Heavy weather jib suggestions

webcraft

webcraft

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Avy-J has roller furling and while eventually I would like to fit a removable inner forestay for a storm jib my thoughts in the short term are to look at getting a heavy weather roller furling jib and put this up instead of the standard furling genoa in advance of any long passage where 25knot+ winds might reasonably be expected. Being smaller, I would hope to be able to furl this to pretty much storm jib size if necessary.

The existing genoa's measurements are:
luff : 9.23m
leach: 8.94m
foot : 4.90m

It has a 6mm luff tape.

What sort of size should I be looking for, any good sources of second hand sails?

I discussed this briefly with someone at Owen Sails, and they said using a smaller sail (i.e. a significantly shorter luff) would be fine if I had a webbing tape sewn to the head to make up the missing length - they reckoned this would still furl OK.

- W
 
Are you thinking more of a no.2 or no.3 than an actual heavy-weather jib?

What I have is a no.1 of about 40sqm, a no.2 of roughly 25sqm and a heavy weather jib in bright orange of about 15. The no.2 is a cut down former no.1. I put it up whenever I'm going out and there's a good chance of a 6 or above and I also use it as first choice in the winter months. I find it a very useful part of the sail wardrobe. In practice I rarely use the heavy-weather jib. I suspect it would only really come into its own in a 10 and I try to avoid those.

I certainly agree with what your sailmaker told you about having the luff tape/webbing the full length of the forestay. Mine furls ok, but what I do find when I put the heavy-weather jib in the furler is that the heavy cloth is reluctant to wind up tight around the forestay.
 
lpdsn said:
Are you thinking more of a no.2 or no.3 than an actual heavy-weather jib?

What I have is a no.1 of about 40sqm, a no.2 of roughly 25sqm and a heavy weather jib in bright orange of about 15. The no.2 is a cut down former no.1. I put it up whenever I'm going out and there's a good chance of a 6 or above and I also use it as first choice in the winter months. I find it a very useful part of the sail wardrobe. In practice I rarely use the heavy-weather jib. I suspect it would only really come into its own in a 10 and I try to avoid those.

I certainly agree with what your sailmaker told you about having the luff tape/webbing the full length of the forestay. Mine furls ok, but what I do find when I put the heavy-weather jib in the furler is that the heavy cloth is reluctant to wind up tight around the forestay.
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I think my existing genoa is about 40m2

So - I think I am thinking of a no.2 in heavier cloth.

But that is why I posted this - to get feedback and ideas. I used ot sail a Sigma 33 sometimes (I ran RYA courses on it) which had a heavier no.2 furling genoa and a no.1. With the no.2 the boat cold be made comfortable in quite strong winds.

- W
 
Personally I'd look for something with less overlap, going on 'blade' like, but you need the jib tracks to suit that.
 
I converted to roller reefing last year and had the No2 converted to luff tape and it performs really well. When the sail needs replacing I plan on a No1 with a foam luff for light forecast days and a heavier, higher cut, full luff non-overlapping jib for everyday stuff. My boat performs really well with a full main and No4 in 15kts and then I just reefed the main to suit (when I was running hanks) so I imagine the non overlapping jib will be on the furler more then the No1.

I would like a removable Solent stay to hang a twin sail or storm job on in the future but that would only be if I were able to do the Atlantic circuit.
 
I have never found that I needed a storm jib, but I have not put myself in the kind of position that might lead to one being necessary. If I did, I don't think that I would want to rely on a furled jib to do the job. I would aim for the kind of jib that would be needed in ordinary deep-reefed sailing and invest in a proper storm jib that could be set over the fully furled jib. My current jib is a 110% blade on a 19/20 rig that furls well to the kind of size that I need. The fact that it is laminate with a padded rope luff helps. I think this is the sort of thing that only a discussion with a sailmaker will really solve.
 
