Reefing part 2

[Manny]

Okay, now a roller furling reefing question. Yesterday and today I tried unfurling approximately a third to half of my jib due to heavy gusts and I kept having the same problem. The sail kept "pumping" on the forestay and luffing badly no matter what point of sail I was on and how tight the jib sheets were. I tried moving the blocks on the jib sheets fore and aft without making any difference. If the sail is totally unfurled this does not happen. Could this be caused by not enough tension in the forestay? I had the forestay replaced this winter, and I don't have any recollection this happening last year but I can't recall ever partially unfurling the jib.Thanks in advance,Manny

 

[David10790]

Check your rake

If your jib is pumping like that it sure sounds like the forestay is loose. When tied up at the dock detach your main halyard from the head of the sail and let it hang. It should be six to twelve inches aft of the gooseneck - this is about the right amount of rake in the mast. If the halyard is too far back you have too much rake, and need to tighten the forestay and loosen the backstay. By the way, too much rake will generally cause weather helm - the tendency of the bow to want to swing up to the wind when close hauled. If you are experiencing this as well, that is another clue that the forestay is too loose.Some jibs will just not set right when partly furled, though. Newer sails have foam sewn into the luff, or lengths of rope, to preserve shape as the sail is reefed. Older ones, particularly if loose and blown out of shape, will never set right.

 

[Manny]

The rake is pretty good

but I think I might try raking it forward a little more. I have definitely dialed out some of the weather helm but I think I can reduce it further (apparently this boat design was notorious for weather helm). I will try tightening the forestay tomorrow and take a test run. Maybe it's time to invest in a Loos gauge...Thanks,Manny

 

[jviss]

Sail design

Per Joe's response in the other thread, the sail has to be designed and made for intermediate positions or it simply won't work. If the sail is in good condition it may be worth having it modified to allow roller reefing. This would include a luff pad, which bulges in the middle to absorb all of the material from the sail draught, and optionally reinforcements at the intended reef point. Mine has two reinforced reef points designed to match the reefs on the main, and it works beautifully. Also, the Profurl roller allows reefing under load (is strong enough) by putting the roller furling/reefing line on a winch.

 

[Manny]

Thanks all for the info

I tried tightening the forestay slightly on Saturday and the pumping has reduced slightly. I'm going to try tweaking the forestay a little more. The sail is in good shape, so I may try sending it to a loft to have it modified this winter.Manny