Self Tacking Jib

Dave Condon · Sep 16, 1999

Jib

I have yet to put on a self tacking jib on any the 23.5 Hunters sold over the years. i recommend getting longer jib sheets so you can handle the jib from the rear of the cockpit.Also, screaming at the better half does not help as it in many cases has turned off the woman to sailing. Based on experience. Might I suggest someone else to teach your wife which would benefit you in the furture if you decide to get a larger boat.

Steve Wright · Sep 17, 1999

Add a boom

I made a self tacking jib on my old boat. I made a boom for my working jib,110%, that just cleared the mast, added a block to the foredeck, and ran thesheet back to the cockpit. This worked okay. I have thought about doing thison my H-26, but I now have an autopilot and can tack the jib myself.

Collin Casey · Sep 17, 1999

I have already done it.

I did the same thing to my Hunter 170 and it works quite well. Sure if I was racing I would go back to the stock design. Some where in the archives is a posting by me about the modifications I made to my boat. Give it a try, it is not that expensive of an experiement. I am currently working on a better design that will allow for better tuning.Collin

Steve Dion · Sep 17, 1999

Camber Spar.

Rick:We sail in the California Delta (Sacramento/Stockton) are. This area is basically a wide river. We have used self tending jibs for years and yes it makes life a lot easier if you are doing a lot of tacking. There are several arrangements that I have seen. Some have a boom on the foredeck, have also seen where they have a couple of blocks on the toe rails (port and starboard) and a block on the jib so it will move back and forth. We have a Camber Spar. Hunter and Freedom have used these on some of their models. The camber spar is a bent tube that goes into a sleeve that must be sewn into the jib sail. It work great and gives the jib shape in lite air too. Regardless of which method you use you will probably need a smaller jib (90-95 percent). This system can be taken off but storing the spar is a bitch.Just remember that these are all compromises. I think that Camberspar advertises in Cruising and Sail magazine in the classified ads.

Rick Webb · Sep 17, 1999

Wrong Picture, Dave

You have the wrong picture in mind Dave. It is not that she does not know what or when to do it but she gets to lounging there with her Martini doing her Cleopatra on the Nile imitation and does not want to have to get up put her drink down and do a little bit of work (who could blame her?) only to have to repeat the operation in another fifteen minutes. She figures if we can set the main and not worry about it we should be able to do the same with the jib. I just always took it for granted you had to trim the jib after every tack. Then I saw an advertisement for a new sailboat with a self-tacking jib and was trying to figure out a way to do that without buying the new boat, maybe I could sell her on the new boat because of the jib. Gee if that works wonder what else I can get for the boat?

Mike Birch · Sep 18, 1999

How to diagrams

http://harken.com/jibs.htmhttp://www.well.com/user/pk/TZselftack.htmlhttp://www.pyacht.com/forespar_jib_booms.htm

miike · Sep 23, 1999

won't work, but this will

Tie, with nylon string, two small harken blocks to the jib clew. Run jib sheet from, dead end @ deck to clew block then back to jib fairlead. You now have two to one purchase. Very easy tacking. Run the ends to the cockpit aft so the helmsman can adjust/tack the jib. You will be able to use one hand, no winch.

Sharon · Sep 30, 1999

Jib Handler

In my case, I have to yell at my husband so it's not always the wife.He handles the "motor" stuff and I handle most of the rest. What a switch!!

Self Tacking Jib

Rick

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Dave Condon

Steve Wright

Collin Casey

Steve Dion

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Rick Webb

Mike Birch

miike

Sharon