Replace furler, or go hanked on?

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,066
Currently Boatless Okinawa
In the event my old Hood 810 cannot be brought back to life, we are considering our options. Cruising boat, crew of two, no plans to race.

The lower cost option would be to remove the Hood system, and go hanked on. Total cost would be paying a loft to add hanks to our existing genoa. With the money I didn't spend, I could pick up a used stormsail. Disadvantages include lack of convenience, and a need to stow the sail below, and working the sail from the foredeck.

Replacing the system is obviously the opposite of all that (including the cost). I'd love to hear opinions on which way to go.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
There is a point, somewhere in the mid 20' range, where the headsail becomes to large to easily manage with one person. That's the point where a furler starts to make real sense, not just for convenience, but also safety. T

Also consider the extra time that it adds to a day sail, time to get the sail out, hank it on raise it, lower it, flake it store. Not a whole lot of time, perhaps another 20 minutes.

Once I went with a furler, I vowed never to go back.
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
dave's opinion is shared by 99% of modern cruisers. i'm a hank on guy. 42 ft alden. all the up sides of roller reefing jibs are obvious. but there are down sides too. just like every thing. and the reefer crowd like exaggerate.
there are no safety issues involved in dropping a jib. that's a old wife's tale.
on my 42' alden it takes 2 , 3 min to hank on or put away the jib. never 20 min.
you can use a down haul.
the gear is expensive
added maintenance
less efficient head sail when rolled in.
gear is dead weight above the water line.
gear is windage / drag
the simple fact is roller reefing jibs are SLOWer, cost more, and hank on's are little effort on a boat under 49'.
that's right , i said it, start throwing the darts :)
 
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Likes: Gene Neill
Jun 2, 2007
403
Beneteau First 375 Slidell, LA
that's right , i said it, start throwing the darts :)
OK. You can fold and stow the jib for a 42 foot boat in 2-3 minutes? How? That folding part is my biggest motivation for having a roller furler. Also, the 155 jib for my 37 footer is a real load for one person to drag around.
 
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Likes: Alan Gomes
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
It sounds like you’re letting cost be your primary motivator in this, and that’s dangerous. If you wanna do what’s best for your boat, do what’s best for you. If you like it, replace it. But going down the road of choosing the low-cost option every time something fails on your boat will eventually leave you with a valueless boat.

Me, I take those as opportunities to upgrade.
 
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Likes: jon hansen
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
ask and you shall receive, sandy. watch around the 3 min mark. that's my 155. dropped , folded, bagged. by a skilled crew. in under 2 min. :)
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
i agree with jackdaw too. i just like showing both sides of a discussion.

you keep putting all these go slower options on your boat and they all add up.
next thing you know your boat wallows along, i hate that
 
Jun 10, 2017
174
Catalina 1980 Catalina 30 Mk II John's Pass / Tampa Bay
SF,
I agree with the guys, you really don't want to go backwards into the future.
My first boat had 3 sizes of hank-ons. The largest, a 150.

Sea & wind Conditions constantly change. At times, it can be a problem pulling
down, unclipping along with halyard & sheet control. Oh, and let's not forget the hazards of a wet bow
or the errant slipping as you step-n-slip on the sail. I watched a guy go overboard
once while dosing his sail but, they went back & got him.

We didn't become boat owners to save money, we did it to feed our passions.
I suggest you just replace the furling system & not look back.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
There are of course downsides to every option. Roller Furlers do jam occasionally, they do add weight aloft which is an issue at the dock or mooring more than while sailing, they do cost more money.

Reducing sail while under way, is much safer and easier with a roller furler, it is not necessary to go on the foredeck to remove one sail and add another, there is no sail laying on the deck while changing the sail or hoisting/lowering. Sails prefer to be rolled and not flaked, folded or stuffed in a bag.

A long time ago, in a place not so far away, we were sailing downwind in a long distance race. It was blowing in the mid 20's we were running with a heavy 150 and full main. Shortly before we got to the leeward mark it was time change headsails for the 30 mile slog back. It took 3 of us to douse the jib, one at the bow, I was at the fore hatch, and one down below. The foredeck would bring some sail down, I'd stuff it down the hatch, the sewer guy grabbed the sail, pulled it down, turned to the sink (the hatch opened into the head) puked, and was ready for the next armful of sail. Repeat, that is until the halyard jumped the sheave and jammed. The sail would neither go up nor down. Ended up continuing our downwind sail into another harbor, where is was calm enough to send someone up the mast to fix the halyard.
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Anyone who sails on the west coast of Fla in the summer knows exactly what an afternoon thunderstorm can bring to a day sail. Would you rather be up on the foredeck fighting to get your headsail down and replace it with a smaller one, or pulling on a string in the cockpit, reducing sail so you can get home safely?
It's a no-brainer to me.
 
