Guess who is finally ditching the furler and going hank up?

chrisncate · #1 (**permalink**) 10-11-2010

We are

We found a "former" Alberger who very recently sold their Alberg 30 (Grace, #352), and they sold it with a newly installed furler and headsail... and we were the first to call the classified ad in the Alberg newsletter and get the whole lot of their hank up cruising sail inventory. It's like Christmas around here tonight:

1- Storm jib (new)
2- Working jib (new)
3- 130 Genoa (very good condition)
4- 150 Genoa (excellent, almost new)
5- 170 Genoa (excellent, almost new)
6- Spinnaker (very good condition)
7- Anchor sail
8- Spinnaker pole
9- Inflatable blackball to set when at daytime anchor (PO threw that last one in at the last minute)

We finally have trouble free hank ups, and can set the right sail for conditions. I know most swear by furlers, and I have heard the arguments about being on deck in the stink, but for us, hank ups are 100% the way to go. It's what we wanted all along. Oh, and the second best thing (other than the price @$1350.00 for everything)? The numbers almost match, all we have to do is peel off the "2" on all the sails and presto! Hull #35..

Man I cannot wait to set the spinnaker...

And the previous owners? A very cool couple who told us many great cruising stories over the course of a couple of hours at their home tonight. A really great pair of folks who we look forward to keeping in touch with.

I still can't believe we scored all this stuff... glad I spent very little at the boat show

erps · #2 (**permalink**) 10-11-2010

Congratulations. Nice looking boat you scored too. Where geographically will you be exposing those nice sails to wind and UV light?

sailjunkie · #3 (**permalink**) 10-11-2010

First, congrats on the boat and the sails.

That said, while I'm not questioning your right to ditch the furler, you never really did say why.

chrisncate · #4 (**permalink**) 10-11-2010

Quote:

Congratulations. Nice looking boat you scored too. Where geographically will you be exposing those nice sails to wind and UV light?

Thank you! The Chesapeake bay (and hopefully the ICW, FL and the Caribbean in a year or two).

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailjunkie

First, congrats on the boat and the sails.

That said, while I'm not questioning your right to ditch the furler, you never really did say why.

Thank you! I am famous for having furler problems. I know this is due to not having the last two furlers I have owned rigged just right to work (like they all need to be), but that is not really the only reason. My other (real) reason is my love of proper sail shape/proper sail for given conditions. An antiquated notion, I know, but I have to be me.

To me, furlers and sail compromise just suck. This is only my opinion though, I totally get all the reasons to have one. Keep in mind I am also fascinated by celestial navigation and having no engine, so..

St Anna · #5 (**permalink**) 10-12-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisncate

My other (real) reason is my love of proper sail shape/proper sail for given conditions. An antiquated notion, I know, but I have to be me.

To me, furlers and sail compromise just suck. This is only my opinion though, I totally get all the reasons to have one. Keep in mind I am also fascinated by celestial navigation and having no engine, so..

I can really appreciate where your'e coming from.

I thought I was the only nutter out there (although I still have the 150% on the furler), I bring the inner forestay to just behind the forestay and this makes me a 3/4 rig. Sometimes use in a channel or on a quiet sail.

Celestial as well.

great stuff CnC

chrisncate · #6 (**permalink**) 10-12-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by St Anna

I can really appreciate where your'e coming from.

I thought I was the only nutter out there (although I still have the 150% on the furler), I bring the inner forestay to just behind the forestay and this makes me a 3/4 rig. Sometimes use in a channel or on a quiet sail.

Celestial as well.

great stuff CnC

Nice! I look forward to playing around with sail configurations myself..

