Genoa setup

[George]

The problem is I've bought a new yacht and it seems that the previous owner put a furling genoa on it but didn't set it up properly, for a start it is on the deck and on my boat a 22 1/2 foot Westerley Nomad there really isn't the room to run it inside the railing but outside it was dragged over the railing and snagged on the anchor, so naturally I raised it to just clear the railing. The genoa also sloped downwards from bow to stern this seemed to be due to the mast slopping back so I straightened the mast a bit and the genoa seems level, but how do I anchor the sheet, how much clear rope do I need from genoa to its first anchor point and what angle should there be between it and the sheet to obtain the best sail shape, are there any comercially available products to optamise a new set up?

 

[vyv_cox]

There are so many question here that only a book would really do justice to them. So first advice is to buy one - there are plenty of them on the market.

Next. Before trying anything with sails ensure that the mast is set up correctly, shrouds tightened to the correct tensions so that no mast bending occurs when sailing. If you do not do this you run the risk of losing the whole lot over the side. The mast on your boat should be upright or very slightly raked aft, no more than 2 inches at first, as measured with a plumb-bob. It should also be upright transversely, measure with something that doesn't stretch, a steel tape is best, to identical points on each side of the boat.

Take your genoa off the boat and lay it out flat on the ground. Find the mid-point of the luff and put a small mark there. Now put a straight edge between this point and the clew and draw a pencil line about 2 feet long from the clew. Next put three pairs of telltales about a foot back from the luff near the top and bottom of the sail and one in the middle. Now you can put the sail back up.

Your genoa sheet should go outside the shrouds to a point that is exactly in line with the line you have drawn on the sail. This applies whether it is fully unrolled or partly furled. Fine tuning of this point is achieved by watching the telltales. For maximum efficiency all three should react as one. If the upper leeward and the lower windward telltales are lifting you need to move the genoa car aft (and vice versa). Think of it as the top needing to be sheeted out and the bottom to be sheeted in to help you visualise the actions needed.

This is very much a summary. Whole books have been written on just parts of this topic, by far more knowledgeable people than me (Lawrie Smith, for one) Buy one.

 

[jamesjermain]

Much sound advice from Viv.

It sounds as if you have got in a bit of a tangle, and from your posting it is not clear what the exact solution might be, though Viv may have found one.

I would recommend that you find someone who knows a bit about boats and rigging to come and have a look at it for you. It should be quite simple to get the basic settings right and then you can move on to the fine tuning.

JJ

 

[George]

If as Viv says that the mast should not lean back more than two inches then it almost neccessitates that some of the forestay is loped of and re-spliced, and the furling shortened slightly although the Genoa should be ok it has plently of spare room, also the Jib car needs repositioning which will probably mean the winch will need remounting. What I intend to do is get one of the blokes from the rigging shop down and look at it. I did buy a book on sails but it didn't really cover the problems I'm having, can you suggest a really good comprehensive in depth book on sails and rigging that might help?

 

[Twister_Ken]

Book recommendation

Looking at Sails, by Dick Kenny and Bruce Banks.

Mostly about setting sails, but some good stuff on setting up the rig. Book is now out of print, but it is still around in some chandlers.

I've sailed with both of these guys and they know he topic inside out, but the book doesn't blind with science.

 

[vyv_cox]

Printed information

The YM series of last year was excellent, everything you could wish to know about sails, and well presented. If you don't have the magazines you can order back numbers by fax. Perhaps you can arrange a discount for the full set!