Boomed Staysail

[tdw]

Rockter, Nice pic. Easy to understand why you love the region. Thanks for your advice and i do like your way with words.

hphoen, thanks. I get your drift. Practice, technique and all that. We'll give it a shot and see how it goes.

Cheers

[TrueBlue]

As a single-handed sailor looking at daysailer options, I've grown fond of the convenience of the self-tacking jib-boom on the Alerion 28. No doubt it's similarly convenient when applied to a staysail application.

[Ilenart]

TDW, I have a boom on my staysail and the system works really well. Going upwind in 25-35kts tacking merely consists of turning the helm, the staysail requires no input. Suggest you test it out in +30kt winds before you change anything.

[CharlieCobra]

Anything that keeps me off the foredeck in a blow and reduces the already ridiculous amount of lines on my boat is welcome. I do like the fact that my stay is removable, especially when using the 135.

[tdw]

To be absolutely clear I'm only wondering about the necessity of having the boom. It's Elan , isn't it, or maybe Hanse who have self tacking jibs on all their boats and without a boom ? I'll certainly not be making any changes until I've got a lot of experience with the new boat, including offshore but I wouldn't mind being able to clear up that foredeck a bit.

Making the inner forestay removeable is not big thing. We already have that capability on Raven. It's quite feasible to temporarily remove the forestay but leave the boom as is. Probably be a honey pot for loose lines.

Thanks for all your input.

[sailingdog]

TDW-

The sonars I used to sail when I was younger had a self-tacking jib that was boomless. The jib had a small traveler setup for it and the single jib sheet lead from the traveler car to the cockpit.

[btrayfors]

TDW,

What hasn't been mentioned is that a cutter can be tacked upwind with a short crew and without benefit of any sort of self-tending staysail.

To do this, merely sheet the staysail midships, using both sheets. This effectively takes it out of the equation and allows you to operate the vessel as a sloop.

You only need worry about the self-tending qualities when short-tacking anyway. When on longer tacks, sheet the staysail normally, just as you would any headsail.

I agree that the boom is both an eyesore and a dangerous piece of equipment you don't really need on the foredeck.

Bill

[jimmalkin]

TDW - lived in Manly for 12 years (2,000 shops and nothing to buy...) Your P42 is probably rigged like our P50. Removable inner stay for the staysail and a roller furling genoa. Our staysail has tracks on port and stb foredeck for sheets which lead back to winches -we tack it like a jib, but as posted above it can be sheeted in fairly flat with both sheets fastened; worst case is it's a bit backwinded as you come through the tack prior to releasing the now windward sheet. We have recut our 130 Genoa to have a raised foot and higher clew - not a yankee but not a deck sweeping genoa either.

Unless we are in weather requiring the staysail the stay is released and secured to a padeye at the lowers. However, when not underway, it is fastened forward as the PO left it in the holder sleeve - where it rubbed and wore itself smooth from working up and down.

Looked at a boom for self tending but - as you and others have noted - it is more of an obstacle than an aid. Also - I tried to lay out the geometry for a self tending, non boomed track and couldn't get it to give me a good sail shape with the angles.

Hope this is of some value - cheers.

[marlers]

We have a traditional cutter rig on our ct34, we removed the boom from our staysail both to clear the foredeck and with a selftacking staysail when turning thru the wind when heaving to a self tending staysail will not back as is necessary to balance the boat
just my opinion
Steve

[chris_gee]

I thought self tacking meant no adjustment of the sheets was required. For that to be so you with a boom you either need a track or presumably a central point, with a single sheet. In your case since you have a track the function of the boom is basically so you can adjust the foot tension.

Otherwise you are dependent as with a normal jib on the angle of the lead in so far as it divides the tension between leech and foot.

I don't know the boat but if it is designed as a cutter it should go better with both headsails. If it is a sloop with in effect a removable innerstay then that provides a better setting alternative for reduced sail than a partially furled genoa, as does the staysail on a cutter. I suspect in your case it is the former from what you describe.

You can remove the boom but then you are dependent on the angle of the lead through the fairlead on the traveller which can be a limited length to the tack perhaps a few inches thus fixing the angle and thus sail shape. It might be clearer to see as akin to a fixed jib fairlead rather than one on a track. Further as you come off the wind it seems to me, because the fairlead is further forward and inboard you have less control over the sail shape. You could overcome this if you wished by having barberhauls but I would imagine that is far down the track on a cruising boat.