Do I really want a roller furling jib?

It will take an extra 2 minutes to rig. Comes in handy when caught in a squall. Keeps the jib from flapping when on the beach. If your jib has batons, you might want to have them repositioned.

The lumps are caused by the short batons.
That's the lumps on the jib.

edited by: skarr1, Aug 08, 2010 - 10:53 AM

Sounds like you dont need it and they are pretty expensive. Talk to Teddy Turbo Cat he put a fuller on his old 5.2 and he sailed in very semiliar situtation. I remember him saying something about the 5.2 being picky about mast rake and after he changed to roller fuller jib he had trouble getting the boat setup like it was before he added roller fuller. Also on the beach you can just wrap the jib around the forstay if its going to sit for any lengtgh of time.

i can't justify one for me, a lot of money for something that doesn't improve speed(like new sails). i use my jib in really heavy winds and de-power the main, lets me point and keeps the boat stable(basicly a storm jib). being a trailor sailor yourself it will only slow you down on setup and breakdown. spend the cash on a new main, now that would speed you up! my original 33yr old sails are in amazingly good shape, thanks to staying clean, dry and rolled up proper. these days, any capital investment on the boat better speed me up!

coastrat wrote: these days, any capital investment on the boat better speed me up!

Well said!

I think I will invest the money in a flathead main and race coastrat.

i accept you challenge golfdad75, you get a new main sail and i'll get a larger ice chest and we will settle this on the high seas!

Only if you sail solo more than 90%, I picked up my Harken furler and swivel for $110, jib for $75, does not slow down setup as the wire in the jib luff is my forestay, I attach jib with pigtail and swivel to mast tang along with shrouds and step mast. Has been a lifesaver for me, jib is furled for launching, before beaching and when beached, furl jib in emergency for those squalls that suddenly gust 30 mph plus, jib sail does not hang up when tacking. All in all, best $200 spent on this H16. In fact, I'm not too sure I can remember how to use the original H16 forestay with jib that clips to forestay.

I think if I wanted more speed, I would use the original jib but do away with the seperate forestay wire and convert the original jib into a furling jib by adding the swivel and furler and removing the battons. As long as the jib sail is secured to the wire running up the sleeve in the luff at the top and bottom thimbles, there should be no problem. 😀

Great investment. Saves me rigging time. Makes launching and landing easier. I can depower in gusty conditions. Gets jib out of way if we capsize. Pc of mind when boat is siting on beach in swirly winds (no unmanned launches). In other words, I have a jib when I need it and when I don't its gone.

if you dont have battons in the jib, there is no reason not to get a furler. Is is also great if you anchor as the jib causes the boat to swim up on the anchor and can run away from you. for under $200 this is a great upgrade. If you are going to do it your self, make sure you shorten the forestay to make up for the furler and dont forget the swivel up top

PDS624 wrote: make sure you shorten the forestay to make up for the furler

This could effect your mast rake so be careful. I still think you do not need one.

You can still adjust mast rake with a furler, no different than without.

i solo my 5.2 90% of the time

when it gets hairy

i want to depower 20m2 of solo sail

if you don't solo

it's hard to see the need

however

if a setup falls into your lap...

edited by: erice, Aug 10, 2010 - 12:49 AM

I don't have one and want one. I think it's worth it just to not have to manually furl it on the beach.

It comes in really handy as you depower and approach the beach. I dislike the jib flailing around when beaching.

I personally like the Jib furler.
It's come in handy on boats like the getaway.

It' one of the best "convenience items" that I added to my boat. My hooter is also roller furling. Wrapping the jib around the fore stay by hand in any wind is a real pain. Getting caught in a squall you can reduce sail instantly. Perhaps the jib might last longer since it will not be flapping as much.

I put one on my Nacra 5.2. Wouldn't do without it now, for all the convenience reasons mentioned above. Not being able to trim is BS as far as I'm concerned. Yes the 5.2 is unbelievably sensitive to mast trim so you will need to make sure the forestay length is adjusted so mast rake is unaffected. If you're like me and don't have cash on hand for everything you would like to upgrade, you'll need to decide if you need a new main or a furler. In my case being able to lose the jib and get it back at will is what made me choose the furler over a new main. I sail solo most of the time though. In your case maybe the balance could swing towards go-fast features. It's your call!

furler is nice definitely...many perks to it. i keep reading something on this thread ane want to comment. if you are caught in a squall(35+knts wind) and can't make land, your best survival strategy is to point up as far as possible, totally de-power the main(travelor and main sheet all the way out), and use your jib to sail with. if the main catches any wind the first thing that happens is the boat takes off like a rocket then one of three things happen next. 1-you instantly flip 2-your mainsail ripps 3-rigging fails. your jib is not big enough to flip the boat easily. use it as the storm jib and sail into the waves and wind unti the wind subsides. it takes massive pressure off of the boat. andrew posted some stats on wind increase vs pressure on rigging and its amazing. the main sail is way to much sail in a storm. if you don't believe me then try it next time you get caught in one. the end of this years slip to ship reggata ended with a squall at the finish line, i was the only one to cross the finish after the storm hit, the rest flipped, ripped, and were blown way down the beach. this is standard operating procedure on mono hulls, most monos over 20' or so have a storm jib and if they don't they sure want one.

