O'Day 19 - Genoa

[Dede7157]

Hello.. We're 2nd year newbies and loving our Oday 19! We'd like to invest in a genoa.. any advice on size? Our cam cleats (no winches) are located about at where the cabin ends.. will we need to add another set of cam cleats for use of a genoa? (Guess I need to know what the length of a genoa is along the foot of the sail.) Any ideas on where to purchase one? Thanks all!

 

[jwing]

I've not seen an O'Day 19, but if it's anything like an O'day Mariner (also 19), you'll want to add another set of cam cleats and a set of genoa lead blocks. If there is space, it is preferable to have the blocks on a track, for better control of the sail shape.

 

[Brian S]

I struggle with this on my 192. You probably don't want anything bigger than a 135%. Foot length is one consideration, but also clew height will determine lead position. You'll also want it to be moveable for jib shape control. What's the point of getting a bigger sail, presumably to go faster, if you aren't properly trimming it? So, all of this by way of saying you probably ought to have some long discussions with your sailmaker.

The amount of overlap is a percentage of the Luff Perpendicular, so, a line from the clew to the luff, where the line is 90º to the luff. So, you can't really take the J measurement of an O'day 19, 7' from front of mast to stemhead fitting, and multiply by 1.35 to get 9.45'… Also, the starting point for jib fairlead position is essentially the imaginary luff perpendicular line extended past the clew down to the deck - then adjusted fore and aft to keep the luff telltales flying in varying wind speeds. So, a sail cut with a higher clew will require fairleads further aft than a lower clew. A lower foot will be more efficient to windward, a so-called "deck sweeper" for racing, but will be much harder to see around and, of course, under, for cruising.

So, yeah, not all that easy for me to figure… which is why I'd talk long and hard with my sailmaker before I decide can I put jib track on the cabin top, like an eyebrow, or am I forced to put track down the middle of the side decks (which I do not want to do.)

 

[RTSKI]

I just purchased a 135% genoa for my 19, but had to pull the boat out of the water before the genoa arrived due to weather, so won't get to sail it until next year. I plan on installing a set of jam cleats about halfway up the cockpit sides - not just for the genoa but for any jib to be handy when sailing solo - the cam cleats are way too far forward for single-handed use.
The instruction sheet that came with my boat (purchased used two years ago) says the jib sheet is supposed to be inside the shrouds - but that doesn't seem to work well, so I normally run them outside the shrouds, and of course the genoa sheet will be that much further back, so I assume the sheet will feed well through the eye forward of the cam cleats and perhaps through the traveling blocks.

 

[Brian S]

Keep in mind that you need to be concerned about where (fore and aft) the sheet pulls from. This controls the amount of twist in the jib. Further aft pulls the sail flatter in the lower part of the sail, but not as much down force, which allows the top of the sail to twist off. This would be depowered. Further forward allows more draft down low, and as the sheet pulls downward more, less twist up top, for more power overall. This does not have to be a function of where the cleats for the sheet are located - indeed, most jib sheets do not pull from where they are cleated, except on smaller racing dinghies. If you use the same fairlead position for a 135% genoa as you do for a 100%, it will not pull from far enough aft, and will probably be far too much draft down low and flat up top, if you could even get the sail to set at all.