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Submitted
on December 11, 2003 by David
Question: Hi, I own a Dufour 40 (2003) with a 9/10 fractional
rig. May I know if it is possible to fly a gennaker from a masthead? What
could be the best North Sails solution for gennaker for this type of boat
(fast cruiser)?
VR,
David
Answer:
Hi David,
A 9/10 rig with a masthead hoist location is a good setup for a gennaker.
The space between the headstay and the top of the mast makes it easier
for the hard cone of the snuffer to rotate around to the new side when
you need to gybe. Your setup is also ideal for a free flying roller furling
sail like North's G-0. In the case of a G-0 you would want to mount the
tack somewhere on the anchor roller, forward of your primary headstay.
Then, with the high masthead halyard position the entire luff of the free
flying sail will be free of interference with the primary headstay. The
sail will roll and unroll very easily because there is no friction resistance
to overcome.
North makes 3 styles of cruising gennakers; G-0 is ideal for shy reaching
at apparent wind angles up to 40 degrees in very light conditions and
as wide as 110-120 degrees in stronger winds.
G-2 and G-3 gennakers are designed for broader reaching and running angles.
The G-2 is the larger of the two models. It will provide the most performance
in lighter conditions but may prove to be more sail area than you need
in winds over 15 knots.
The G-3 is the most popular model for boats that only carry one gennaker.
All three models are optimized so that you can steer through a wide range
of
apparent wind angles without having to adjust the sheet tension. They
are
very forgiving sails. In many conditions you can cleat the sheet and put
the boat on autopilot steering.
Regards,
Dan Neri
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