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Yet another roller furling question

969 views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  Faster 
#1 ·
Any idea why roller furling jib would have about a 30" leash thimbled to the head? It leaves about two feet of the extrusion on the roller furler visible at the top of the headstay. The foot seems to be appropriately secured relative to the drum, etc. It's just like the PO for some reason installed a smaller than intended sail . . . shorter luff than normal.
 
#2 ·
The pennant attached to the head of the jib is to avoid the dreaded 'halyard wrap'. Without it, the halyard swivel would be at the top of the jib, leaving a long stretch of halyard parallel and close to the foil. When you furl the sail there are long odds that rather than swivel, the halyard will wrap around the foil, making it impossible to fully furl the sail.

With the pennant attached the swivel goes to the top of the foil, and the halyard has a shorter, better angled approach, limiting halyard wrap.

Thank the PO for adding it!! It's a good thing.

btw you could swap it to the tack of the sail, allowing the sail to ride higher and improve visibility if you wanted.
 
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#3 ·
Aha. gotcha. So I am thankful for the pennant on this sail. But in terms of designing/ordering new sails (eventually), wouldn't it be better to have a sail whose luff length is closer to the actual length of the headstay (extrusion) so that the halyard swivel is at the top of the furler and the sail extends as far down as required? Given that you can reef by furling don't you want as much sail area as possible?
 
#4 ·
Absolutely.. the sail should 'fit' the boat/furler properly and the boat will be better for it.

I think the 'reefability' of a roller jib/genoa is really only a good, practical thing if you're off the wind. For beating I think you're much better off with a properly set, properly sized lapper or working jib than a partially rolled '150', for example. If I know we're in for some snotty weather we'll change headsails before heading out.
 
#5 ·
When you order new sails the sail maker should come out and measure the boat. This will allow them to make a sail that fits perfectly. I had a new genoa made recently and I love seeing how perfectly it fits the boat. The height of the foot off of the deck is perfect to keep it low enough for good performance and high enough to not get tangled up in the lifelines.

That said, a smaller jib (like a working jib on a boat designed for larger overlapping headsails) may be purposefully cut with a shorter luff.

It sounds like your sail was probably found on the used market and made to fit. There is nothing wrong with doing this to save some money, but a custom cut sail will fit better. It's like the difference between buying off the shelf pants vs having a tailored suit.
 
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