Stayless staysail

[jcherubini]

What is the best way to configure a 'stayless staysail' -- a free-flying inner headsail essentially making a sloop into a temporary cutter? I am concerned about stiffness of the luff and what material(s) to use for a luff-rope. The sail should be easily packed into a bag without destroying the rope and yet stiff enough to set from a ring on the foredeck and hoist on the pole-lift block. It might be heavy enough to use on the wind as a storm sail or light enough to use as an offwind motorsailing rig when the awning is up.I'm interested in any practical suggestions.JC 2

 

[Bill Colombo]

Free Luff Stays'l

Free Luff Staysails can work well as long as you can get enough luff tension. They can also be a handfull during the hoist in a breeze since they are pretty much out of control until the luff is tight. My choice for the luff rope would be Vectran core, which is low stretch and very durable. It is also quite soft and will be easy to handle. A deck bag with a hole in the bottom for the tack fitting will make things easy as well. Thanks, Bill ColomboDoyle Sailmakers

 

[Trevor - SailboatOwners.com]

Staysail rigging

Hi J Cherubini,You don't indicate what size boat (of couse, I assume a classic Cherubini!) or size, but in addition to the consideration of how the stayless staysail is set and taken down (a handful to be sure in a fresh breeze), you'll want to consider whether a running backstay is necessary in order to keep the mast in column. I'm posting this as a general consideration, as I'm sure you are aware of the consequences of using a storm staysail without the appropriate backstay tension on the rig.Best,Trevor