Gerr downhaul

[fredn56]

I would like to get some feedback from the collective wisdom of the group regarding the Gerr downhaul. Most of what I have hear so far on a smaller sailing forum has been mixed, from "it works great" to "it doesn't work with a new sail" to it is way too complicated; just rig a downhaul."
My boat is an Ericson 23 Mark II, with a new 130 genoa, hank-on.
Some specific questions:
If I rig a simple downhaul attached to the head of the genoa, should the downhaul be woven through the hanks or simply attached?
What is the best way to attach the downhaul? Bowline to the hank? Shackle?
Should the downhaul be connected at the head or the next hank down from the head?
What is the value of the Gerr downhaul passing through the clew to "furl" the sail to the headstay? Does this work with new sails?

Thanks for whatever ideas and experience you have to share.

Fred Nelson
Ericson 23 Mark II
Ad Astra

[RichH]

Such a downhaul system is GREAT for those with hanked-on sails ... and the downhaul line doesnt need to be attached 'all the way' to the 'top'.
Just a loop around a piston hank will do a good job. 'Inter-leaving' the jackline between each successive hank will insure proper 'folding' of the luff when the jackline is pulled; but, the jackline always 'behind' the forestay.

Putting the jackline through the clew, etc. is complicated and creates a LOT of friction - dont recommend it.

When you NEED to *quickly* douse, just trip the halyard and pull the jack line ... and the sail will STAY DOWN.

[sailingdog]

I'd second what RichH has said and point out that if you attach the downhaul to the head of the sail, you can often cause it to bind and make hauling the sail down harder.

[FSMike]

As RichH said, the Gerr downhaul does create more friction. As such it requires a little fiddling to make work smoothly. I've even seen some applications with small blocks used at the turning points near the middle of the luff. The size of the sail can make a difference. Back when I was using a downhaul I never dreamed of new sails, but I would imagine the extra stiffness might affect smooth operation.
The advantage is that it compacts the sail into one ball, rather than just collapsing the luff, leaving the leech and foot free on deck so you can step on the sail and slip. That can be partly controlled by tightening the appropriate sheet.
That situation may not bother sailors on most boats. I used the Gerr downhaul on a gaffer I had with the jib at the end of a 6' bowsprit. Being able to compact the sail was valuable, especially when trying to set an anchor from a roller which itself was 2' or so out on the bowsprit.