Storm jib sheeting angle

[FullCircle]

My storm jib sheets are led through the normal genoa tracks, with thte cars fully forward, but its not ideal, as then there are two sets of sheets leading through the car, and the car cant go forward enough for a decent angle.

Not had to use the jib in real anger, just tried it in around F6-7, but it seems to me that the jib could be sheeted almost flat by going inside the shrouds.

Question is, do I need to have that much flatter sheeting angle?

I was thinking of having a pair of snatch blocks leading to Wichard Pad eyes in the deck near the shroud area to serve as the fixed point for the sheet leads. Being ever practical, these would also serve as pad eyes for our step fenders.

What is the experience of the assembly?

 

[William_H]

Storm jib

I reckon the primary demand of a storm jib is that you be able to sail to windward in a storm. Any sailing off the wind should be relatively easy. The storm jib then needs to be sheeted far enough forward to enable you to sheet the sail in tight with the leech tight to get drive right up the sail. It needs to be sheeted near enough to the centre line that you can point reasonably well. However wider sheeting may give moire drive with a greater tacking angle.
The sheeting point of the sail (fore and aft) can effectively be changed by raising or lowering the sail by strop. ie higher up (longer deck strop) will want a further aft sheeting point.
You can also make the sheeting angle fore and aft change by raising or lowering the pulley or eye that the sheet runs through. On maxi yachts this is a done by having an eye for the sheet to run through which is on the end of a line which runs through the pulley at deck level and back to a cleat for adjustment.
So yes I think U bolts or similar eye in the deck suitably backed up for strength would work well and yes sheeting inside the shrouds is good if that gives the desired sheeting angle to c/l. However if you really wanted best performance using this sail you might consider sideways tracks to adjust sheeting angle to c/l just like maxi yachts do.
A wider sheeting angle can be great for reaching or running as sheet can be pulled in tight to stop flogging while giving best sail shape.
I think the trick is to go sailing with the storm jib in strongish winds and try to get it to give you best boat performance by adjusting angles. good luck olewill

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

William H has just about said it all.
To get the correct sheeting angle, the U-bolt or eye for the block may well be on the coachroof and you may find a position which then allows you to route the sheet through a block and down to the genoa block.

 

[Lady Campanula]

I have recently fitted s/s deck eyes abeam the mastfoot, onto the coachroof, more specifically where the forward ends of the wooden handrails are mounted onto GRP moulded shallow upstands., and through the position of the forward-most handrail fixing. These d/eyes each take a double turning block which turns halyards, etc., exiting the mastfoot sheaves back to winches beside the companionway hatch.

I've provided snatch blocks which will also attach to the d/eyes there, when needed, with sheets for the staysail and, in turn, the storm jib. These give a narrow angle, facilitating sheeting the sail(s) very nearly flat ( both sheets hard home ) or eased at a shallow angle of 4-5 degrees ( one sheet hard home ).

I've also provided lines and small snatch blocks to act as Barbour Haulers for the s/sail and/or storm jib, which clip to convenient midships deck cleats beside the toerail. One end of each line clips to the sail's clew ring; the other leads back, via its small snatch block, along the side deck to cleats on the coaming. These permit positioning the clew exactly where wanted, when off the wind - and have cost virtually nothing.

Sorry, I have no pics at present, but can assure you this is a simple, effective 'mod' which permits optimum sheeting angle for my heavy weather foresails.

 

[VO5]

Under my mast foot on deck there is a tray whose sides have perforations to accomodate the blocks for the runnuning rigging. I have two hefty snatch blocks that I clip onto the forward end of this tray. Then I run the shhets through these back to the s/t sheet winches to get a really flat handkerchief.

Usually, this is not necessary as both genoa sheets running through theitr cars and back to footblocks and back to the sheet winches is sufficient to control the flattening of a handkerchief.

My drill is to deploy the drogue by letting out half the length in a loop from the stern, then easing the handkerchief completely and dropping the remainder.

Once it bites I then sheet in the handkerchief, pump bilges, rudder midships, batten down, fix and have a brew, or if sailing in company, settle down to a game of cards untiol it blows over.

 

[Lakesailor]

My local sailmaker (1/2 mile away) tells me that the starting point for headsail sheets is that they should point (extrapolated) to a point 40% up the luff of the sail.
I don't know if that applies to storm jibs, but it's a start point.

 

[wilkinsonsails]

The sheeting angle of a storm jib will depend on how it is cut and the lay of the panels.If the sail has a mitre type seam bisecting the clew angle the sheet should follow this line ,if the sail is cross cut with a tripped round foot panel, the sheet lead should ideally run through to the luff mid point.
Using a tack strop to adjust the height off the deck can often get you a better lead to the original genoa cars.However with wider beamed boats its now often a good idea to have another short set of tracks forward and inboard.
If you dont want to go to that expense, fit a barber hauler to an eye bolt to tweak the clew in board.
Flat is always best on storm jibs, to sheet in as hard as you can.
We have used a storm jib sheet flat as poss down the centre line of the boat to hold us dead downwind in a large rolly sea,it was much more comfortable with it set, than without it!

