Jib

[jorgefife]

I have a hank on jib on my H33.
It may be a little bigger than it should, but so far I have not sank the boat, and have been learning with it
My question: how high should it be from the place where it starts at the front, by the bow rail?
It has a double hook kind of set up (name, please) where it hooks on; I find it is not so easy to see what is ahead of me, but I don't want to put it so it is much higher; how high should it be?
Below or above the bow rail?
By how much?
This will help sail , but not blindly

 

[Kings Gambit]

A hanked on jib like that should tacked to the deck/stem; that's what those hooks are there for (if I understand what you're describing). Besides, if you try to raise the tack point higher, you might run out of head stay b/f the full hoist of the jib is made. If you need to see better, try steering from the leeward side if you have a wheel, especially when you are on a port tack.

 

[Merlin Clark]

Someone in my boats past made up a couple of pennants that have a snap shackle on one end and a plain shackle on the other. The snap shackle on the bow fitting attaches to the plain shackle on the pennant and the snap shackle on the pennant sanps into the tack grommet on the fore sail.
This raises the jib or genoa (in my case about a foot). I reall like this as I have great visibility and can see what is out in front of the boat from either side of the cockpit.
Works for me and my boat.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Jibs work best close to the deck. One reason Hunter and some others put the furling drum below the deck on some earlier models. Most boats have the furler drum above deck so the lowest point of attachment(the "tack") of the jib is about twelve or more inches above the deck. So it might help to add a pennant but like Gambit points out, "do you have room at the top"? You can determine how high off the deck you can go. Release the sail at the tack and take the sail up with the halyard as far as it will go. That will determine the length of a pennant.

Racing sailors use hanked on sails because they can keep it close to the deck. But for best visibility you need some height AND to steer from the leeward side. Or you can put a big window in the jib like on my Highlander.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Well it's true that if racing, the skipper is likely to have a bowman (or other crew) looking out forward (and below the jib), and maybe even a tactician to tell him where to steer the boat, so the visibility issue would be handled that way. If you do try to get a pennant length as described, be sure to tension the tack end of the sail down some; there could be an inch or two of stretch that you might need to take up when the wind pipes up.

 

[jorgefife]

Well it's true that if racing, the skipper is likely to have a bowman (or other crew) looking out forward (and below the jib), and maybe even a tactician to tell him where to steer the boat, so the visibility issue would be handled that way. If you do try to get a pennant length as described, be sure to tension the tack end of the sail down some; there could be an inch or two of stretch that you might need to take up when the wind pipes up.

I should have entere my posting under " Cherubini Owners", but after I did it in the wrong section, I knew you would read and comment , Ed
Thank you also Gambit and all who responded
A "pennant" I guess is an extra length of halyard, I have about a foot of it attached to the deck stem for extra hight, and the end on the tack
And yes, I have extra space at the top of the forestay maybe for another foot
So having the jib 12" above the deck is acceptable
And I keep my eyes peeled to see I don't hit anything
And I successfully changed the engine oil a few weeks ago: next time I go to the boat (too hot now) I will make note of the transmission serial number, so that I can pester you again for the kind of oil I should use
Thank you

 

[jorgefife]

As usual, I miss something when I read, too hasty to learn I guess
I will release the sail at the tack, raise as high as it can go, and that will determine the length of the pennant
Got it!