I'm a first-year big boat sailor, sailing a Catalina 30 tall rig. While out in 15-20 knot winds this week, I decided to reduce my 155 genoa to lessen heeling and weather helm (I had reefed the main at the dock). I headed up to lessen the load on the sail and the heeling so that my crew (wife & kids) could control the helm while I shortened the sail. I was able to reduce sail only by exerting all my strength on the furling line. (I have a Hood double line furler.) This causes me two concerns. First, in bigger waves I might not be able to turn the helm over to the crew, and none of them is nearly as strong as I so they could not complete the furling operation against the load I fought. Second, I worry about using brute force on any part of my 14-year old boat. I assume there's a better plan for shortening the headsail in fresh winds than the one I came up with. What is it? Also, I noticed that many boats out at the same time were under headsail only. Any thoughts on that strategy vs. a reefed main and shortened headsail?
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Hood furling
A lot of sailors will sail with only the headsail out because its generally easier to reef and furl the headssail than the mainsail, especially single-handed. Whether it puts excessive strain on the rig I think depends on the type of rig and the size of the headsail used. You say that you headed up, but did you de-power the sail? The Hood RF system is really designed and marketed as a furling system, not a reefing system. You have to keep the bearings and swivels clean and lubed with silicone and really de-power the headsail to reef or furl with the Hood units. I know this because I have one, and I'm not crazy about it, frankly.
A lot of sailors will sail with only the headsail out because its generally easier to reef and furl the headssail than the mainsail, especially single-handed. Whether it puts excessive strain on the rig I think depends on the type of rig and the size of the headsail used. You say that you headed up, but did you de-power the sail? The Hood RF system is really designed and marketed as a furling system, not a reefing system. You have to keep the bearings and swivels clean and lubed with silicone and really de-power the headsail to reef or furl with the Hood units. I know this because I have one, and I'm not crazy about it, frankly.
Furling
Dave Heading off the wind to a beam reach or run in higher winds ususally makes furling easier in higher winds. The arhive search below is on roller furling. You may peruse these 498 stories, or try a more refined search, but this has been discussed many times before. Also, using only the jib in high winds works just great, and reduces the weather helm caused by the mainsail (only). The jib causes lee helm. There was a discussion about two months ago, and some people don't think it works because of their concerns about rigging, although I disagree with them. You may want to try a forum archive search under "headsail only" Good luck with your new boat. Stu
Dave Heading off the wind to a beam reach or run in higher winds ususally makes furling easier in higher winds. The arhive search below is on roller furling. You may peruse these 498 stories, or try a more refined search, but this has been discussed many times before. Also, using only the jib in high winds works just great, and reduces the weather helm caused by the mainsail (only). The jib causes lee helm. There was a discussion about two months ago, and some people don't think it works because of their concerns about rigging, although I disagree with them. You may want to try a forum archive search under "headsail only" Good luck with your new boat. Stu
A couple of thoughts.
I've got a 320 on the SF Bay and we get a lot of high winds. Stu is spot on about going to a run and blanketing the jib with the main to ease furling loads. Also, you might consider adjustable fairleads, by cranking my leads back, I'm able to twist off the top of the headsale effectively reducing load and heal. On the main, you can ease the mainsheet to induce twist in the main. This also eases power in the sail. You can also ease the traveler to leeward to backwind the main with the Jib. Again, reduces power and heal. I generally try to keep the boat balanced, i.e., fly both sails, and use various adjustments to reduce heal and weather helm. On my boat, I believe a big portion of the weather helm is a function of hull shape and healing. Hope this helps a bit.
