O'day 26 overpowered easily with 150% genoa?

[BelladonnaII]

This has been my first sailing season on my new to me boat. I have roller furling that currently has a 150% genoa on it. I have a smaller headsail (not sure of size) but it is still outfitted for hank on.

I've realized after quite a few sails that the boat is getting overpowered pretty easily in the neighborhood of 12-15. The occasional gust can really do a number on things. If I reef the main and reef in some of the headsail or just reef in some headsail it's really difficult to make any progress to weather.

I'm sure the bigger 150% will be great come summer when the winds are lighter around here (TN) but right now things can be pretty gusty.

I'm curious on the thoughts of other 26 owners on what sails you are using and when. I'm also not sure if this could possibly be that I'm a newcomer to the swing keel and used to a more stiff and heavy boat.

Thanks for any insight

 

[Ward H]

In 12-15 I find my 100 jib to be plenty. I have a 135 but we normally see over 10 so would rather have the 100 all the way out than the 135 furled when it picks up a bit. When it hits 15 we reef the main and above 15 we roll up the 100 a little.

 

[BelladonnaII]

Thanks for the insight. I guess I need to get this smaller sail outfitted for roller furling. I think it's a 100%.

I really like the 150% when sailing downwind though. The natural wind direction and the shape of my lake means there isn't a lot of reaching to be had. It's either beating to weather or dead downwind most of the time, therefore I run wing and wing back to my marina quite a lot and the 150% helps in that scenario.

 

[RichBone]

What shape is the main. If it's old and stretched it can easily overpower the boat. That being said even with my new main at 15 kts I need to reef the main or shorten the head sail

 

[BelladonnaII]

What shape is the main. If it's old and stretched it can easily overpower the boat. That being said even with my new main at 15 kts I need to reef the main or shorten the head sail

The main is still in pretty good shape. When I found the Boat the previous owner had sailed her for one summer and before that the original owner had evidently let the boat had sit for 20 years covered up.

I know the primary culprit is the 150% because there have been a few occasions where we caught a gust that really overpowered us and depowering the main did not really help as I would expect. There was just too much sail up forward.

Instead of having my smaller sail altered, I may order a new 100% Jib since I've found some for a O'day 26 pretty cheap.

 

[Brian S]

I think the consensus from the Catalina forum is that a 135% genoa is a good middle ground. Keep in mind that with a masthead rig, most of the drive comes from the genoa, not so much the main like on a fractional rig. So, you might not short-change yourself by flying a 110%, when you can use a 135% much of the time, then roll it up a bit for when it gets stinkier without sacrificing too much shape.

 

[Chief RA]

Having a furling genoa is what works best for a boat of your/my size. I personally wouldn't change a thing and keep the 150 up. A full 150 is hard to manage above a nice breeze and should be furled in to about 10' of foot at 10mph wind and less at 15mph wind.
Tuning your sail to match conditions is what you want to develop. Another thing to try is to reef your main at 15mph or so, then adjust your genoa until it feels good and possesses a balanced tiller pull. That adjustable forward sail will work: just play until you find the answer! Anyone can spend more money, few can sail well. Chief
PS: Jackdaw knows this stuff so double check with him.