worry about.