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Likes: jon hansen
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
fun fact: the largest thunderstorms in the world are produced on the great plains of north america. those little poppers that stay small from salt crystals on the west side of florida ain't much. :)
 

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Well heck. As long as we’re arguing safety we may as well argue wearing PFDs. I know he asked for our opinions but why argue opinions? I can’t imagine going to hank on jibs. But I’m accustomed to having a roller furler. Every dawg to his own bone.
 
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May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
yep. roller reefing is easier way to display your jib. it is. hanks are more work, it's true. but not much.
the work is easy . and i hate slow. i hate wallow.
next, your going to tell me you sail with the dodger up and the bimini deployed. slow slow slow. i hate slow
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
i'll quit poking for now. my flight to st. pete., fla., leaves in 3 hours. i'll be gone for a couple of weeks. picking up a new to me roadster to add to my collection. high speed, low drag! :)
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,760
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
The downhaul idea is a useful one for hanked on jibs. On my Catalina 25, I would also heave to after sailing on port tack so the wind was coming over the starboard bow. Then, when the sail dropped it would be "pre-folded." Think about it.

On our C34, I have a furler, but I also sailed for 18 years on SF Bay and sized my jibs for the conditions - 85% for summer, 110% for winter.

So, I've had both. I agree that mid-20s makes the jib handling something reasonably easy to do. I also had to replace my furler a few years after I bought the larger boat because it was a CDI that failed to continue to operate properly (it was 12 years old). The PO had "gone cheap." I saved, and saved and saved...and bought a ProFurl.

The smallest jib on my 34 is way bigger than the 110 on my smaller boat. I would not want to have hanked on jibs on the larger boat. I singlehand most times.

I believe it's a safety issue, in addition to the thunderstorms issue.

Your boat, your choice. :)
 
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capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
fun fact: the largest thunderstorms in the world are produced on the great plains of north america. those little poppers that stay small from salt crystals on the west side of florida ain't much. :)
Perhaps in this case, it isn't size that matters, but the fact that the west coast of Fla can be as shallow as 50 feet 30 miles or more offshore! If you'd ever been 10 miles offshore of say Naples, in 25 feet of water when one hit you, I'm not sure you would consider 'those little poppers' as so insignificant! lol
 
Jun 2, 2007
403
Beneteau First 375 Slidell, LA
ask and you shall receive, sandy. watch around the 3 min mark. that's my 155. dropped , folded, bagged. by a skilled crew. in under 2 min. :)
Well, you have a crew, and it's benign conditions, and apparently you keep the sail bagged on the bow. Plus, hard to tell how good a job was done folding the sail (I'm kind of particular about that).
I'm thinking more like I'm singlehanding and it's blowing 15 or so. In fairness, I used to have a 26 footer with hanked-on jibs, and that was completely different. Not such a problem, but I still didn't like folding up the sail when I got home, and especially if I had changed them out while sailing and had to fold two (again, by myself).
 
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Likes: jon hansen
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
the western section of lake erie ain't that deep. 15 to 25 ft deep max. all storms suck and can be dangerous. if you don't have foredeck skills. then stay off the foredeck. if you missed that class then stay off the deck.
me, i learned foredeck on lightnings , stars, alden US one design. no life lines. aeolus is like easy peezy. and i hate slow and wallowing
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
sorry to the OP. i took off. that said. this old alden is in great shape. it is very very strong. we sail the snot out of it . hate slow
 
Jun 14, 2010
307
Seafarer 29 Oologah, OK
I singlehand almost exclusively - if I do have a guest they're generally a novice to sailing, so sail handling falls to me. I had hanked on headsails on my 26' and thought they were a lot of work.
I've been out twice on my 29' with roller-furler and the difference to me is night and day. For single-handing I'm beginning to believe that roller-furling is almost mandatory for mid-20-feet and up.