Just Toying with this Idea Right Now

[Rakuflames]

I am considering the *possibility* of putting up a staysail in front of my headsail.

The thing I'm wondering about, though, is that my boat doesn't have a bowsprit. My forestay goes down to the end of the bow.

Is it even possibly to put up a staysail without a bowsprit? Is it practical, useful?

[Sailmonkey]

Go the other direction and put in a Solent stay. You can revive it from deck when not in use and put a smaller hanked on sail on it ready to deploy when you think you might need it.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Go the other direction and put in a Solent stay. You can revive it from deck when not in use and put a smaller hanked on sail on it ready to deploy when you think you might need it.

I meant remove. Stupid spell check

[Greggegner]

I need some clarification, why not inside the head sail.....I want to put a roller code zero on my Pearson 385 but will need to add a little bow sprite. Dock length limitations are holding me back now.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I am considering the *possibility* of putting up a staysail in front of my headsail.

The thing I'm wondering about, though, is that my boat doesn't have a bowsprit. My forestay goes down to the end of the bow.

Is it even possibly to put up a staysail without a bowsprit? Is it practical, useful?

we have in the past loose footed a drifter from a spinnaker pole clipped onto the inner forestay,with 2 down hauls,the pole attached to the foot of the sail,and sheet to the clew!,flown in front of the gib

interesting rig but can get quite a lot of loading on the inner forestay....works best in lighter winds!

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Go the other direction and put in a Solent stay. You can revive it from deck when not in use and put a smaller hanked on sail on it ready to deploy when you think you might need it.

Seems like this might help solve the issue of heaving to with just a roller furling genny on a fin keel cruiser?

[ctl411]

Originally Posted by Greggegner

I need some clarification, why not inside the head sail.....I want to put a roller code zero on my Pearson 385 but will need to add a little bow sprite. Dock length limitations are holding me back now.

Use a removable sprite. I used a whisker pole a few times on a 30 footer I had to fly a asymmetric spinnaker. On light air days I strapped it down to the toe rail could get it out to windward a little also. Fun watching the pole flex, had to sail deeper if the wind came up. I was surprised how much even a couple feet helped. Have been meaning to make a short sprite for my 37c but haven't got that far down on the never ending list.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

Seems like this might help solve the issue of heaving to with just a roller furling genny on a fin keel cruiser?

That's one added benefit......not my benefit for sure, but one I hadn't thought of. For me it allows the furling of either of the genoas and hoisting a proper heavy air sail and sheeting it to a useful location rather than outboard of the shrouds and coming no higher to the wind than 85°

[ctl411]

Rakuflames are you wanting to fly a light air sail? If so drifters can be flown without a stay. They have a luff tape sewn in or their own cable. Just hoist on a spinnaker halyard.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

I meant remove. Stupid spell check

LOL I read it as you intended! This is the kind of thing I have in mind, and appreciate your idea.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by atoll

we have in the past loose footed a drifter from a spinnaker pole clipped onto the inner forestay,with 2 down hauls,the pole attached to the foot of the sail,and sheet to the clew!,flown in front of the gib

interesting rig but can get quite a lot of loading on the inner forestay....works best in lighter winds!

Interesting, but ... don't have a drifter; don't have a spinnaker pole; looking for an alternative to my headsail in higher winds. Boats need options for lighter winds, but my boat is so bow tender that lighter winds aren't really an issue (I tried last week to make her go in absolutely NO wind, but my crew wasn't willing to blow into the headsail repeatedly ...)

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I am considering the *possibility* of putting up a staysail in front of my headsail. ----

Is it even possibly to put up a staysail without a bowsprit? Is it practical, useful?

I was always under the impression that the headsail was, by definition, always "ahead" of the staysail. The staysail was flown from a stay aft of the headsail.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

Seems like this might help solve the issue of heaving to with just a roller furling genny on a fin keel cruiser?

Exactly. Plus, my roller furler (Hood 810) won't reef, even though the previous owner went to the trouble of buying a Jenny with a heavy foam luff. Supposedly, the sail would reef without distorting appreciably; however, even with all three lines very well secured, the sail will still deploy itself fully. even in relatively light winds.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by ctl411

Rakuflames are you wanting to fly a light air sail? If so drifters can be flown without a stay. They have a luff tape sewn in or their own cable. Just hoist on a spinnaker halyard.

No, my boat already sails pretty well in light air. No complaints there. I'm looking for an easier, safer way to get smaller headsail up if the weather turns bad (rather than swapping out a roller furler sail). If I understand it right, a smaller sail cut with a high foot and less surface area, closer to the main, might meet that need. But I'm not in a position to lay out a couple of thousands of dollars to accomplish this, esp. remembering that this isn't really a blue water boat except in expert hands.

The mainsail has a very good double point reefing system. I need options for the headsail.

[Sailmonkey]

My friends boat, 2 slips away from me, is an identical hunter to yours including the roller furler.

I think you could set up a solent stay from roughly a foot beneath the forestay on the mast to the deck just aft of the chain locker and use the chain locker bulkhead as your anchor point. Then measure the new foretriangle area and pick up a used sail with hanks to fly from it.
The most expensive part of the whole mess is the method to tension the wire.