Using a Gennaker from a Pearson 323

rpwillia · Mar 14, 2013

Take it

A Gennaker is a nice light sail. I expect you would be best served sailing it like an asymmetric spinnaker. I do not think it would be a good idea to try and fit it into the groove on your furler. Of course you might be well served to put it on a spinnaker furler if you wanted to put the money out. In that way you could get the best of both.

It should be .75 ounce nylon or similar.

This says it is for a boat up to 23', but perhaps there is a slightly larger one. http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...gclid=COGIpIm4_bUCFQZV4AodqmMANw#.UUJoptbqjhs

deke · Mar 15, 2013

c130king said:
A friend of mine has offered me his Gennaker from his Pearson 323. I would guess that his boat has similar size mast to my 310 so I am hopeful that it will fit properly.

I am presuming a Gennaker is sort of a cross-breed between a Genoa and Spinnaker. It is a much lighter weight material than my current Genoa but it is not as thin as the Asymmetric Spinnaker on my smaller boat.

This Gennaker also has a thin bolt-rope which I think would probably fit in the groove on my head foil so I might be able to drop the Genoa and fly the Gennaker.

But does anyone have any experience at flying a Gennaker with a loose luff...like a Spinnaker...but with a thin bolt rope. Would it work that way. And I could keep the Genoa up but furled if I did this.

Guess I will have to take it out and try it.

Appreciate any thoughts, insights, comments.

Cheers,
Jim

Hi Jim, many earlier asymmetrical spinnakers were called gennakers and I have seen some with that thin luff rope. It was provided to strengthen the luff only and not to be installed into the forestay foil. It works well on a broad reach from about 40 deg. To 140 deg. apparent. I tack mine down to he bail on my anchor support and run the lazy sheet outside of the stay to allow an outside jibe. Both sheets run back to the normal spinnaker blocks at the stern. Where I can't run dead down my increased speed more than makes up for the added distance. Deke

paulj · Mar 16, 2013

c130king

"But the thin bolt rope sure looks like it is designed for a furler as the bolt rope does not connect the head and tack but is out on the edge of a seperate strip of cloth (maybe 1" wide). If it is not in the furler the bolt rope would not hold any tension."

Worst thing that comes to mind is the 1" wide edge will chatter.....but you will know tomorrow......:+1:can always take off 1" edge

Well worth the try.

paulj :troll:

rpwillia · Mar 17, 2013

For once PaulJ didn't so I will ...

ix:

Just sayin'

deke · Mar 19, 2013

c130king said:
Ok. Flew it today but only as a loose Asym Spin. Didn't have time to take off the Genoa and run this new Gennaker up inside the foil. Next time.

May be a little bit large but not by much. Flew from about 150 degrees off the wind up to maybe 80 degrees off the wind. Big power in 12-14 knots of wind. Was doing 6.7 knots.

Need to rig a better tack line attachment and run the tack line back to the cockpit. Probably mount a bail on my anchor roller as mentioned above and then mount a block to the bail for tack line led back to the cockpit. The clew is way back behind the mast...maybe 165% is my guess. Red, white and blue so it looks nice.

In light winds I could probably pole this Gennaker out with my whisker pole. I think it will be a little bit easier to manage in winds under 10 knots.

And I did not notice much "edge chatter" so that is a good thing I guess.

Cheers,
Jim

Hi Jim, With having re-read your luff rope description, I now think your sail is intended to be furled. Code "0" sails are usually run up on the headstay and the luff is kept straight but not as large as what you have described, where the more recent aysm sails that have their own furler have a torsion rope sewn into the luff. The torsion rope does not twist as the furler is wound and therefore
rolls the sail up. These are usually about as large as your sail and flown with a significant camber on the luff, don't point as high as the code "0" but I think they are better downwind. I not sure where your sail fits into design intention. Sounds like it might make a good free flown aysm if you can get rid of the luff rope. If it flies well, look into an after market sock like the ATN. Deke

Deadline · Mar 19, 2013

I have developed for HOW an inexpensive bowsprit that also has tack line and spin sheets already deployed. email me for pix at bodonovan8@gmail.com

rpwillia · Mar 21, 2013

+1

c130king said:
It is difficult to get good pics of a spinnaker/gennaker flying on my own boat...too close. But here is what I got that day.

Cheers,
Jim

Looks like you had a good time.

pk104 · Mar 21, 2013

I rig my big reacher inside the furler using the empty hole next to where the head stay is held. Tack it the same as the jib.

Witzend · Mar 24, 2013

c130king said:
It is difficult to get good pics of a spinnaker/gennaker flying on my own boat...too close. But here is what I got that day.

Cheers,
Jim

How do you jibe...the tack is outside the pulpit?

TLW · Mar 24, 2013

OK, this is one of those times I should just keep quiet. I may be off-base, but as always - everyone's entitled to MY opinion!

I think what you have is indeed a GENNAKER. Not truly an asymmetrical or "cruising spinnaker." Yours has, from what I can see, cross-cut construction and no radial design. This is basically a big, 180%, full-cut, 3/4 oz. nylon genoa designed for relatively light wind and off-the-wind work.

The bolt-rope is actually a luff-tape designed for a Head-Foil, not a furler. The purpose of the twin groove head-foil is to allow the deployment of a 2nd sail before dousing the 1st sail. Obviously, you were able to fly this sail without a forestay attachment, but probably need firm halyard tension to do so.

Again, I may be way off-base, but think this is what you have. It is going to be more valuable to you as a free-flying sail, but probably not going to be able to sail as high as it was designed for.

Using a Gennaker from a Pearson 323

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