UFO 31 Foresail

[Euphonyx]

Can you UFO specialists and racing know-alls help please. I am toying with the idea of ditching the furler on my UFO 31. I would like to put a foil on. the boat will be used 80% racing and 20% messing about. I have a working theory and need objective input. Was going to recut the 150% genoa and stow it for use in light airs. The idea is to rely on a 120 or 130 Genoa as a primary foresail and get a jib for heavy weather. laminates for the foresail and dacron for the main? maybe? opinions please. Just bought the boat by the wa so this is me thinking about next season already!!

 

[Euphonyx]

Someone must be knowledgeable on this subject. PLEEEASE!

 

[deeb]

headfoils

Headfoils work really well, but don't forget you'll be going from the convenience of one sail available in seconds (by deploying the furler) to that painful business of lugging sails in and out of the boat ( and putting up with them inside). They're always wet and salty, which adds to the joy. Foils, even snugged back with a nice little tie do rattle in the breeze. I know, everyone in the marina moans about mine.

Big genoas or heavy working jibs can be a swine to flake neatly into the bag on the foredeck of a boat, especially if you're thinking of sailing singlehanded - this is no small deal. Headsail changes aren't that straightforward, can be a miserable and even frightening task .

I have a dacron main and solent and a laminated genoa, you can have what you want it is just a matter of taste and class rules. Think more about the positioning and length of the battens would be my advice. In fact the ability to have sail battens is one great reason for having a headfoil.

I'm not trying to put you off...

 

[Georgio]

Assuming that you are racing under IRC I would be tempted to keep the furler and get a 125-135% Kevlar/Carbon/high-tech genoa that can be furled. Then fit an inner forestay/Solent stay with a No4 or equivalent for heavy weather. Use only these two headsails on your handicap declaration + main and spinnakers.

The benefit of doing this is that the as a 1970's boat the UFO is no light weight flying machine so you are never going to be ultra competitive in light airs so maybe it is worth giving up a little light airs performance for better performance in stronger wind as you will not have to furl so quickly as the wind increases. Remember that a laminate headsail will not stretch like a dacron sail in higher windspeed allowing you to hold onto a larger sail area by flattening it and feathering up in the gusts. Also, under IRC you will get a better rating for having a single furling headsail over multiple genoa/jibs. It is worth noting that IRC do not make any allowance for the type of material in use so a sail made from Dacron that is the same size as one made from Carbon or some other high-tech material will get the same rating.

By going for a dacron No4 on an inner forestay you can roll up the genoa and still have good windward ability using a dedicated sail in heavy-weather conditions, you can also use the inner forestay for a hank on storm jib if required.

When going cruising just swap your new racing headsail for the existing one.

On the mainsail I would be tempted to get a good quality dacron as it is going to be used for cruising and racing. IIRC the UFO31 is a masthead rig with a large overlapping genoa and small main so spending money on high-tech headsails will make a bigger difference. That said a baggy old main is not fast.

The best bit of advice really is to go and have a chat with a good sailmaker that is used to making sails for racing boats, from personal experience I would suggest Quantum in Hamble and Sanders in Lymington, both are excellent.

Budget is obviously a big consideration on the materials used and type of cut you go for, if carbon/Kevlar is getting pricy plain Pentex or some of the “Cruise laminates” are a good alternative . My new furling headsail is made from Bainbridge CL Diax LSP and is excellent.

I’m no expert but a good sailmaker will be, I hope the above helps.

 

[Euphonyx]

Thanks for that. Really helpful. Am going to have to figure out a Solent Stay now!

 

[dt4134]

A few quick thoughts.

There's no absolute need to get rid of the furler. You can put a twin groove foil on it and race with the furler but not use it to furl sails. It makes it easier to go cruising the 20% of the time.

You do get a IRC allowance for using a furler (reputedly) but whether it fully compensates for the disadvantages is another matter.

The disadvantage of a furler is it prevents you using a deck-swepping genny. such a sail is far more efficient as the deck forms an end plate. A below deck furler solves the conflict, but might well be impractical to fit.

You might want to re-consider whether it is worth keeping the 150% genny for racing. You'll be rated on it if you do, so if you don't need it keep it ashore and use it for cruising only. If you need a 150% genny you should look at making sure you have a good one.

I vaguely remember from your previous posts that you're Dublin based. If I remember that correctly, then it would be worthwhile discussing the local conditions with boats in the class you're racing against. Dublin Bay is notorious for light airs in summer and the sea breeze is nowhere near as reliable as a Solent sailor would expect, which would affect your choice of largest headsail. There also seems to be a marked difference in the upper wind range for racing in HYC & DBSC races which would affect your choice of smallest racing headsail (obviously for cruising you'd still want a storm jib).

