Dinghy roller-genoa...how cheaply/simply could this be arranged, using DIY?

Greenheart

Greenheart

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 Dec 2010
Messages
10,384
Visit site
That's it, really. I'd like a roller genoa, but I don't want to pay hundreds for a factory kit.

As they say on Top Gear, How hard can it be?

Is the solid plastic luff-section necessary? Assuming I'm not expecting the roller to provide reefing which retains good sail-shape, couldn't I rely on a rotary spinner secured to the halyard at the top, and a drum for the reefing line at the bottom?

As long as the sail can roll up, is there a drawback to a method this simple? Just to save a lot of wet flapping cloth, when there's the rather massive mainsail to deal with...
 
Thanks for that FullCircle. Is it then as simple as I've imagined - just a little drum at the bottom and a spinner at the top, with a rotating stay between them?

Are crispy sails damaged by rolling so tightly? Not that it's a problem - I've a genoa that feels like an old polythene bag.
 
Dan,

on my Osprey I had one of those early jib furling gears with no luff foil, just a wire luffed jib; it worked surprisingly well part rolled I seem to recall, though I didn't use it like that for any period of more than a casual experimental few minutes.

One snag with it was one had to lie on the foredeck to work it, which was not good for the balance of the boat; but a little sorting could fix that.

I'd be a lot keener to sort main reefing if planning to cruise her seriously.
 
Seajet said:
I'd be a lot keener to sort main reefing if planning to cruise her seriously.
Click to expand...

Good point, Andy...but at present, until it's fully raised, the mainsail is such a big, monopolising mass over the cockpit, it'll occupy all my effort, so it would help a lot to be able to switch the genoa on and off without fuss.

I can see that racers don't mind the blanketing madness which ten square meters of mainsail represent, filling the cockpit when a boat's on a slipway; but coping with it (and an unsupported boom) whilst afloat, such as might well occur when I'm arriving (especially anchoring!) at a cruising destination, will be a royal pain in the butt.

I wonder if I can rig a topping lift from the spinnaker halyard fittings? I'd prefer that to a boom-crutch; I'll need one or other, for my 'boom-bivouac'. And for rowing.

Any strong views on whether fitting eyelets & reinforcement patches for a deep reef in the main, is likely to destroy the sail's performance when not reefed?

I'll just as happily source a smaller main from a different class - not sure which - for days when there's plainly too much wind for relaxed progress under full sail.
 
Dan,

I think you need to get thoroughly acquainted with the boat before you even think of cruising.

A topping lift is always useful for loads of things, from a cover in the dinghy park to helping take a reef in, to a boom tent; a simple external block will do, ideally leading back to the helmsman from below the foot of the mast along the centreboard case of course.

Some cringles in the main and short lengths of line - say 2' - would be a help in taming the main, reefed then stowed well off the slip, otherwise plenty of such sail ties and quickly lowering the main to be secured with them is a good idea.

It's amazing - and depressing - how many dinghy sailors I've known and seen who are red hot on racing tactics, but come at a downwind concrete slipway at full pelt expecting the hapless crew to suddenly become a cross between Arnold Schwazenegger and an oil rig anchor, then seem surprised when they pile up !

Rounding up and getting the main secured ( so it can't flap open at the last minute giving an unwelcome boost ) is the all too obvious answer.

An old but not too sad Enterprise main or similar might be handy for a detuned rig, maybe something on E-Bay or club notice boards ?
 
Seajet said:
A topping lift is always useful for loads of things, from a cover in the dinghy park to helping take a reef in, to a boom tent;

Some cringles in the main and short lengths of line - say 2' - would be a help in taming the main, reefed then stowed well off the slip, otherwise plenty of such sail ties and quickly lowering the main to be secured with them is a good idea.

An old but not too sad Enterprise main or similar might be handy for a detuned rig...
Click to expand...

The topping lift is a definite then, cheers. Even before I've sailed the boat, I can see her full-bore performance orientation will need some taming for certain uses, and a smaller main will help. But I'm not actively making any modifications yet; I'm mostly still trying to see everything fitting together and operate as it was intended to.
 
Furling gear (not reefing) here from Barton:- http://www.bartonmarine.com/products-dinghy-and-dayboat-fittings.asp
Which will be cheaper than the rest, Harken do them too....
I wouldn't sail with the sail half in. Squibs now use them as furling gear for ease of storage. The sail needs a wire luff, eyes go onto the furling gear. You need a fairlead on the deck to direct the furling line and a cleat near the cockpit to hold it in when furled. Obviously as it rotates you need reasonable tension on the jib halyard to give your sail shape as it's not attached to the forestay.

Topping lift can be very simple; start at a small saddle eye at the top of the mast, down through a bullseye at the boom end forward through a small cleat. probably all under a tenner bought new including the line.
 
