Furling gennakers/Code 0 for cruising

[Micaro]

Has anyone any experience with furling gennakers on a cruisng boat? I seem to remember a post which mentioned them a few weeks ago (jj was one who contributed I think ) but I can't find it. I have a heavy(ish) displacement boat (8 tons officially, but a fair bit more with all the gear aboard) on a 27ft. waterline (it's a Nic 35) and I find that I am motoring a lot more than I would wish when the wind is less than, say, 10 knots apparent.

A solution that has been suggested is to have made a furling gennaker about halfway in area between a big genoa and a cruising chute. This would have a Spectra/Kevlar luff and roll up on a continuous-line furling gear. This sounds good to me as it apparently works well upwind (allegedly) and, as I singlehand much of the time, would be a lot less hassle to douse than my old cruising chute (which doesn't go upwind anyway).

Problem is, some sailmakers say they're great and others say they're a waste of time, that you can never get the luff tight enough etc.etc. Also the siting of the attachment point for the furling drum looks potentially awkward in relation to the existing Furlex gear on the bow roller. I'm told they work OK up to about 14 knots apparent or so and from about 50 degrees round to about 130. Fair comment?

They're not exactly cheap these things, so I'm hoping some of you have some first-hand experience which you would be kind enough to pass on and maybe save me from making a ghastly mistake.

Thanks in advance,
Andrew.

 

[bedouin]

I got one of these last year for the same reason you're considering one (I haven't yet fitted the furler but it was designed to fit onto one); I find it a very useful sail.

In cut mine is essentially a large, light-airs genoa, about 185% LP with a Spectra luff. Bedouin is a fairly heavy boat (5.5 tons on 24' LWL) and really benefits from the extra drive it gives in light airs. I carry mine anywhere between 45-50 degrees round to 100-110 (at which point I change to the chute anyway). I find I can make reasonable progress to windwards with as little as 4 knots TWS but I tend to drop it once with wind picks up above about 10 knots and use the no 1 genoa as that keeps its shape better in the stronger wind. However since the fabric is nylon the sail itself will take any amount of wind.

The main downside with it is that I cannot use it while racing - since it is classed as a genoa rather than a spinnaker. If you want help going up wind in light airs then it will certainly do that.

However as an alternative you might like to consider something more like a Code 3 asymmetric; I am thinking of buying one of these. As far as I can tell they are not quite as good on the wind as the gennaker, but are much more versatile downwind as they can be used either as a cruising chute or an asymmetric spinnaker on a broad reach to a run.

If you do want to go the gennaker route, I can recommend Arun sails - they made mine, they are cheaper than anyone else I found and the quality/service was good.

 

[NDG]

I was discussing one of these the other day with a sailmaker who reckons they are v good. I am interested in one myself, particularly as I dislike 'traditional' furling genoas (whilst also accepting their obvious benefits!).

His solution is to have one which would do as a large No 1/Genneker, which can be furled to a No 2, and a second which is a No 3 which can be furled to a No 4. You only need to carry two sails, plus a storm jib, and never have the extra weight aloft in strong winds when it is doing no good. There is never a need to stuff wet sails into a sail bag on the foredeck either, as they roll up nicely when you drop them.

If money was no object, this sounds great. Like you, I am interested in anyone else's experience.

 

[johnsomerhausen]

I know how you feel; I have a 29 footer (23 ft LWL) displacing 4 tons that's s;uggish in light airs. I found a second hand gennaker in good condition that is almost a little too large (39 ft 6 in luff, 22 ft on the foot....) which I hoist on a temporary stay hoisted by a spare halyard and using the spinnker halyard for hoisting. It has four hanks and with the halyard well tensiuoned, I can beat to windward almost as closely as with the roller furling genoa. In 2 knots of wind, I made 2 knots to windward and one knot with the wind on the quarter...
As another post mentioned, I'd douse it close-hauled once the apparent wind came to 10 knots but would keep it one extra Beaufort force for every ten degrees away from the wind, i.e. at Force 4 if the wind was 50 degrees from the bow, Force 5 if the wind was 60 degrees off and probably Force 6 if the wind was almost abeam (after all, it's 1 1/2 oz nylon which they use for heavy spinnakers).
I wouldn't try to use a roller furleer on it, as I think that its "belly" would prevent proper furling. I'd probbably rather use a "sock" if I had one made new but can't use it on the one I bought as it is too long on the luff, so I've devised a system that allows me to fold it up like an accordeon whilst it's flying, thereby making it easier to take down. If you want more details, e-mail me direct
john

 

[jamesjermain]

I think they are brilliant provided you get one which is well cut. However, they are expensive and whether or not the outlay is worthwhile, only you can say. A good one should stand from around 50 degrees or a bit closer, round to 115 to 120 degrees. I think the key to these sails in a cruising context is the continously-line roller furling. This makes them so easy to set and recover you make good use of them and are not tempted to leave them up in winds which are too strong (usually up to 12 or15 knots apparent). On a recent sail, the skipper would douse the sail by going forward to the foredeck, grabbing the furling side of the continuous loop and running aft along the side deck rolling the sail in seconds. Very impressive.

JJ

 

[Guest]

This sounds like a great idea, don't want to reef it, but what about leaving permanently up on a furler like the round the world people, anybody with experience, what problems in terms of gap between furling gennaker and furling genny, all info much appreciated.

 

[Micaro]

Thanks everybody who replied to this post. I think you've talked me into it, in principle. I am still a bit puzzled as to where to mount the fitting to carry the continuous-line furling drum. Aft of the main genoa furling gear, I presume? I agree with jj that this bit of kit is essential. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[bedouin]

That is perhaps one of the harder issues - and a significant part of the reason I have not fitted one. The usual advice is to mount it in front of the existing forestay attachment point - this may mean fabricating some form of bracket.