I see boats like Island Packets with a club-footed boom on the jib to make it self-tending. Does anyone here have any experience with using these for single-handing? It seems like you would lose a lot of the drive that I get with my 135% Genoa, as the jib couldn't be bigger than 100%.
Jib boom
- Thread starter jknappsax
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I think all the IP boats are cutter rigged so you still have a bunch of sail up front, but have to tend some jib sheets. Other boats seem to be fractional rigs, self tending jib but large mains.
Scott hit the nail right on the head. The oversize jib that you leave on the table is offset by a larger than normal main.
You have to balance convenience—a self-tending jib, with performance—a larger genoa that needs to be tacked.
The IPs have them for their staysails, not the jib
but self tending gear has been installed on a lot of boats that sail normally in congested and narrow channels, like the California Delta around here. Once these boats move to the central Bay most of them take them off. These are usually the track on the foredeck kind, rather than the knee-capping jib booms. As noted, the jibs can't be more than 90% to be able to pass the mast.
Plus, think of all the great exercise tending the jib sheets on every tack that you'd be missing!
See this, too: (might have to join the C36ia website MB to read) : http://www.c36ia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151
but self tending gear has been installed on a lot of boats that sail normally in congested and narrow channels, like the California Delta around here. Once these boats move to the central Bay most of them take them off. These are usually the track on the foredeck kind, rather than the knee-capping jib booms. As noted, the jibs can't be more than 90% to be able to pass the mast.
Plus, think of all the great exercise tending the jib sheets on every tack that you'd be missing!
See this, too: (might have to join the C36ia website MB to read) : http://www.c36ia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151
Many of the newer Hunters have small jibs. They really don't need a larger head sail with most of the drive coming from the main. If this is the case, then a self tending jib is the ticket. The only real problem here is when you need to reef down the jib. Unless you are setup with a setup that would allow you to reef the self tender, you end up with too much or too little canvas.
We have had self tenders on a couple of boats and they are wonderful when you are shorthanded. If you rig one without a boom you can have your cake and eat it too. I have seen several newer boats that have this exact setup. My Hunter Vision would be a perfect candidate for this type of a setup.
We have had self tenders on a couple of boats and they are wonderful when you are shorthanded. If you rig one without a boom you can have your cake and eat it too. I have seen several newer boats that have this exact setup. My Hunter Vision would be a perfect candidate for this type of a setup.
Re. Jib boom
You mean like Hunter made from 1978 through 1984? Most cutter-rigged boats use a self-tacking boom. Hard to beat when the wind pipes up. We roll up the yankee(jib) to reduce sail. The staysail with main on my boat can handle 25 knots nicely. Not having to manhandle the sheets when tacking in those winds is a bonus. Also great for heaving-to. Island Packets and many other cutters can furl their staysails. My H37C cannot but some owners have retrofitted a furler.
Most models of the Hanse have a self-tending jib. They do not use a boom however, just a long curved traveler. There are others.
You mean like Hunter made from 1978 through 1984? Most cutter-rigged boats use a self-tacking boom. Hard to beat when the wind pipes up. We roll up the yankee(jib) to reduce sail. The staysail with main on my boat can handle 25 knots nicely. Not having to manhandle the sheets when tacking in those winds is a bonus. Also great for heaving-to. Island Packets and many other cutters can furl their staysails. My H37C cannot but some owners have retrofitted a furler.
Most models of the Hanse have a self-tending jib. They do not use a boom however, just a long curved traveler. There are others.
I have an Island Packet 35 with a jib boom. As several have mentioned, the boat is cutter rigged so I still have a 135% Genoa forward of the staysail on the boom so there is no loss of power. The real benefit of this setup is the ability to reduce sail area without moving the center of effort higher. In winds >20 knots I simply furl the genoa completely and ride on main & staysail alone. In addition, running dead downwind, the staysail can be set and sheeted hard on the centerline of the boat to reduce rolling tendency. As for the benefit of the rig for single handing, it doesn't get much simpler. Once you set the sail, the next adjustment you usually make it to furl it back up at the end of the day.
There is also the Hoyt boom system on the Alerion Express 28, would this be something the OP is interested in seeing?
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...ame=2008+Alerion+Express+28+Hoyt+Boom&photo=5
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...ame=2008+Alerion+Express+28+Hoyt+Boom&photo=5
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...... Not necessarily the case.
A jib or 100% Genoa when mounted to a *club foot* can be better trimmed, have better trimming and 'shaping' versatility than a sail that is flown without one; especially when the club foot has a vang system (or when using the Hoyt Boom - a modern 'upgrade' to a club foot'. A perfectly set and trimmed and 'low to the deck' club-foooted sail can perform almost to the performance level of a large overlapping genoa, especially in light winds!
With a club-foot it is VERY easy to 'barber-haul'*** (in OR out) to arrive at the precise angle of attack angle; also, one can more easily control the precise draft amount, the precise location of the 'point of maximum draft', the SHAPE of the luff entry (how 'round' or flat the leading edge of the sail is, precise twist (for ALL angles ... which is VERY difficult to do for a non-clubfooted jib. etc. etc. All these advantages allowing a club footed jib/staysail to be set/shaped/trimmed with much more precision for better performance that is nearly impossible with a 'clubfoot-less' jib.
(*** def. - *barberhauiling* allows setting the precise angle of attack as the clew can be easily in or out from the boat's centerline. )
Additionally, a clubfooted sail can easily be flown 'on the lee' as the 'pole is already attached'. Tacking with a clubfooted sail is one of the easiest and trouble free methods of tacking.
Downsides - on lower than a beam reach a clubfooted sail's aft end will usually lift with the consequential loss of shape and inducement of too much twist at the head of the sail; a vang system will prevent this. The Hoyt Boom's design doesnt permit the clew to 'rise'.
The biggest downside is that it prevents usage of more than a 100%LP sail, although there ARE systems from the late 1800s that can overcome this downside but do have a lot of clattertrap attached.
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