Cindy
Storm jibs in my experience need to be sheeted as flat as possible

 

[boaterbaz]

I prettymuch agree with the suggestions and comments from previous postee's. Just one comment on the use of snatchblocks, they are really useful little suckers, but I have reservations about using them in a situation where they could be exposed to severe shaking forces as the sail flogs. I have known one to open under extreme conditions. Just something to consider.

 

[lw395]

Going to windward in strong winds, the apparent wind is not going to move forward as much as in lighter winds. The sheeting angle may be wider than you first think.
You may also accept a wider tacking angle to keep some speed through the waves.
OTOH the jib may need to be oversheeted so that it does not flog as the yacht is thrown about.

Unless you have an 'opportunity' to try it out, the versatility of a barber hauler might be a good bet.

 

[LadyInBed]

However with wider beamed boats its now often a good idea to have another short set of tracks forward and inboard.
If you dont want to go to that expense, fit a barber hauler to an eye bolt to tweak the clew in board.

I had given this a bit of thought and fitted a quick release to the top end of my kicking strap, so I can disconnect it from the boom, attach a snatch block and use it as a barber hauler. I've not yet tried it out but the principle seemed sound.

 

[FullCircle]

So if I put my barber hauler on centreline, I could use it on both tacks?
Or am I missing something?

The storm jib is probably 3 feet forward of the mast when tautened, so I was thinking of a hauler at mast foot.

 

[LadyInBed]

So if I put my barber hauler on centreline, I could use it on both tacks?
Or am I missing something?

I don't think you are. When it is needed, you will probably be on the same tack for quite a while!!

The storm jib is probably 3 feet forward of the mast when tautened, so I was thinking of a hauler at mast foot.

So job done, give it a try

 

[snooks]

Increasing the height of the tack, will more or less do the same thing as pulling the sheet cars forward, but it also has the added advantage of clearing the foredeck. So any wave over the bow doesn't hang around for long and disappears back to where it should be. rather than hanging around weighing the bow of the boat down.

You could raise the tack up with a purpose made strop of wire with an eye at each end, one end shacked to the strong point on the deck, the other shackled to the tack.

The other way of doing this would be with a handy billy with a jammer attached to the same places, the advantage of a handy billy with a jammer is that you can crank up the halyard, then add more tension (like a cunningham) with the block and tackle arrangement, then just tie off the loose end around itself to stop it coming loose in the storm

 

[FullCircle]

Increasing the height of the tack, will more or less do the same thing as pulling the sheet cars forward, but it also has the added advantage of clearing the foredeck. So any wave over the bow doesn't hang around for long and disappears back to where it should be. rather than hanging around weighing the bow of the boat down.

You could raise the tack up with a purpose made strop of wire with an eye at each end, one end shacked to the strong point on the deck, the other shackled to the tack.

The other way of doing this would be with a handy billy with a jammer attached to the same places, the advantage of a handy billy with a jammer is that you can crank up the halyard, then add more tension (like a cunningham) with the block and tackle arrangement, then just tie off the loose end around itself to stop it coming loose in the storm

The jib is already nearly 4 feet clear of the deck, on a wire strop. I like this fixed arrangement, as fiddling with strops and blocks etc when needing a storm jib hoisted means I want to be up there as little time as possible.

 

[westernman]

I was thinking of having a pair of snatch blocks leading to Wichard Pad eyes in the deck near the shroud area to serve as the fixed point for the sheet leads.

I would not want snatch blocks or any other chunky items on the sheets of a storm jib.

At some time or another they will fly around the foredeck at the speed of a bullet just at the time you have your head in the way while crawling up the deck attached to the jackstay.......

So either set it up higher on a strop, or better on an inner baby stay or use a dedicate bulls eye thing so that the sheet angle is right.

 

[charles_reed]

My storm jib sheets are led through the normal genoa tracks, with thte cars fully forward, but its not ideal, as then there are two sets of sheets leading through the car, and the car cant go forward enough for a decent angle.

Not had to use the jib in real anger, just tried it in around F6-7, but it seems to me that the jib could be sheeted almost flat by going inside the shrouds.

Question is, do I need to have that much flatter sheeting angle?

I was thinking of having a pair of snatch blocks leading to Wichard Pad eyes in the deck near the shroud area to serve as the fixed point for the sheet leads. Being ever practical, these would also serve as pad eyes for our step fenders.

What is the experience of the assembly?

I've a set of subsidiary tracks, on the forward coach-roof for both working jib (I use that on the furler for a storm jib as it rolls down smaller than the storm jib) and the solent.

The sheeting angle from the genoa cars would be quite useless with either of those two sails.