"Mukrat Lovin'" at a faster pace...

[puddlejockey]

Hi All,

We've really been learning quite alot aboard "muskrat love" this season, helped tremendously by the fine folks on this forum as well as on the Lake.

One thing I've noticed ( and i am probably not alone in this), we get alot more enjoyment out of the boat when we have a good heel on her, and are running anywhere above about 4 knots.
Our sailing conditions require frequent tacks, and occasional bouts of "dirty wind" from the various points and shorelines, and our wind conditions seem to be typically in the 3-8 knot range probably 90% of the time.

I wondering how to get a little more excitement out of an '82 H27; that's rigged with the factory Mainsail and a 130 Genoa already.

Obviously , becoming a better sailor will greatly add the boats' performance; but I'm wondering about an asymmetrical spinnaker??
From doing some research, it looks like they need to be jibbed rather than tacked while under sail. Am I correct in that?
What would you do to get more canvas out there, knowing that the current "gennie" is on a roller furling?

I'm just looking for opinions now, so I can start doing some research and maybe get Santa to bring me some canvas for next year...

Thanks-

 

[CCHer]

An assym in those wind conditions will certainly be helpful on reaches and near down wind. It will not work really close to the wind. And your right that it needs to be jibed but that's fairly easy with a little practice. This video makes it look a bit easier than it actually is the first couple of times out but flying an assym (aka gennaker) makes light air sailing really fun once you get the hang of it.

http://www.na.northsails.com/SAILS/DownwindSails/GennakerHandlingVideo/tabid/25806/Default.aspx

 

[Ray Bowles]

There is a huge amount of speed that is lost because of improper sail shape or adjustments. Standing rigging tune is another big source of sail shape and speed. There are many good books on sail adjustments and they are usually less than $10.
A spinaker of any make or style will add performance but that will be greatly effected by bad trim on other sails. Try the cheap way first and you will be much happier.
Ray