CRUISING
Cruising Home
4800 Series
Premium NorDac
NorLam/Spectra
Furling Genoas
Gennakers
Gennaker Q&A
Marathon 3DL
Racing Products
Submitted
on September 19, 2006 by Eric Graebert
Question: I have
an Island Packet 35 (The original) hull number 114. I am looking for a
solution to reef my main in heavy air. I am in my late 50’s and
when I must go forward to reef on the great lakes, the short choppy seas
scare the bejaebers out of me. I don’t like roller furling masts
because
1. You lose the leach: poor balance and less sail area
for light air
2. When (not if) it jams it will be at the worst possible moment and you
can’t just cut the halyard and get it down.
I am considering the Shaefer Marine furling boom (or other furling boom that does not require a hole through my mast) because
1. Possibility of even bigger roach with Full battens
and rigid vang
2. When (not if) it jams I could still lower the sail.
My Questions are:
1. Have you ever sewn reef points into a boom furling main to facilitate reefing in the event that the mechanism jams?
No we have not, but not
a bad idea as long as the boom has the strength, hardware and accompanying
lines to support it
2. Do you have any feedback from people about the Shaefer system?
Not really, I should
look into this as I know we’ve done some. We have however done many
Leisure Furls with good success.
3. How much does a new main cost from North for this application?
For an 8.4 oz Dacron®
RF Mainsail with in-boom furling construction approximately $2800
4. Have you heard anything negative about the special mast track
that is required for this system?
I few comments from several
riggers about the track offset behind the mast but nothing experienced
first hand.
5. We are planning an atlantic crossing (to the Azores) in two
years (I have never sailed more than one night or off shore before), What
are your thoughts on a storm trysail for this vessel?
A Storm Trysail is cheap insurance when you need it most. Yes I’d have one of these and a Storm Jib.
Can I depend upon the roller furling alone to reduce area sufficiently?
For what you have in mind, not really. Any good blue water offshore inventory should include the following headsails. Dacron® would still be the material of choice in my mind.
-AP #1 Genoa 135-150%, roller reefable to 120-135% respectively, medium cloth weight. For IP35, 6.oz
-Heavy Air Jib 95-85% heavy cloth weight. For IP 35, 8.5 oz
-Storm Jib Area = 5% x (I²) for IP 35, 9 oz.
Thanks for your time and expertise helping out a “newbie”
Eric Graebert
Not a problem. Let us know how we can help you further your plans.
Good luck,
John Gladstone
john.gladstone@northsails.com
Email North Sails with your question today!
Go BACK to Solutions for Sailors Main Page.