Hi Dan, I made a roller for a friend's 15ft gaff cutter. Used the hub of a cycle wheel. One set of bearings with the drum (two ss discs) and the other up the top. Wire luff for the jib and the furling line lead aft, as he single hands and it is on a b/sprit. Cost was just the luff wire and a few swages, every thing else out of the scrap bin. Without any mods, it is still fine after seven years.
DW

If you read the DCA rag, it is Rat d'Eau.
 
If you're going to have a standing forestay as well as the wire luff in the jib (to hold the mast up in the dighy park) then you will need a disk of some sort on top of the top swivel to keep the two stays apart. Otherwise you roll up the standing forestay and furling grinds to halt very quickly. SHMBO sewed two rows of reef points into our old Wayfarer main with a few reinforrcing patches of sailcloth. Never had any problems with them. But please....... (you know the rest) :)
 
Just a note; a topping lift isn't much use for a cockpit tent, as even with the main sheet tight & locked off the boom will move. For a tent you will need a scissors gallows in the stern that holds the boom rigid.
 
You will find, if you are using a 1:1 jib halyard, the swivel at the top will not work as well, as the jib halyard above the swivel will prefer to twist. Best solution is to use a 2:1 jib halyard, ideally with a little space, 2" - 3" on the mast between the dead end and the turning block/mast sheve, to prevent this. It's normal to use a small wire block shackled/pinned to the top of the swivel for the other side of the 2:1.

Get the best swivel and furler you can afford. Some of the cheaper ones will not work smoothly with full rig tension, and the smallest furlers may not fit enough string for fully unfurling. Usually use 2mm or 3mm string, to take up as little space on the drum as possible. You will also need a small block behind the forestay to angle the string onto the centre of the drum, or it will bunch up when unfurling.

If you have a standing forestay, you will need bungee take up on this, as it will go slack and try to wrap around the jib when you furl.

A well set up system is worth its weight, and cost, but a bad un is worse than not having one.
 
Last edited:
I reckon these suggestions are invaluable, many thanks...

...now, prepare to wait a while, before I act on your advice! Much to do.

Cheers. :)
 
Searush said:
Just a note; a topping lift isn't much use for a cockpit tent, as even with the main sheet tight & locked off the boom will move. For a tent you will need a scissors gallows in the stern that holds the boom rigid.
Click to expand...

With respect Searush, yes it is; especially if one has the brains to secure the mainsheet from both sides of the traveller, as I'm sure Dan would have / do.

How else - apart from a main halliard playing the part of a topping lift - so of no use when already used for reefing - is a boom tent going to stay up then unless one carts around an entirely unnecessary boom gallows / crutch job?!
 
Last edited:
Dan,
I would actually have a different genoa arrangement.
On my Evolution 25, I had a No2 which was a piston hank sail, and it had extra eyelets on the luff and the leech. You just pulled the sail down on the halyard, hooked the luff eyelet to the deck, and transferred the sheet to the upper eyelet. It is now a No 3! (I did have one sheet tied to this upper eyelet sometimes, to make it easy to reef, but it flaps about when not in use)

Cost: about £1.
 
In the 1970's it was quite standard to have say a No 1 genoa with cringles along the foot + a reinforced tack and clew so one could reef it into a No 2 - I still have an Anderson sized one in the loft.

Obviously a precursor to roller reefing foresails*, but it was thought that setting it scrumpled up as a No 2 would destroy the set of the sail; I never tried it and went straight to the working jib.

Roller headsails are simply unnecessary on a 7/8ths rig 22' boat, I know a few Anderson owners who have removed this kit and gone back to predictable, non jamming and better performing hanked sails.

As for the ' tactical ' advantage of being able to whip out a roller headsail, this is largely overcome when say approaching moorings downwind by having a crew on the foredeck holding a part raised headsail out, and a downhaul line on the head to get the sail down promptly.

*On the Anderson 22 with 7/8 ths rig I can stroll up to the foredeck with the new foresail - larger or smaller - under my arm and keep the fun and pointing ability.

Though when I had a masthead rigged Carter 30 the headsails weighed a ton and I would have given anything for a good roller headsail system if I could have afforded it; still would have needed a separate storm jib ability though.
 
Well, if you must, get a Barton system. About £70 or so and works a treat. It is easy to set up. (I don't recognise any of the problems mentioned so far, the Barton gear works under full forestay tension loads). Lead the furling line back to the working area of the cockpit. In the video you can see the line on bullseye fairleads on the coachroof It is demonstrated at 8 minute 45 seconds.



​
 
Last edited:
There isn't much point reefing or furling an Osprey jib unless racing and wanting to get it out of the way of ( putting its' wind shadow on ) the spinnaker.

In Dan's case it would be better to concentrate on reefing the main, which includes even smaller sails; remember the pull from reefing blocks has to be aft as well as down, say 45 degrees, as these are only rivetted on once I guess the full proper main should be the example.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top