I’m thinking of going outside the shrouds on a shrouds at the toe rail boat to use a larger than 110 jib. Let’s say I’m sailing on jib only. If I move my jib lead block 10 degrees outboard would this also move my ability to sail close to the wind 10 degrees more off the wind?
sheeting angle
- Thread starter Quoddy
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Absolutely!!
With your chainplates fully outboard you will not be able to sheet in the foot of an overlapping headsail without interference from the shrouds thus your sheeting angle and sail shape will suffer.
Your windward ability will become severely impaired. If you are sailing with factory sails you will find a tremendous improvement with a good set of sails made for your boat.
With your chainplates fully outboard you will not be able to sheet in the foot of an overlapping headsail without interference from the shrouds thus your sheeting angle and sail shape will suffer.
Your windward ability will become severely impaired. If you are sailing with factory sails you will find a tremendous improvement with a good set of sails made for your boat.
I had prepared a reasoned reply, but before posting I decided to have a look at the Hunter 260 section of this website. It appears that the boat has a very specific cabin- top jib sheet fairlead setup design. And the shrouds are quite far aft of the mast. From the pictures I looked at, it doesn't look possible to use the existing fairleads for a much larger genoa with the sheets routed outside the shrouds. And inside, the sheeting angle probably would be wrong for a larger sail. You would probably need to install a second set of jib fairlead tracks on the deck (and not much room there) to allow good sheeting angles for a large genoa. The boat is a trailor-sailer (looks very nice) and hence likely to be more lightly constructed in certain areas than a heavier/larger boat. So consideration should be given to changes and location of stress forces on the hull/deck/standing rigging/mast. An idea would be to contact other 260 owners for their opinions and see if/how others have flown large genoas.
Anyway, for what its worth here is what I first drafted as a response:
You may lose some pointing ability, but it shouldn't be a radical difference. Irrespective of pointing ability, with a large head sail (genoa), I don't think you have any option but to route the sheet outboard of the shrouds since the clew will extend aft of the shrouds (at least the forward shroud anyway). If routed inside the shrouds, any wind velocity at all will press the sail and/or sheet up against the inside of the shrouds causing shafing. And when you want to sail off the wind and need to let out the jib sheet, the sail will have an awful trim as the sheet will be bent at a fairly radical angle around the shroud.
My boat has the shroud-to-deck location only a few inches from the toe rail. The boat was designed to use the toe rail as the "jib track" with the sheets routed outside the shrouds. For both my 135 genoa and 95% jib, I have rigged barberhauler arrangements so that I can draw in the clew/leech all the way to the shrouds. This does improve pointing ability and speed when close-hauled to the wind, but I think only just a bit. Its not a radical improvement. I don't think you will loose 10 degrees by routing the sheet outside the shroud.
Anyway, for what its worth here is what I first drafted as a response:
You may lose some pointing ability, but it shouldn't be a radical difference. Irrespective of pointing ability, with a large head sail (genoa), I don't think you have any option but to route the sheet outboard of the shrouds since the clew will extend aft of the shrouds (at least the forward shroud anyway). If routed inside the shrouds, any wind velocity at all will press the sail and/or sheet up against the inside of the shrouds causing shafing. And when you want to sail off the wind and need to let out the jib sheet, the sail will have an awful trim as the sheet will be bent at a fairly radical angle around the shroud.
My boat has the shroud-to-deck location only a few inches from the toe rail. The boat was designed to use the toe rail as the "jib track" with the sheets routed outside the shrouds. For both my 135 genoa and 95% jib, I have rigged barberhauler arrangements so that I can draw in the clew/leech all the way to the shrouds. This does improve pointing ability and speed when close-hauled to the wind, but I think only just a bit. Its not a radical improvement. I don't think you will loose 10 degrees by routing the sheet outside the shroud.
Honestly, there's only one way to find out... try it.. you can easily rig something temporary. How are you measuraing the angle? 10 degrees seems like a large difference... and it depends on the size of your sail... you may lose some upwind performance but it could be offset on other points of sail... you'lll just have to give it a try and take notes
The further aft you place the lead blocks on the rail,
the smaller your sheeting angle becomes.
A 155% genoa sheeted to a track on the cockpit
coaming will have close to the same sheeting angle
as the lead for the 110% does now.
In lighter conditions, until you actually become
over powered, the the larger headsail will perform
much better upwind and end up pointing higher.
the smaller your sheeting angle becomes.
A 155% genoa sheeted to a track on the cockpit
coaming will have close to the same sheeting angle
as the lead for the 110% does now.
In lighter conditions, until you actually become
over powered, the the larger headsail will perform
much better upwind and end up pointing higher.
A different solution
For your fractional rig, without a backstay, the mainsail drives your boat. This ia a modern approach and you can have much better control of the main than a genny. Here are two ideas to give you more sail area in light air:
1. Go to a sailmaker, and have him design a mainsail with maximum roach. You could even go for a "fathead" main. This will add more sail where your boat is designed to take it, and/or
2. Get a cruising spinnaker or similar sail for your boat. In light winds, our cruising spinnaker can power the boat at 60 degrees off the true wind. And once you crack off to 80% or more off the true wind, it will outperform a large genny, which begins to lose its shape at that point of sail. I believe cruising spinnakers have been flown on your rig.
A big genny is basically a racing sail for going to weather in light winds. With a crew of two in winds over 15 knots, we fly our 110, and blow by boats with big gennies because they are either heeling way too much, or they have to furl the big sail so much it loses its shape.
For your fractional rig, without a backstay, the mainsail drives your boat. This ia a modern approach and you can have much better control of the main than a genny. Here are two ideas to give you more sail area in light air:
1. Go to a sailmaker, and have him design a mainsail with maximum roach. You could even go for a "fathead" main. This will add more sail where your boat is designed to take it, and/or
2. Get a cruising spinnaker or similar sail for your boat. In light winds, our cruising spinnaker can power the boat at 60 degrees off the true wind. And once you crack off to 80% or more off the true wind, it will outperform a large genny, which begins to lose its shape at that point of sail. I believe cruising spinnakers have been flown on your rig.
A big genny is basically a racing sail for going to weather in light winds. With a crew of two in winds over 15 knots, we fly our 110, and blow by boats with big gennies because they are either heeling way too much, or they have to furl the big sail so much it loses its shape.
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