robertgharrison

To answer my own question, I had slugs installed on the luff of my main, and got some plates from Hall Spars to close the feeder slot on the mast, so they don't fall out. Now raising the main is easy as pie, and when I lower it, it almost flakes itself. I am a very happy camper.

Will - Thanks for a very good idea, and for the reminder to ease the outhaul - I always forget.

Mark56, I'm interested in the set up on your main. Do you have a stop in the luff groove of the mast to keep the slides from coming out when you lower the sail? As I recall, the feeder slot is kind of high up. Did you have to get your sail cover modified? Do you have slides on the foot of the sail too? Is the new reef point below the standard reef point? How far above the boom? Thanks, Bob

Mark56, The Torqueedo is interesting. Can you talk a bit about the range of the Torqueedo? What are the conditions where you use it? What percent of power does it take to move the boat in calm conditions? How many minutes/miles can you go in calm conditions? Choppy conditions? How long does it take to charge? Can you leave it plugged in for a week or two? Any other helpful info?

Does anyone have tips on easy ways to furl the main when you're single-handing?

Against advice, I had an triradial asymmetric made last year. No sprit, and it uses the standard spinnaker halyard. The masthead halyard never occurred to me. We've used it a few times, so far in one race that had a long downwind leg. It was dyn-o-mite. For a crew of two old farts in PHRF, one with a little spinnaker experience and one with none, it's good. Gibing can be tricky with the small separation between tack and forestay, and you sometimes need a whisker pole. I agree that the class jib is best unless the wind gets really light; then I use a drifter. I also find that I can carry the a-sail well above a beam reach. Maybe I won't need the drifter?

My boat boat is a 1984. When I bought it in 2007, it was wired for running lights and a knot meter. It has a little panel, but no battery. I've never tried using it.

Tiller Clutch: All it does it hold the tiller in one position. It is very easy to use, and it will enable you hoist your sails and tack. If you go to the foredeck, your movement will probably cause the boat to go off course. I use it while raising the main under power. It will keep your head into the wind, unless there is a lot of wave action. It's not a lot of money, about $75. I would try it and see if you like it before going to an auto pilot. Jib furler: My understanding that a jib furler itself will not hurt performance. What hurts performance is sailing with a partially furled jib or genoa. I just installed a Schaefer CF500 jib furler. Installation was difficult, but I've been happy with it so far. I got a new jib made. It is basically the class jib, but with a longer luff and no battens. I've only been out in light air (2 - 6 mph) and the boat seems to point well. I haven't been out in a 10-knot breeze yet. I have an old drifter that I'll probably get modified for really light air PHRF race days.

How about a self-tacking jib?

The wind was light but the boat pointed well. I furled the jib a few moments before sailing into the slip with only the main. Very satisfying. Now I know why J-Boats are putting furlers on their new boats.

I got the furler installed last week and went out for my first sail with it and the new jib today. I am now a member of the leisure class: no sail bag, no hanking on, and so on and so forth. The Schaefer unit is beautifully made, and it is very smooth. This is my first jib furler, and I am in 63-year-old heaven. Note: (1) Got a good deal on the furler from www.judybsails.com ($487.00 plus shipping), (2) Snapping on the extrusions is not a "snap." It is a pain in the a$$. Have a professional do it and be sure to ask Schaefer to send you the "special" tool, (3) the rest of the installation is easy, (4) I got a new jib, which has the same overlap as the class jib (clew in same place), no battens, a slightly longer hoist, and it is more of a deck sweeper, (5) I installed the halyard restraining bracket. Now does anybody have any tested ideas to make the main as easy to manage? I'm still using the old luff rope.

I saw #502 in Baltimore in Classifieds. Looks like just the boat for you!

Jaywalker, let us know how you progress, OK?

The jib furler decision: My sailing background: A Sunfish, and then an Alberg Typhoon in the 1970's on Biscayne Bay; a J22 in the mid-1980's on Kerr Lake (sold because I had 4 children - you get the picture). I was always a hank-on guy. Now I'm 63 and retired, and I'm getting tired of dragging the sail bag out of the cabin, hanking it on, tying on the sheets and leading them to the cockpit, and then reversing the whole process when I come in. Plus the guy in the slip across from me has a new Catalina 355 with a jib furler, in-boom mainsail furling with a power winch to raise it. He's 10 years younger than me! I had concerns about sail shape, which I discussed with my sailmaker. I decided that I would not sail with a jib partially furled, since that seems to kill performance. I usually sail with the class jib, and occasionally, if club racing in light air, I use a drifter. Consequently, I wanted a furler that would allow fairly easy sail changes. The class jib will be left on the furler, so it has a UV strip; the drifter will be modified to fit, but will not have a UV strip, so I will not leave it on the furler. I decided on the Schaefer SnapFurl CF-500. It's not installed yet. It has a 2-part PVC extrusion that snaps around the forestay, and I've been having a hard time getting it to do that. Now, I'm having a rigger do it.

Mark56, I have a Honda 2 HP 4-cycle, and while it has many advantages (28 lbs., air-cooled), there are two big disadvantages. First, "neutral" consists of a centrifugal clutch, which disengages at low rpm's. When you start the motor, you immediately move forward - not a good thing in the slip - and it can precipitate an inconvenient stall. Second, "reverse" consists of rotating the engine 180 degrees - frequently an awkward move. What kind of conditions do you typically sail/motor in?