Head sail

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D

Dave Coons

I have an O'Day 22 and sail on a 10 mile shallow lake. I bought new Doyle mainsail 2 years ago and a Doyle 135 genoa last year with roller furler. In winds over 15-20 mph I feel I have too much sail so this year I want to buy a head sail that will be usable in both a stiff or moderate breeze. What would be a good size?
 
M

Mike

Do you reef the headsail?

If you have a roller furler, can't you reef the headsail? Are you also reefing your mainsail? Doing both will make your boat more stable and actually sail better when the wind picks up.
 
G

George

Reefing Headsail

Getting the right balance between the main and headsail is the key to comfortable/efficient sailing. Although purists sniff at the ugly shape of a partially deployed headsail, being able to adjust it quickly makes sailing much easier and keeps the Admiral happy. Have you tried that??
 
Jul 8, 2004
361
S2 9.1 chelsea ny
when I had my 22....

I reefed the main (original Pryde main) and that did the trick. I had a 150% RF headsail up. If it got to 20kts.I rolled in about 25% of the genny and again no problem.
 
Jun 23, 2004
11
- - St. Pete. FL
Headsail sizes

Hi Dave, I'm Late into the forum but I'd like to address your question. Here in Florida, we have predominately light winds in the summer, and we get alot of stiff breeze with the cold fronts in the winter. I have many customers that have a larger 135-155% Rf Genoa for the summer months, and change to a more efficient 100% Rf Jib for the winter. The smaller jib, is easier to tack, puts the center of effort where it needs to be, and has a cleaner entry than a rolled up sail. If you have the resources, and you have similar conditions such as more breeze in the spring and fall and less in the summer, you may wish to consider this as an option.
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,047
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
C22 Sails

Dave Reef the main, reef the main, reef the main. If it gets too windy, take down the main and sail on the jib. Or leave a reef in the main and furl the jib partially. It's balanc you're looking for. Also move the jib fair leads back when it gets too windy. That may save you big $$s on a new sail. If that doesn't work for you, then... There's lots of sail trim advice, and some requires additional sails, which, as Tom mentioned, have good reasons. We have a 100 for winter and an 85 for summer here. Also read Royce's Sailboat Illustrated. It includes good sailing information, and lots of information on C22s, and other sail trim books. Don't forget the C22 Association website. Great boat!
 
L

Lee T

Reefing the main and center of effort

Hi Dave, Thanks for the E-mail. Taking a reef in the main with the Oday22 method destroys the sail shape. Reefing the main moves the center of effort forward. If you continue to reef the main and continue to be over-powered you may begin to feel the boat being headed if so, the decision is a clear one; reduce head sail area. With roller furling sail shape will suffer and become most apparent when sailing close-hauled or pointing.I would recomend an 80 or 100% working jib. - Lee
 
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