Genoa sock.

[AngusMcDoon]

Tried and found very wanting

My boat has never had anything else - not wanting at all. I don't know what the problem is. The way to stop them wearing out is to stop them flapping, and the way to do that is to have decent lacing that can be pulled tight from the top and the bottom. Mine is 15m long and works just fine. It only vibrates if it flaps, and mine is not allowed to flap. Survived the storms last winter without any damage at all. They last about 8 years which seems reasonable to me for fabric that is in the open 365 days a year. I make mine myself. A little bit of thought in the design and not skimping on materials overcomes any problems. It's a bit more effort than furl and forget, but an extra 3 minutes to hoist and tighten it is not a show-stopper. I would prefer a sail in a sock in winter as a sail that is unfurled by winter winds self destructs shortly after.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

The sock is very hard to haul op at the start of the season, as I can't roll up the laminate headsail tight enough to make the sock fit.

It's too small.

Then there is maintaining the mile of zipper, but that is not difficult too.

I'm not sure how to maintain a zip. My fabric dies from UV damage before the zip expires.

But once you have the headsail covered, you have to squeeze it tight as well with a double zigzag string. Due to friction, the upper part stays a bit loose.

Have a line that goes to the top, through a small pulley, and tensions the top part. Works for a 15m sock for me.

If a moderate wind from a certain angle catches that, the forestay profile starts an harmonic wobble. Very bad for metal fatigue on the forestay parts and the profile connections.

A sock suffciently tight all the way up does not do this.

 

[Biggles Wader]

I gave up on strips and socks for furling jib/gen on boat for hols and weekends the gen' is on and then taken of when we go for home. Takes 20mins to stow and 20 mins to put back on no chance of sun damage or any other damage when is stowed below.

Ive been doing that this year too.Not really a big problem,and less windage while the boat is moored up.

 

[jonjo]

Ive been doing that this year too.Not really a big problem,and less windage while the boat is moored up.

I feel there is potential for improving this innovative sail handling technique.

1. To facilitate rapid hoist and drop, hook shaped metal sliders could be attached to the sail and made fast to the forestay at runtime with some sort of sprung loaded closing device
2. Even better would be a horizontal jib storage pole that pivots just inboard of the forestay, you could even dispense with genoa sheets and have a single line control the storage pole.
3. As for UV protection this could be fitted at deck level around the storage pole, far less effort than all that flappy sock cloth in the air nonsense.

 

[thalassa]

It's too small.

No, it's too wide. The Dutch sailmaker made it to measure, but as already said, the laminate sail is difficult to wrap tight enough at the start of season. The rest of the year it is too wide which doesn't improve the windage.

I'm not sure how to maintain a zip. My fabric dies from UV damage before the zip expires.

Harken McLube. And repairing the loose threads next to the zipper.

Have a line that goes to the top, through a small pulley, and tensions the top part. Works for a 15m sock for me.

Now, that sounds like good idea. I was given the advice to hang small blocks off the webbing that holds the string. But considering the number and price of the blocks involved, it was not taken up.

A sock suffciently tight all the way up does not do this.
Agreed, that was our problem, as mentioned.

Thanks for the ideas. I have to deal with the chafe from the tightening string as well.

 

[basic]

Most of us had already concluded you were either a cantankerous old fool or a foolish young buck. Thanks for the confirmation.

I feel as though I have just been savaged by a rampant sheep.

 

[Birdseye]

Leave Jeffrey Howe out of it!

 

[Birdseye]

My boat has never had anything else - not wanting at all. I don't know what the problem is. The way to stop them wearing out is to stop them flapping, and the way to do that is to have decent lacing that can be pulled tight from the top and the bottom. Mine is 15m long and works just fine. It only vibrates if it flaps, and mine is not allowed to flap. Survived the storms last winter without any damage at all. They last about 8 years which seems reasonable to me for fabric that is in the open 365 days a year. I make mine myself. A little bit of thought in the design and not skimping on materials overcomes any problems. It's a bit more effort than furl and forget, but an extra 3 minutes to hoist and tighten it is not a show-stopper. I would prefer a sail in a sock in winter as a sail that is unfurled by winter winds self destructs shortly after.

Interesting comments. Could you expand a bit on how you make it and the details of the design. I have the old tatty one in the boat loft but it has a good zip so I could possibly make one.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Interesting comments. Could you expand a bit on how you make it and the details of the design. I have the old tatty one in the boat loft but it has a good zip so I could possibly make one.

I copied my first one which was professionally made, with a few minor modifications - slightly longer, a bit of a bulge round the clew area and reinforcing patches where the lacing line attachments bear on the body. It's made from acrylic canvas from Point North, same fabric as standard sail covers. It's basically a tube with a long zip down it that is triangular at the top with a hoisting ring. Along the side opposite the zip are two full length flaps separated by about 15cm. These have eyelets ever 30cm. In the eyelets are plastic fittings also from Point North the name of which I have no idea. The lacing line goes through these. One side of the lacing line goes all the way to the top and round a tiny pulley, the other zigzags its way up so that when it is tightened it pulls the 2 flaps closer together tightening the sock. One end of the lacing line tightens the bottom half and the other the top. Under each plastic fitting is a small reinforcing patch to stop wear. You can see them in my pic as they are white.

 

[jonjo]

I feel as though I have just been savaged by a rampant sheep.

If you just want to be an argumentative inverted snob who annoys people all day then come and join us in the lounge, we will make you feel right at home. Why limit yourself to disputes over a limited subject such as boats when in the lounge there is politics, economics, history and cars to get angry about.