Help with how ti ru a removable inner forestay

[higgs]

Help with how to rig a removable inner forestay

I have a cutter rig with a big jenny on the forestay. Tacking is terrible because the big jenny has to go through a two foot space between the inner forestay and the outer forestay. It takes forever for the sail to work through that space and by the time it does it is full of air making trimming it a real chore in upwind conditions. I do not want to permanently disable the staysail. It is a nice sail in certain cruising conditions. The staysail is on a furler. My thinking is to get rid of the furler, get one of those lever activated turnbuckles that would allow me to connect that stay when needed and have the staysail recut with hanks. Thoughts?

 

[All U Get]

We had the same problem. View any of the posts on tricing lines, here's one that includes a method of bringing a big jenny through the slot. We have switched to a Yankee cut and sometimes furl the headsail so it slides through without any need to leave the cockpit.

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=838378&highlight=tricing

All U Get

 

[31seahorse]

Hello higgs,
Are the lever activated parts (turnbuckles) made in a large enough dimension to do the work you plan? If so, where do you plan to get one? The ones I am familiar with are lightly built for the forestay of trailerable boats. We are working on replacing the Babystay that was removed by some previous owner. It was probably removed to ease the tacking of the jib.

 

[JoeWhite]

The way that tacking is done on a cutter is to pull the jiib over from the front and the outside of the head-stay.

 

[Johnb]

This is the quick release I have on my inner forestay.

After springing close to $400 for it I have never actually used it. My really big genoa needs help to get around the shrouds, never mind that forestay.

 

[Joe]

The way that tacking is done on a cutter is to pull the jiib over from the front and the outside of the head-stay.

Really? Never heard of that method... it could pose a special challenge for upwind sailing.

One tacking technique is to back wind the staysail long enough for the genoa to slide off towards the gap between stays. Unfortunately, many cutters are rigged with self tending staysails...

In this case, the tricing line situation mentioned above would be a good solution. Simple to set up, a lightweight line is connected mid point on genoa's foot and run forward to block at stem then back to cockpit. The allows crew to pull the center of the sail forward, into a better position for the wind to push it through the gap between stays.

 

[higgs]

I do appreciate the suggestions for tacking a cutter rig, and have pretty much tried them all and now want to get that inner stay out of the way. I need sources for a quick release lever and how to store the stay when not in use.

 

[Joe]

No problem

http://www.riggingonly.com/innerforestay04.htm

http://theriggingco.com/2014/07/09/how-to-stow-your-inner-fore-stay/

 

[CloudDiver]

Forgive my ignorance, but this is a learning process right? On a cutter rig you don't need a furler that uses a foil over the forestay because you don't need to reef either of the headsails right? On a cutter rig you reduce your foresail area in heavy air just by dousing one of the headsails all together? So why not use a Code-zero type furler with wire luffs on both sails? You can furl the sail, but not reef... so when tacking the headsail goes all the way in and then all the way back out again rather than trying to pass through anything. You don't need to have a furler attached to every sail like the racers do, just a fixed bail snap shackle at the top of the furler. You can douse and hoist a different size sail easier than a hank-on.
I'm not a super-experienced sailor or a rigging pro, but what I just described, if I'm getting it right, seems to be a huge advantage of sailing a cutter rig, yes?