[vksf]

Hey all,

I'm wondering if anyone knows or has any personal experience with the series drogues made by oceanbrake in the UK? I haven't found much online about them, but it looks like they have been around for quite awhile.

I'm already quite convinced on the utility of the JSD, now I'm just trying to figure out where to get one. I was about to purchase the DIY kit from sailrite and make one myself, but found that Oceanbrake sells completed drogues for less than the purchase price of just the kit.

I'm worried about quality though, and want to make sure I'm not going to buy a substandard drogue and that I can count on whatever I end up with.

Any thoughts?

 

[RainDog]

The Sailrite kit (for 107 cone) is $300 for the cones and $800 for the whole kit. The only difference is a thimble and 258 feet of New England Ropes double-briad nylon. That works out to almost $2 a foot. Most of the cost of the kit is the rope. I suspect that is the difference in price. I wonder if the Oceanbrake is using a more affordable rope? They are also using a tapered rope, which saves some $$ without hurting quality.

 

[Yorksailor]

We are buying one from ACE sails. The cones are sewn together but not attached to the rope unless you choose that option. Dave Pelissier of ACE is very responsive and returned our e-mail at 3pm on a Sunday.

Jordan Series Drogue - About the Builder, Dave Pelissier of ACE Sailmakers

Ace Sailmakers

Phil

 

[Zanshin]

I found that the biggest cost of my 132-cone Jordan was the rope, unless one counts labour; in which case even at minimum wages it was more than the other elements combined.

Zanshin I Jordan Series Drogue

 

[JonEisberg]

I'm already quite convinced on the utility of the JSD, now I'm just trying to figure out where to get one. I was about to purchase the DIY kit from sailrite and make one myself, but found that Oceanbrake sells completed drogues for less than the purchase price of just the kit.

Those appear to be the same cones that some guy from the UK has been selling on eBay for a few years... He must have an arrangement with Oceanbrake, as he links to them in his listings... His prices are the best for completed cones of any I've ever found, and judging only from the pics, appear to be of good quality...

Series Drogue Cone Sea Anchor Survival Don Jordan Para | eBay

He claims that the top and bottom of each cone is reinforced with webbing, something not done by Sailrite, nor do I believe by Ace... (I actually have about 20 cones from Ace on my drogue, their quality is fine, I just seem to recall the edges of the ripstop were not hemmed or reinforced. I can check when I get home again.) I also like the color yellow they use, i think you want a high visibility color for your cones, the one's I bought from Ace years ago were white, although their site now shows them in a dark blue...

Sailrite's prices are very high, considering they are more than Oceanbrake's for just the materials to make your own cones... I can't imagine a more mind-numbing chore than sewing your own cones, putting together your own drogue with pre-made cones is tedious enough...

One option you might consider, though it's certainly not a money saver, is to use a spectra rope like Amsteel for your drogue... Not sure the type of boat you sail, but the finished bulk and weight of a series drogue can be pretty massive. Using spectra instead, you can greatly reduce the size and weight of the finished product, which I think is especially valuable with a piece of gear that may not be used for years at a time, if ever... On a boat as small as mine, having a drogue that can be stowed as compactly as mine pays a huge dividend, well worth the extra expense, for me...

If you do go with spectra, I'd suggest using small stainless washers to help prevent the knots fixing the cones to the rope from pulling through the 12-strand's looser weave...