Storm Jibs etc

[JonJon]

Anybody with any experience/problems fitting removeable forestay to a Sun Fizz? I tried fitting my storm jib for the first time to my spinnaker halyard used as an extra forestay. What a disaster! Throat on the hanks was too small and they jammed on the thick halyard as I tried to hoist - Glad I was still in the marina!

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[Sunnyseeker]

I would think (especially in a storm) that using a halyard as a stay is a very bad idea, the cast hanks will chafe quite quickly. You dont want to be sorting out th eresulting mess up on the fordeack in a storm! cant you fit an inner stay? we ran one to the chain plate just behind the roller gear which meant you could leave it in place if you wanted to. The halyard is ok to use as a spare stay just to hold the rig up if your forestay is damaged but I wouldn't hank anything onto it.
If there isn't room on th echain plate its quite easy to fit a secure deck fitting. when not in use you attach it to th edeck somewhere near the shrouds.

<hr width=100% size=1>Oh ye who have your eyeballs vexed and tired feast them upon the wideness of the sea

 

[charles_reed]

I'm afraid most storm jibs are of apocryphal value - mine would certainly be too big in heavy weather and hoisting it would be a major challenge.

I use a Yankee jib (theoretically the No 4 genoa) of 64% foretriangle in the roller reefer and have successfully used it for working to windward in F8-9, rolled down far smaller than the storm jib.
The secret is to change over from the 150% roller genoa or the 100% solent in plenty of time, and before you've got really heavy winds.

Trying to set the storm jib on the spinnaker halyard is an improbability. It needs to be on the forestay.

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[JonJon]

Many thanks gents you have cofirmed my fears that the so called storm jib is a touch apochryphal ( God that difficult to spell!). What a decent site this is! So lets cut to the chase!

Forgive my ignorance what is a Yankee? I see it everywhere what doe it mean?

Was thinking I could run another forestay - bags of strengethening underneath deck (which was were I was lookin for guidance) - but actually Fizzs got nothing under the water below - she would blow off under a rolled Genoa - any point?
Was thinking plent of suction - needs design tho eh ?
I am a little bit disappoited with the sailing press on this (naiive?).
Running a storm jib on a halyard - forget it !!!!
Still we all have to earn aliving!
Grateful comments that dont interfere with my chances of survival?
K


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[dickh]

I set my storm jib on a spare genoa halliard - albeit a wire halliard with a rope tail. I attach this to a wire strop which is permanently fixed to the central bollard aft of the stemhead. There is an additional wire strop and turnbuckle leading from the underside of the bollard to a 'U' bolt fitting through the stem - all in line.
The wire halliard is winched up tight and the storm jib shackled to it, the jib having again a strop to raise the tack off the deck. Jib sheets permanently rigged going thro' dedicated pulleys back to the cockpit winches. The jib is raised using the spinnaker halliard. Seems to work when practising but never used in anger yet. The storm jib came with the boat and had obviously rarely been used, the galvanised wire luff had rusted and broke so was replaced with a nonstretch rope(kevlar/spectra?) - if I was to do it again I would ask for the storm jib to be made smaller as I still think it's possibly too big.

<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
I'd rather be sailing... /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[BrendanChandler]

I have a storm jib which was intended to be used in the foil of the roller reefing but because that means dropping the genoa, which may not always be advisable if the storm arrives without warning, I have had it altered so that it will wrap around the rolled genoa and hank onto itself.

The luff rope is then hauled up on a spare halyard.

Works fine in light winds but as I have only just had it altered, it has not been used in anger.

Brendan

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[tome]

I had the same arrangement (storm jib sets in foil) and like you concluded that dropping the genoa was impractical in rising winds. I've now fitted a removable inner forestay and had the storm jib fitted with hanks. The most difficult part was fabricating and fitting a suitable deck plate to take the inner stay. On my boat, this is fitted with a SS strap which is attached to the rear bulkhead of the anchor locker.

I also had the No3 jib fitted with hanks. Although I haven't yet used the storm jib in anger, I've made good use of the No3 on the inner stay and it's a great success for windward work above F4.

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[AndrewB]

>>I'm afraid most storm jibs are of apocryphal value - mine would certainly be too big in heavy weather and hoisting it would be a major challenge.<<

A bit pessimistic, this? My storm jib, set on a babystay, is a good workhorse in F7-9. It will just about drive the boat to windward in those conditions, though a triple-reefed main helps. It has held the boat hove to in F10. I wouldn't be without it.

>>I use a Yankee jib (theoretically the No 4 genoa) of 64% foretriangle in the roller reefer and have successfully used it for working to windward in F8-9, rolled down far smaller than the storm jib.
<<

I don't like a lot of weight aloft in heavy weather in open sea and sometimes remove the Yankee from the roller reefer if a serious blow is coming. In any case rolled in to less than half its area it's almost useless except as a down-wind bag.

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