Roller reefing and easy jacks on a Squib

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Hi
I have just taken ownership of a Squib and wondered if there was a more convenient way to hoist and drop the mainsail and jib. Can roller reefing and easy jacks be considered for this type of vessel?
If not, any other ideas along those lines?

Many thanks
 
Assuming a hanked on jib, running a line up inside the hanks to the head and lead aft from the bow fitting, can be useful to pull the sail down quickly, then deal with it later. Lazyjacks are an easy fit and kits can be had from, e.g. Jimmy Green for not much.
No reason why roller reefing, or just furling (cheaper) could be fitted. The latter is quite common on dinghys.
 
Ha! My teenage son’s Squib, used for cruising with a tent over the boom, but also for day sails at short notice, has just acquired a Plastimo roller reefing gear for the jib, in fact we fitted it on Easter Saturday. It replaced a simple roller furling gear which was nothing like as good because we could never get the jib luff straight enough. Dylan Winter has a good video on fitting this. With the Squib you will have one whole foil section left over and you should shorten the next one down by 5-6 cms. You need to be very careful to get enough tension on the forestay, as with all roller headsail set ups. Try to get a LOT of tension on the halyard before you get the clevis pin in the forestay.

Coming to the mainsail ..

We have one deep reef. Next modification will be to fit a topping lift and a boom crutch and keep the boom in the gooseneck all the time, with the kicking strap attached all the time. This will involve a sail cover, but it will be quicker and easier than fighting the boom into position each time. A final mod which might breach class rules (we are going to check) will be to use slugs in the mast groove rather than the mainsail luff rope.

We don’t think that lazyjacks would help, with such a small boat. They would probably just stop the sail coming down.

If you have a deep water mooring, leave the rudder in.

 
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Minn said:
We don’t think that lazyjacks would help, with such a small boat. They would probably just stop the sail coming down.

If you have a deep water mooring, leave the rudder in.
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Beg to differ, oh master.. but I have lazy jacks on a smaller boat and they do a good job of keeping the boom and bundle up and out of the light while coming along side. (Gunter rig, so the yard used to get in the way when it sagged).
 
DownWest said:
Beg to differ, oh master.. but I have lazy jacks on a smaller boat and they do a good job of keeping the boom and bundle up and out of the light while coming along side. (Gunter rig, so the yard used to get in the way when it sagged).
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I'll beg to differ again then as I agree with Minn.. :D

Lazy jacks on a small boat are a pain... almost always get a batten stuck when raising it, and my boat is so small (Hurley 20) I can gather it in and whack a quick bungee on as quick..

Definitely +100 for mast slugs for the main - on mine, she drops as soon as I let the halyard off - and roller furler for the jib
 
Fantasie 19 said:
I'll beg to differ again then as I agree with Minn.. :D

Lazy jacks on a small boat are a pain... almost always get a batten stuck when raising it, and my boat is so small (Hurley 20) I can gather it in and whack a quick bungee on as quick..

Definitely +100 for mast slugs for the main - on mine, she drops as soon as I let the halyard off - and roller furler for the jib
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Thanks for the advice on the mast slugs. Good to know. We will go ahead with them on the “Cruising mainsail” even if we have to use a luff rope in the groove for racing.
 
Minn said:
Thanks for the advice on the mast slugs. Good to know. We will go ahead with them on the “Cruising mainsail” even if we have to use a luff rope in the groove for racing.
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Good point, we don't know if the OP will be racing. But do many people with Squibs not?
 
DownWest said:
Good point, we don't know if the OP will be racing. But do many people with Squibs not?
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A Squib is a racer; no doubt at all about that, but she is also a jolly nice, vice free, dayboat. Ours was once part of the East Anglian Sail Trust fleet and sailed by people who are severely physically disabled, and was then owned by a gentleman who started sailing in 1946.
 