 

[flaming]

There also seems to be a marked difference in the upper wind range for racing in HYC & DBSC races which would affect your choice of smallest racing headsail (obviously for cruising you'd still want a storm jib).

And of course for cat 4 races (inshore) you are required to carry a storm jib, and a storm trisail if your main cannot be reefed by 60% (IIRC) of it's luff measurement.

I wonder how many of the RTI "once a year" racers comply with that.....

 

[Georgio]

Thanks for that. Really helpful. Am going to have to figure out a Solent Stay now!

Never been on a UFO but you/your rigger should be able to easily add a fixing at the top of the mast (about 6-9" below the main forestay) then you need a strong U-bolt on deck, that normally requires a bit more work as you really need to take the tension down to the hull of suitable bulkhead. Finally tensioning can be done using a highfield lever, block and tackle or Wichard tensioner. I went for the Highfield lever (bought from a fellow forumite). If I slacken the backstay, clip on the inner forestay, then re tighten the backstay there is plenty of tension on the inner forestay (without making the main forestay floppy).

Doing a search on here should bring up plenty of useful posts.

 

[Georgio]

And of course for cat 4 races (inshore) you are required to carry a storm jib, and a storm trisail if your main cannot be reefed by 60% (IIRC) of it's luff measurement.

I wonder how many of the RTI "once a year" racers comply with that.....

Not many I'm sure....

 

[dt4134]

And of course for cat 4 races (inshore) you are required to carry a storm jib, and a storm trisail if your main cannot be reefed by 60% (IIRC) of it's luff measurement.

I wonder how many of the RTI "once a year" racers comply with that.....

I don't disagree with anything you say. However, although I've done shortish coastal races on the E coast of Ireland that were cat 4 but I've never seen it mentioned in reference to round the cans racing in Dublin Bay.

The DBSC SI's from a couple of years ago, which would be applicible to a UFO31 racing in the Bay, say that you have to be able to race around the Burford marks in a F6 and cope with F8. Presumably cope means survive rather than race. I doubt the SI's have changed since.

The Burford marks aren't even on the course card any more as it would involve sending the fleet across a TSS, so the boats don't get more than two or three miles away from the entrance to Dun Laoghaire harbour.

They're not exactly onerous requirements and you could argue, some do, that it doesn't exactly encourage heavy-weather skills in Dublin Bay racers. Nethertheless, if that's the racing the OP is going to do, that will influence the choice of sails.

 

[Euphonyx]

A few quick thoughts.

There's no absolute need to get rid of the furler. You can put a twin groove foil on it and race with the furler but not use it to furl sails. It makes it easier to go cruising the 20% of the time.

You do get a IRC allowance for using a furler (reputedly) but whether it fully compensates for the disadvantages is another matter.

The disadvantage of a furler is it prevents you using a deck-swepping genny. such a sail is far more efficient as the deck forms an end plate. A below deck furler solves the conflict, but might well be impractical to fit.

You might want to re-consider whether it is worth keeping the 150% genny for racing. You'll be rated on it if you do, so if you don't need it keep it ashore and use it for cruising only. If you need a 150% genny you should look at making sure you have a good one.

I vaguely remember from your previous posts that you're Dublin based. If I remember that correctly, then it would be worthwhile discussing the local conditions with boats in the class you're racing against. Dublin Bay is notorious for light airs in summer and the sea breeze is nowhere near as reliable as a Solent sailor would expect, which would affect your choice of largest headsail. There also seems to be a marked difference in the upper wind range for racing in HYC & DBSC races which would affect your choice of smallest racing headsail (obviously for cruising you'd still want a storm jib).

Thanks for that. This does does echo my thinking and, as Flaming said, the advances in sail technology should allow me to reduce the overlap without compromising performance. The average wind speed in Dublin Bay is 15 to 20 knots during the racing season so the winds are fairly light and that has influenced my thinking. They are also quite changeable, so I'm not sold on an inner forestay/ solent stay idea. Regarding the diff between Howth YC and Dublin Bay Sc this seems to be a diff in philosophy. Howth leaving it to the skippers to take responsibility it heavier airs. The much larger number of boats sailing in DBSC (with a wide variety of experience) races means they necessarily have to be more conservative. The only bad experience I have had was while racing in a HYC series. We should have made the decision to stay in the bar!