schaefer furler

[knackers]

fellow sailors. the foot of the foil on the schaefer system is is a larger diameter for a couple of feet before it heads up the fore stay . this as i see it means that the sail when reefing does not roll up evenly leaving quite a baggy reef . as i am sailing often down to 70% in 20 plus knots windward performance is not perfect . has anyone had say a 100% sail made for strong breezes that that will furl flat perhaps lifting the foot on a luff rope up the foil a bit and how does it go?

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

First you don't want to furl flat. You want it to be thicker in the approximate middle and tapper out as you go towards the ends. The sails may look flat but they are constructed with a belly that bows out in the middle. Sail manufacturers can put foam or rope on the leading edge of the sail. It's not thick enough to affect sail performance when the sail is fully out but will improve the shape when partially furled. But even with that furling in 70% of the sail will not perform that well.

The proper approach is like you suggested, get a smaller sail. Stu Jackson over at the 34 OA sails in San Francisco. He has two head sails. A winter season sail when the winds are stronger and a summer season sail.

We sail in the Caribbean. So we had the same issue as you, poor sail performance because of too large of a headsail. So we worked with Precision Sails to have a new headsail made. We ended up with a 115 with a Yankee cut and a 10-inch raised foot. We have had the sail since April and have about 700 nm under the sail. We love the increased visibility and the performance is much better.

We purchased during their Black Friday sail. It was about 20% off their price.

Good luck and fair winds,

Jesse

 

[marchem]

fellow sailors. the foot of the foil on the schaefer system is is a larger diameter for a couple of feet before it heads up the fore stay . this as i see it means that the sail when reefing does not roll up evenly leaving quite a baggy reef . as i am sailing often down to 70% in 20 plus knots windward performance is not perfect . has anyone had say a 100% sail made for strong breezes that that will furl flat perhaps lifting the foot on a luff rope up the foil a bit and how does it go?

We use a 100% most of the time (Monterey Bay, CA). Winds are often 15-25 kts, so little need for anything much larger. If it’s real light we are either patient, or fire up the D-sail.

I like Jessie’s sail with high cut and better visibility. Will probably do something like that when it’s time for a new jib.

 

[JRT]

I'm too new, but I'm not a fan of the stock 135 setup, I had Precision build me a 115 for my old O'Day 25 with a Yankee cut and it was such a nicer setup on that boat. I'm thinking the same path in a year or so also.

 

[paulj]

Precision Sails made me a new 135. I sailed 1 mile it was great.

paulj

 

[knackers]

thanks i am thinking that the idea of a 100% with a yankee cut and a raised foot as per jesse might be the way to go. should furl more evenly on the schaefer. i will ask my sail maker and see what he thinks.

 

[Alansails]

When we went to buy a new headsail, I tried to convince our sailmaker-Doyle Sails-Detroit-That we wanted a 150%. It did not work as he said based on boat design and where we sail, a 135% was best, that is what we ended up with and have not regretted it!
And we do reduce headsail occaisionally!

 

[knackers]

alan i have ordered a new moulded north sails 98 percent. slight yankee cut to clear the rails . as i am more often than not in 15 knots plus i think it will work better for me . not a cheap sail! . will see how she goes in a month or so.

 

[Alansails]

Looking forward to hear how it works! I think ALOT depends on WHERE you sail and HOW you sail, wind strength also!
Let us know!