Moving (storm jib) removable forestay forward for use with blade jib

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fredrussell

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My boat has a removable forestay that mounts to deck approx 2 metres back from stem. It’s for a storm jib but no such sail came with boat. I have a yen to install a new mount for it just aft of ‘permanent’ forestay so I can use it for my blade jib. I would lengthen removable forestay with a dyneema strop to reach new mount. Then the plan would be to either convert my current (furling) blade jib to hank-on or just get a new/2nd hand hank-on blade jib.

When the wind’s up it’s an enormous faff changing headsails over, especially single-handed.
I guess my question is how well will a blade jib work in heavy weather with a furled 150% genoa a foot or so forward of it on the permanent forestay?
 
That's what I do, I have a removeable inner forestay just aft of the furling foresail, and use a hanked on blade when it gets windy.
It works well, any turbence caused but the furled sail, doesn't seem to have any noticable effect.
I also got a sail maker to cut down an old foresail and add a dyneema luff line and hanks.
You need to be sure that the deck will take the load, and make sure that the dyneema strop can be tensioned enough the prevent the leading edge of the sail from sagging.
 
+1 for ensuring the new location is suitably reinforced. Fortunately for me my removeable inner forestay is only about half a metre or so back from the stem, but if I was making this adaptation, I would replace the whole stay. In the scheme of things it would not be too expensive and can be DIY installed.
 
Have a you tube look at
They did this .


As have I but mine I kept it all detachable.
With hank-on sail,and a downhaul and halyard both fed back to the cockpit .
When not envisaged being needed, the stay along with the reefable staysail( or s/jib) remain hanked on and contained in a zippered sail bag ‘ sleeve’ taughtened and stowed at the shroud base.
I am unable to discern much interference in use from the fully furled genoa. And am happy to say it has not been tested in storm force anger?.

The standard set up was, as you have, an attachment point for the removable stay a deal further aft on the foredeck. With the top close enough to the masthead to not require running back stays. I added a small strap below the tensioning lever for the detachable stay. Next time I renew the standing rigging I will have the stay made correspondingly longer.

Go for it!
 
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Spirit (of Glenans) said:
if I was making this adaptation, I would replace the whole stay. In the scheme of things it would not be too expensive and can be DIY installed.
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I thought having a dyneema extension on current removable forestay would mean I could still use RF for a storm jib, which at some point I will buy.
 
Sounds like a lot of effort - and extra complexity / windage.

Wouldn’t a decent 140% sail, with foam luff and cruising laminate cloth, give at least as good performance without fiddling around with extra sails and stays?
 
fredrussell said:
I thought having a dyneema extension on current removable forestay would mean I could still use RF for a storm jib, which at some point I will buy.
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I got the impression that you were deleting the old arrangement and using the new location for both blade jib and storm jib. On one level it would be more efficient to do this, but then, on the other hand it's considered better to have the heavy weather sailplan low, and closer to the mast. Perhaps you're right to have two fixing points and a strop.
 
dunedin said:
Sounds like a lot of effort - and extra complexity / windage.

Wouldn’t a decent 140% sail, with foam luff and cruising laminate cloth, give at least as good performance without fiddling around with extra sails and stays?
Click to expand...

In a word, no. There’s a very big difference in efficiency between a much furled ‘big’ headsail and an unfurled blade jib, especially in a blow.

...and cheers for pic Ladyinbed ,lots of food for thought there. My current RF has a highfield lever. The cost of another one is the main reason I’m thinking dyneema extension!
 
I think it sounds a good plan to keep the storm jib capability, which you can bring back nearer the mast, and also have a blade jib for when you'd like it, and also have your large furling headsail.

I have a removable Dyneema forestay which lives wrapped around the shrouds. It attaches using a bottlescrew. It would be easy to add a short additional strop to reach the stemhead fitting.

The inconvenience however is that when the wind hits storm jib time at 35 knots or whatever, you have to drop and stow the blade jib, move the RF and then reattach the storm jib. That's a lot of work in what could be beastly conditions.

I would be tempted to do as most of this year's innovative cruisers do: have two furlers on the bow (for Genoa and blade), which assumes you'll never tack the genoa. Keep the RF dedicated for the storm jib. That's a lot more expense and hassle though.
 
fredrussell said:
In a word, no. There’s a very big difference in efficiency between a much furled ‘big’ headsail and an unfurled blade jib, especially in a blow!
Click to expand...

That’s a moot point, particularly if it takes effort to bring the blade job on deck when the wind comes up, and take away when dropped.
And yes my previous boat had a Kevlar tape blade jib which was lovely, but after a few tries was never used after bought a decent intermediate sized jib. Current boat a single high quality North cruising laminate jib with foam luff. Goes like a train upwind.
 
Dunedin, when you say it’s a moot point do you mean that a furled headsail can be as efficient to windward in a blow as a hanked on blade jib? By the time a headsail has furled enough to have the same area as a blade jib the centre of effort will be much higher, causing more heeling and leeway, and foam luff or not the shape of sail will have suffered a bit surely?

I probably should have mentioned earlier that I am very much a bride on a budget. A second furler and/or laminate jib and so on would be fantastic, but well beyond what I can currently afford.
 
I think the idea of a stay that can carry a hanked on blade (which is my current plan ) and also a storm job is a great idea..

I wonder if a second movable stay could be used on the same mast fitting so that the sj can be put in place ready for hoisting and then in one trip to the foredeck you could drop the jib and swop the halyard and hoist the SJ.
 
I don't think some have thought ahead about rigging detachable stay when the going is rough enough to need a storm jib. It needs rigging in advance as trying to hold a strop in one hand 47ft of 8mm swinging wire (in our case) in the other on a moving wet deck, then trying to get the pin in the highfield lever is almost impossible single handed. I gave up one time and just left a bit of the genoa unrolled instead.
 
Graham376 said:
I don't think some have thought ahead about rigging detachable stay when the going is rough enough to need a storm jib. It needs rigging in advance as trying to hold a strop in one hand 47ft of 8mm swinging wire (in our case) in the other on a moving wet deck, then trying to get the pin in the highfield lever is almost impossible single handed. I gave up one time and just left a bit of the genoa unrolled instead.
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thats the basis for my point... just need to swop halyards to change from jib to storm jib.. (once the SJ is set up in advance of really needing it.. in #14
 
pandos said:
I wonder if a second movable stay could be used on the same mast fitting so that the sj can be put in place ready for hoisting and then in one trip to the foredeck you could drop the jib and swop the halyard and hoist the SJ.
Click to expand...
If conditions were expected to build and I was hoisting my storm jib I would not want another jib down on deck lashed to the guard wire. It would collect far too much airborne water!
 
LadyInBed said:
If conditions were expected to build and I was hoisting my storm jib I would not want another jib down on deck lashed to the guard wire. It would collect far too much airborne water!
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Id probably take it off... or bag it and stuff it into the anchor locker ... or lash it to the deck...

I've never been a fan of stuff lashed to the lifelines...
 
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