johnalison said:
I have never found that I needed a storm jib, but I have not put myself in the kind of position that might lead to one being necessary. If I did, I don't think that I would want to rely on a furled jib to do the job. I would aim for the kind of jib that would be needed in ordinary deep-reefed sailing and invest in a proper storm jib that could be set over the fully furled jib. My current jib is a 110% blade on a 19/20 rig that furls well to the kind of size that I need. The fact that it is laminate with a padded rope luff helps. I think this is the sort of thing that only a discussion with a sailmaker will really solve.
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We have two furler set one behind the other. We set a 130% genoa on the outer furler of 65m2. The inner furler sets a triple stitched working blade jib of 26m2. Our storm jib has never been used but for reference purposes is 13m2. So our working jib is twice the size of the storm jib. The working jib has a foam luff and is made from heavy cloth. Its a Doyle ocean sail with 50,000nm of 5 years, which ever comes first, warranty. We find that switching from one sail to the other works for us nine times out of ten. We very rarely reef the genoa as we simple switch down to the smaller sail. The fact that we can drop to a sail that is so much smaller but clearly a lot more efficient always suprises me. We dont have to go on deck to do it which is a real bonus in rising seas. The boat sails faster and more upright with a more buoyant feel to her once we have made the switch.
Our working jib has only been reefed a couple of times in winds gusting to 40kts to windward (normal wind speed circa 28/30) and once when broad reaching in similar conditions when we didnt want to arrive at our destination in the dark.

The theory about fixing a storm jib to the outside of an existing furled sail also makes me think these systems were dreamt up by somebody sat in an armchair by a fire. The reality is that the foredeck in conditions you would need to fit a storm jib will be intense. For most people cruising in coastal waters, a storm jib is a waste of time. Most people are likely to reef the head sail they have rigged and motorsail to safety.
 
I've never used a furling storm jib, but don't like the idea of them at all. I'd go straight to fitting another track to the existing forestay or, better still, go-ahead and fit the inner forestay now, especially if there's already a fitting on deck for it. A single stay isn't going to be madly expensive and then you can look for a secondhand storm jib which will have its centre of effort far lower than a furling version. The CofE is, IMO, just as important as the size.
 
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geem said:
We have two furler set one behind the other. We set a 130% genoa on the outer furler of 65m2. The inner furler sets a triple stitched working blade jib of 26m2. Our storm jib has never been used but for reference purposes is 13m2. So our working jib is twice the size of the storm jib. The working jib has a foam luff and is made from heavy cloth. Its a Doyle ocean sail with 50,000nm of 5 years, which ever comes first, warranty. We find that switching from one sail to the other works for us nine times out of ten. We very rarely reef the genoa as we simple switch down to the smaller sail. The fact that we can drop to a sail that is so much smaller but clearly a lot more efficient always suprises me. We dont have to go on deck to do it which is a real bonus in rising seas. The boat sails faster and more upright with a more buoyant feel to her once we have made the switch.
Our working jib has only been reefed a couple of times in winds gusting to 40kts to windward (normal wind speed circa 28/30) and once when broad reaching in similar conditions when we didnt want to arrive at our destination in the dark.

The theory about fixing a storm jib to the outside of an existing furled sail also makes me think these systems were dreamt up by somebody sat in an armchair by a fire. The reality is that the foredeck in conditions you would need to fit a storm jib will be intense. For most people cruising in coastal waters, a storm jib is a waste of time. Most people are likely to reef the head sail they have rigged and motorsail to safety.
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This is the set up I am drawn to for my next boat - how do you find tacking the 135%? Do you furl/unfurl each tack?
 
We had a full height No.3 on our Sadler 29. The furler had 2 grooves and we had 2 halyards but we very rarely changed sails at sea. We took off the headsail when we got home and hoisted either the big genoa or the No.3 to suit the expected conditions when we got back to the boat. Picture is probably near the bottom of its wind range. We often carried it unfurled with two slabs in the main. A bonus was the much improved visibility forwards when compared to a deck-sweeping genoa.

No3%20Genoa.JPG
 
webcraft said:
I think my existing genoa is about 40m2

So - I think I am thinking of a no.2 in heavier cloth.

But that is why I posted this - to get feedback and ideas. I used ot sail a Sigma 33 sometimes (I ran RYA courses on it) which had a heavier no.2 furling genoa and a no.1. With the no.2 the boat cold be made comfortable in quite strong winds.

- W
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Your sums may have gone awry there Webcraft, sailboatdata reckons that the Vega has 27.5 msq overall.

I would go down to something like the Vega No 2 which looks to have reasonable overlap and yet may suit windy weather. Consider lifting the tack, a little, as well, this can prevent problems with chafe on the guardwires, damage due to water falling into the sail off the deck, and helps forward vision.
 
doug748 said:
Your sums may have gone awry there Webcraft, sailboatdata reckons that the Vega has 27.5 msq overall.

I would go down to something like the Vega No 2 which looks to have reasonable overlap and yet may suit windy weather. Consider lifting the tack, a little, as well, this can prevent problems with chafe on the guardwires, damage due to water falling into the sail off the deck, and helps forward vision.
Click to expand...

This isn't for his Vega, It's for his MG30.
 
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