I've got a 320 on the SF Bay and we get a lot of high winds. Stu is spot on about going to a run and blanketing the jib with the main to ease furling loads. Also, you might consider adjustable fairleads, by cranking my leads back, I'm able to twist off the top of the headsale effectively reducing load and heal. On the main, you can ease the mainsheet to induce twist in the main. This also eases power in the sail. You can also ease the traveler to leeward to backwind the main with the Jib. Again, reduces power and heal. I generally try to keep the boat balanced, i.e., fly both sails, and use various adjustments to reduce heal and weather helm. On my boat, I believe a big portion of the weather helm is a function of hull shape and healing. Hope this helps a bit.
Smaller Sail?
Hoisting a 110 at the dock when the forecast/conditions point to good winds will give you a great set-up for them. If you start with the smaller sail, and things quiet down, then you have easy conditions, and can involve your crew in dropping the 110 and shifting to the 155. In our case, we have a crusing spinnaker. It can be be deployed and ready to hoist in its sock while we are using the 110. It provides more power than the 155 on a reach in light air, and switching back to the 110 if the wind pipes up just means dropping the sock, and unfurling the 110! David Lady Lillie
Hoisting a 110 at the dock when the forecast/conditions point to good winds will give you a great set-up for them. If you start with the smaller sail, and things quiet down, then you have easy conditions, and can involve your crew in dropping the 110 and shifting to the 155. In our case, we have a crusing spinnaker. It can be be deployed and ready to hoist in its sock while we are using the 110. It provides more power than the 155 on a reach in light air, and switching back to the 110 if the wind pipes up just means dropping the sock, and unfurling the 110! David Lady Lillie
Dance,don't fight
Dude, Three cheers for the tall rig on the first shot, when she blows , be Kool ! don't fight her love on her round up til she starts to wisper sweet nothings. then while she's easy tweak her dress til she is just right then bear off and DANCE!!! Rock on!!!!
Dude, Three cheers for the tall rig on the first shot, when she blows , be Kool ! don't fight her love on her round up til she starts to wisper sweet nothings. then while she's easy tweak her dress til she is just right then bear off and DANCE!!! Rock on!!!!
Forestay tension
Furlers like very tight forestays when they are furling. Have you ever dertermined what your forestay tension is with the backstay adjuster (if any) pulled fully tight? Since you have a furler, you probably have not checked this tension. Nevertheless, this is something you should look into. It might reguire removing the furler and then setting up the forestay without the furler on in order to get a reading, but I think it is effort well applied.
Furlers like very tight forestays when they are furling. Have you ever dertermined what your forestay tension is with the backstay adjuster (if any) pulled fully tight? Since you have a furler, you probably have not checked this tension. Nevertheless, this is something you should look into. It might reguire removing the furler and then setting up the forestay without the furler on in order to get a reading, but I think it is effort well applied.
Harken
Many C320 owners report easier furling using a Harken 187 hexaratchet/cam at the aft end of the furling line. They say it really helps furling on a windy day. I'm in the process of ordering one. I recently completed a race in building thunderstorm with 30 kt winds at the finish and couldn't get the jenny to furl, in the meantime the sheets went overboard and we foulded them in the prop. Not a day I wanted to go swimming!
Many C320 owners report easier furling using a Harken 187 hexaratchet/cam at the aft end of the furling line. They say it really helps furling on a windy day. I'm in the process of ordering one. I recently completed a race in building thunderstorm with 30 kt winds at the finish and couldn't get the jenny to furl, in the meantime the sheets went overboard and we foulded them in the prop. Not a day I wanted to go swimming!
Some furlers
work much better with the halyard slacked off a little - this takes much of the load off the bearings at both the drum and the swivel, allowing them to spin much more freely. It increases their lifespan, too.
work much better with the halyard slacked off a little - this takes much of the load off the bearings at both the drum and the swivel, allowing them to spin much more freely. It increases their lifespan, too.
