TCYC TiddlyWinks Newsletter


Can furling headsails point?

Posted At : September 11, 2007 6:39 PM | Posted By : WINKS Editor
Related Categories: Seamanship

Check out the following gem I ran into, on the Shannon Yachts website:

While it is true that a close sheeting angle coupled with a violin tight headstay will allow a sailboat to point a few degrees higher in a racing situation, the advantage is mostly lost when a boat has a roller furling headsail installed. It is impossible to obtain the necessary luff tension on any roller furling gear to warrant the dangerous negatives of cluttering the side decks. [...] Inboard sheeting (with roller furling) has a great deal to do with "fashion" and very little to do with performance.

Walt Schulz from Shannon has never been short on strong opinions, but what do you think?

What the guys from Ocean think?

Comments (4) | Send | 334 Views
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Niko's Gravatar Personally, I have not had the oppportunity to compare the same boat before and after a furler was installed.

But I see no difficulty with tightening the back-stay adjuster to add forestay tension and point better.
# Posted By Niko | 11/09/07 6:51 PM
Ian Lloyd's Gravatar On the Schock 35 we have a twin foil roller fuller with a mast head rig.
We take the drum off for racing, we have a hydraulic backstay adjuster, and we have not been out pointed yet.

I think the issue would arise with a partially furled jib
# Posted By Ian Lloyd | 12/09/07 12:21 PM
Paul Hrabowsky's Gravatar pointing comes from the correct combination of many variables, sail shape, amount of rake, stay forestay tension, mast rake, maximum water flow and lift over your foils (keel,rudder)) are your are your main areas. so it really isn't as simple as forestay tension alone. I think the main draw back to having a furler in place is weight aloft. We put a Harken unit 2 on JJ Flash a J-39 and haven't had any trouble winning trophies. I race J-105's in San Fran and they all have furlers. A hydraulic backstay adjuster is a real treat when adjusting forestay tension. Having a furler on the bow is not ideal for racing but lots of boats do just fine converting their furler for racing.
# Posted By Paul Hrabowsky | 12/09/07 7:46 PM
Paul Hrabowsky's Gravatar oh, and I just noticed Ian's comment about a partially furled jib - when talking performance - a partially furled jib is unacceptable. you have to have the correct sized headsail up. partially roll it and you're cruising, not racing.
# Posted By Paul Hrabowsky | 12/09/07 7:49 PM
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