Sorry for the hijack,
Minn - I notice you have 'slugs' on the roller reefing foil. I take it this was the easiest way to convert the jib to roller reefing?
It looks as if it gives you more control of the sail with halyard tension? I'm wondering if it might be worth a try on my Hunter Europa. I take it you have the plastimo 406?
Good advice about the mainsail slugs - my boltrope is a bit snug in the track and the main needs a helping hand when lowering.
 
Red Europa said:
Sorry for the hijack,
Minn - I notice you have 'slugs' on the roller reefing foil. I take it this was the easiest way to convert the jib to roller reefing?
It looks as if it gives you more control of the sail with halyard tension? I'm wondering if it might be worth a try on my Hunter Europa. I take it you have the plastimo 406?
Good advice about the mainsail slugs - my boltrope is a bit snug in the track and the main needs a helping hand when lowering.
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Yes, yes and yes - the slugs came with the 406 kit. Going to fit some on the mainsail now.
 
I ordered the narrowest (8mm) mast track slugs from Allen Brothers, about ten days back. They arrived almost overnight but I've been too busy to fit them yet.

I'm hopeful the Osprey's mainsail will be much easier to hoist, drop and reef singlehanded, once I've put a pin across the opening in the track so the slugs don't slide out. Feeding the boltrope into the track while pulling the stubborn halyard is a pain I won't miss.

I fitted a cheap Barton roller-furler for the Osprey's 50sq ft genoa, and I've always been glad to be able to add or remove the headsail in seconds without any bother, whilst helming a boat that was intended to keep two people fully occupied.

I added very simple lazy jacks too, and always enjoy dropping the mainsail without having to share the cockpit with it and the boom...

...the fact that I spent six summers struggling with the boltrope before thinking of switching to track-sliders, is my only regret.
 
Minn - thanks. Do you find the sail more difficult to furl with slugs compared to a bolt rope in the foil? Halyard wrap?
dancrane - That's what I'm hoping, good point about stopping the slugs sliding out the track.
 
Red Europa said:
Minn - thanks. Do you find the sail more difficult to furl with slugs compared to a bolt rope in the foil? Halyard wrap?
dancrane - That's what I'm hoping, good point about stopping the slugs sliding out the track.
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We have a halyard diverter (plastic disc) above the top of the foil. This is surely essential. We haven’t had a halyard wrap issue yet.

The sail seems to furl round the luff spar very happily with the slugs. The reason for fitting the Plastimo roller reefing gear, which replaced a cheap and cheerful furler, was to be able to reef the jib to match and balance the reefed main, but to be honest it makes the headsail much easier to handle when getting under way, picking up the mooring, etc.
 
I have the plastic disc diverter, but still need to be careful when furling the last bit of genoa as it tends to wrap the halyard.
Maybe I don't have the correct halyard and/or backstay tension. Also the gear is quite old, although new to me.
I agree about picking up a mooring, I imagine it must be much harder with a hank on genoa.
 
I'm looking into squib furling jib. There is a good "How to" on the squib website. Im looking at possibly useing a barton furler and swivel but can't find which one to get. What is the sail area of a Squib Jib? I can only find combined sail area listed.
 
It's surprising, how often the exact sail areas and spar-lengths of popular classes seem not to be known or noted anywhere accessible.

I fitted the smallest Barton drum and swivel for my Osprey's 50sq ft jib, and it has always sufficed in every way. The Squib's total upwind sail area is only 17sq ft more than the Osprey's; most of that increase is likely to be in the mainsail, so it seems unlikely that the same Barton furler would be undersized for the Squib.

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I see that the Barton website says "Furling drum part no 42334 for maximum sail area up to 60 sq ft (5.74 sq m) or Furling drum part no 42335 for maximum sail area up to 100 sq ft (9.29 sq m). Both sizes use Top swivel part no 42336".

I doubt the Squib's fractional jib is more than 60% the area of her mainsail.
 
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Most classes, the class rules are accessible online and the sail dimensions can be extracted from those.
Bear in mind that a 50 sq ft jib with a dinghy hanging on the clew is less of a load than the same size sail with a keelboat hanging on it. With a keelboat, you will leave it cleated and ride out gusts that would have a dinghy over.
 
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