810 sl furler
I think you have the 810 hood furler aboard? I have the same one and dont ease the halyard to roll it up as that will wrap the halyard around the stay. You may want to check the condition of the stay by removing parts of the furler and make sure the stay wasnt cut by the rivets that join the extrusions. You may also check that the fairleads on the drum are in fact pointing to the first blocks and the line doesnt touch any part of the drum housing. There is a centering bearing at the base of the bottom swage that keeps the drum from riding on the turnbuckle, make sure that is aligned. Since the 810 doesnt have bearings to ride on, the halyard tension is very important, make sure its tight. A 2.5" ( i think its 2.5) hole saw plug is the perfect size for the lower centering piece and an old teflon cutting board is easy to cut out for that bearing. And try to head up to reef. I have a 30 catalina and have the same furler. We have a love hate relationship. I have one more trick up my sleeve if those didnt work. cole
I think you have the 810 hood furler aboard? I have the same one and dont ease the halyard to roll it up as that will wrap the halyard around the stay. You may want to check the condition of the stay by removing parts of the furler and make sure the stay wasnt cut by the rivets that join the extrusions. You may also check that the fairleads on the drum are in fact pointing to the first blocks and the line doesnt touch any part of the drum housing. There is a centering bearing at the base of the bottom swage that keeps the drum from riding on the turnbuckle, make sure that is aligned. Since the 810 doesnt have bearings to ride on, the halyard tension is very important, make sure its tight. A 2.5" ( i think its 2.5) hole saw plug is the perfect size for the lower centering piece and an old teflon cutting board is easy to cut out for that bearing. And try to head up to reef. I have a 30 catalina and have the same furler. We have a love hate relationship. I have one more trick up my sleeve if those didnt work. cole
Dave:A 155 is a lot of sail to handle, especially if you are virtually alone,in winds in excess of 18 to 20 knots and above. A couple of years ago at the Catalina 30 Nationals in Santa Cruz we raced in winds above 40 knots. Neither sail was reefed because the folks chasing us were under full sail also!! We have a set crew of 6 guys that have raced these Nationals for a number of years, which made the difference because everyone know what they are doing. I would not try it on my own boat, which generally consists of just my wife and myself. Like everything in life and sailing there is a standard way to shorten sail and it is the opposite of how you raise your sails. When you raise sail you start with the main and then the jib. When the wind gets up in the 15 to 18 knot range, you should shorten the jib down to about a 135. Your next step is roll it up completely. In the meantime, you would have also put in the first reef on the main and if conditions worsened you would go to the second reef. In the conditions where a reef is necessary, your main concern is to keep the boat under control. In other words, sail trim is out the window. Regarding you comment concerning guys sailing with the jib alone in the conditions you described and I assume they were mast head rig boats, unfortunately they had it backwards. The guys sailing with shortened or reefed jib and main have it right. Just because folks sail under jib alone doesn't mean it is the right way to go - over the years I've seen a million ass backwards situation that unfortunately other sailors copy.
HOOD furler
Dave, I believe Hood Yacht Systems has an Upgrade available that converts your Line Drive furler to a conventional single line Furler. Hood Yacht Systems is a division of Pompanette. You can call direct to (813)885-2182 and speak with Mike Haber. He can fill you in on the details of the deal, as it is direct with them.
Dave, I believe Hood Yacht Systems has an Upgrade available that converts your Line Drive furler to a conventional single line Furler. Hood Yacht Systems is a division of Pompanette. You can call direct to (813)885-2182 and speak with Mike Haber. He can fill you in on the details of the deal, as it is direct with them.
We have a Hood furler on our P42 ...
It makes a huge effort difference in rolling the drum in or out if we first ease the halyard. This takes the friction pressure off the drum and bearings. We also secure the drum to a cleat with a small line to keep the drum from spinning when reefed. The double line will not (on ours) hold the drum from spinning out if reefed in stronger winds. Terry
It makes a huge effort difference in rolling the drum in or out if we first ease the halyard. This takes the friction pressure off the drum and bearings. We also secure the drum to a cleat with a small line to keep the drum from spinning when reefed. The double line will not (on ours) hold the drum from spinning out if reefed in stronger winds. Terry
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