Skarr has it nailed, trying to grab & wrap the jib in any significant wind can get ugly.
MUMMP is correct in saying there is no change to rake adjustment. Someone posted a photo of the drum being on top of the adjuster, that is the wrong way to do it. As long as you mount the adjuster on top of the drum, you can adjust rake exactly the same as you always did, make your forestay 5" shorter than original,(to account for the length of the drum & swivel), and you have the same adjustment range.
If I always sailed with knowledgeable crew, & always off a beach with no space issues, the furler is probably not as important. However, it you buy a used one, & decide it wasn't worth it, you simply resell it here on Beachcats for the same amount you bought it for.
I do about 50% solo, on a 2 man boat (N5.7)& the time/convenience factor is worth way more than the cost. I paid $120 for a used Harken,(Appx 250 new if you buy the 2 pieces as a kit)& changed the bearings to Torlon for another $25.
If you go out 2-3 times a day it really adds up. They are not a neccessity, but much like the remote control on your TV, they soon become a must have. Keep your old forestay, & if you buy a new boat, remove the furler & transplant it on the new one.

Agree...My drum mounts on the foil directly below the adjuster. The forestay is shorter to accomodate the swivel and drum hardware. There is no difference in rake of the mast. PS: I wanted this after destroying a jib in a 35MPH gust 2years ago. Used it two weekends ago during a race before bailing out and hitting beach. We were underweight for conditions. It also came in handy when we went over this year un gusty conditions.

Look at it this way, your jib sail, along with furler and swivel and pigtail, now becomes your forestay, but with the bonus feature of being able to roll the jib sail up, around the forestay wire, just by hauling on the furling line. This feature alone has made me "look" more professional when returning to launch site, jib is furled already, just before concrete ramp, head into wind releasing mainsail & traveller, hop off cat, drop main, park cat, go get trailer, load cat on trailer.

Impressive stuff huh? 😎

coastrat wrote: if you are caught in a squall(35+knts wind) and can't make land, your best survival strategy is to point up as far as possible, totally de-power the main(travelor and main sheet all the way out), and use your jib to sail with. if the main catches any wind the first thing that happens is the boat takes off like a rocket then one of three things happen next. 1-you instantly flip 2-your mainsail ripps 3-rigging fails. your jib is not big enough to flip the boat easily. use it as the storm jib and sail into the waves and wind unti the wind subsides. it takes massive pressure off of the boat. andrew posted some stats on wind increase vs pressure on rigging and its amazing. the main sail is way to much sail in a storm. if you don't believe me then try it next time you get caught in one. the end of this years slip to ship reggata ended with a squall at the finish line, i was the only one to cross the finish after the storm hit, the rest flipped, ripped, and were blown way down the beach. this is standard operating procedure on mono hulls, most monos over 20' or so have a storm jib and if they don't they sure want one.

That is utterly absurd!

If i got caught in a squall, i'd take down the main..

If i got caught in a squall, i'd take down the main..

I hate to disagree (actually i love to) but unless you know ahead of time, and take down your main (and then you wouldn't have been caught) when you are hit with a wall of wind and rain... you are not going to have the time or ability take down 25'+ of mainsail and be able to manage it into a nice rolled up bundle to lash to your cat... you are going to do everything you can to keep your boat afloat, and taking down a main isn't going to help at that time...

If you try your main will probably smack the living daylights out of you, possibly tear and most likely end up in the drink.... (or fly away to oz if it gets airborne)

Andrew that is the most intelligent post I have read on this forum.

Other than of course the one about your wife and the trapeze harness.

your best survival strategy is to point up as far as possible, totally de-power the main(travelor and main sheet all the way out), and use your jib to sail with

If i let my traveler and main out in heavy air.. it would beat the crud out of me, my sail and my boat. it (main/boom) would swing violently until it shredded my main, and then the falling boom would surely hit me in the head (even if i had fallen overboard and drowned, somehow it would still hit my head 🙂 ).

I watch the weather, know the predictions, try to stay close to shore when there is weather around. I am not a racer, so i don't have to go in the gulf when its questionable (and it's usually questionable for a majority of the local fall/winter/spring races around here). I have seen the racers get really caught in it... For the hangover reggatta this year, i got on my friends Dart20 and didn't race in 45mph winds... but we did sail. WOW... most of the racers had to abandon their cats on islands in the gulf and collect them the next day (several broke and lost parts)

When hit with a squall line, i would first furl the jib and travel out about 6" on the main. i would get to a beach or island as fast as possible. if the wind was 40-50mph, and un-sailable for my cat, i would lift the rudders, drop the anchor, pull out the rum, and pray.

The last storm i was hit baddly in was 2 years ago, in the summer. we had thunderstorms all around and was trying to make it to an island to seek shelter. as i approchaed the island (doing well over 20knots) both my rudders popped up and i looked at my crew and yelled "hold on, we are gonna hit the island hard" (and then i jumped off my boat... :p

lucky for me it was a super hightide and there was lots of sea-grass on the shore of the island. my boat hit it at full speed and did a dukes of hazard into the island (with crew still onboard). the boat was fine, the only damage was i tore a few battens out of the Tornado jib i was using that day...and my crew needed new underware

What about tipping the cat, ride out the squall, right the cat & sail away? (assuming you have 5-10 miles clear seaway to drift)
Crazy? Bad idea?

What about tipping the cat, ride out the squall, right the cat & sail away? (assuming you have 5-10 miles clear seaway to drift)
Crazy? Bad idea?

probably fine, but i doubt it would be any more "fun" to be in the water during this storm. even better if you can turtle