SoulVoyage · #7 (**permalink**) 10-12-2010

I LOVE my hank-on foresails!!! I simply wouldn't go with roller-furling unless they already came with the boat. Here's why:

1) I use a twin-forestay set-up. Not a cutter, these twin forestays are only a few inches apart. I keep the 150 genny bent on the port forestay and I keep the working jib bent on the strbd forestay. I keep them tied to the life-lines when not in use, ready to go...I just go forward and undo the ties. Whenever I want to change sail, I just raise one and lower the other, as both sails are already hanked-on their separate jib. It's easy. Most of the time, I use the same halyard, so I DO have to go forward to unclip and re-clip the halyard. However, in offshore conditions, I CAN use my secondary halyard for the other sail and if I attach a downhaul on each sail, I'd basically only need to go midships to the mast for sail changes. This doesn't change the fact that I still must go forward to tie whichever downed sail back to it's respective lifelines (the one big advantage of roller-furling)...but I have good footing at sea, and as long as I'm harnessed in and crouched or sitting on foredeck, I don't mind going out...it's actually one of the exciting things I love...and PREFER it over tidily winching in a roller-furl line from the comfort of the cockpit. Sailings NOT about comfort for me...it never has been.

2) I like to sail to and from whichever dock, often in tight quarters. Because my boat is a ketch rig, I use my foresail and mizzen in conjunction with each other (whereby I can spin my boat in her own circumference by simply raising and lowering the jib and mizzen as needed to spin...try doing THAT on a roller-furling sloop or cutter!). I also douse and re-raise my foresail to control my boat speed while docking under sail. If, after, I douse it, I find I need a little more speed, I'll quickly raise it again maybe half-way (I take the jib halyard aft with me into the cockpit when docking under sail). It's a lost art doing it this way, but it's an art I LOVE. If I had roller-furling I couldn't do half of this, and would be forced to turn the engine on in tight quarters like most other people.

No...I'll keep my hank-ons, thank you.

CharlieCobra · #8 (**permalink**) 10-12-2010

My first boat was hank on. Oh Joy has a furler and a hank on staysail. I hate the furler....

chrisncate · #9 (**permalink**) 10-12-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoulVoyage

I LOVE my hank-on foresails!!! I simply wouldn't go with roller-furling unless they already came with the boat. Here's why:

1) I use a twin-forestay set-up. Not a cutter, these twin forestays are only a few inches apart. I keep the 150 genny bent on the port forestay and I keep the working jib bent on the strbd forestay. I keep them tied to the life-lines when not in use, ready to go...I just go forward and undo the ties. Whenever I want to change sail, I just raise one and lower the other, as both sails are already hanked-on their separate jib. It's easy. Most of the time, I use the same halyard, so I DO have to go forward to unclip and re-clip the halyard. However, in offshore conditions, I CAN use my secondary halyard for the other sail and if I attach a downhaul on each sail, I'd basically only need to go midships to the mast for sail changes. This doesn't change the fact that I still must go forward to tie whichever downed sail back to it's respective lifelines (the one big advantage of roller-furling)...but I have good footing at sea, and as long as I'm harnessed in and crouched or sitting on foredeck, I don't mind going out...it's actually one of the exciting things I love...and PREFER it over tidily winching in a roller-furl line from the comfort of the cockpit. Sailings NOT about comfort for me...it never has been.

2) I like to sail to and from whichever dock, often in tight quarters. Because my boat is a ketch rig, I use my foresail and mizzen in conjunction with each other (whereby I can spin my boat in her own circumference by simply raising and lowering the jib and mizzen as needed to spin...try doing THAT on a roller-furling sloop or cutter!). I also douse and re-raise my foresail to control my boat speed while docking under sail. If, after, I douse it, I find I need a little more speed, I'll quickly raise it again maybe half-way (I take the jib halyard aft with me into the cockpit when docking under sail). It's a lost art doing it this way, but it's an art I LOVE. If I had roller-furling I couldn't do half of this, and would be forced to turn the engine on in tight quarters like most other people.

No...I'll keep my hank-ons, thank you.

Now that's what I am talking about! Got any pics of your twin stay set up? I would love to see it!

SEMIJim · #10 (**permalink**) 10-13-2010

Abracadabra has a Tuff Luff. The Admiral keeps suggesting we look at a furler. (Mainly, she's nervous about me being up on the foredeck--particular if conditions get... interesting.) I keep telling her "No way!"

Harken makes a system that can be used either as a furler or like our Tuff Luff. That, I wouldn't mind a bit

Jim