Need a New WindEngine (Sails)

[ocean dove]

Ocean Dove needs a New Wind Engine

After re-engine Ocean Dove last year I am looking in the near future to replace her worn out sails.
Ocean Dove is a "Twin Head Sail Ketch",Whitby 42 Hull #328 built in 1986 with optional Bowsprit removable inner fore stay for Jib staysail
At present she has:
130% Genoa that was recut from the original 150% genoa on a Harken MkIII furling system.
Jib staysail is original with no furling system but one with be installed.
Main Sail is on a Facnor, Roller furling (on/in the mast) system,
Mizzen is original with a loose foot.
The spinnaker and mizzen staysail are original and in very good condition.

I have had issues with the Facnor main furling system. The Facnor system has an Aluminum extrusion bolted to the aft side of mast that the sail rolls into.
This fall on the way to the winter berth the main sail jam half way out as I was unfurling it. I did get the main sail to furl back into the mast and that is where it is staying for the winter. Next spring after launch I will go up the mast on a windless day and try to unfurl the main sail.

I have a wish list for sails:
New 135% Genoa foam luff, 8 oz Dacron.
New furling Jib staysail foam Luff 8 oz Dacron
New cross cut loose foot main sail. 2 reefs, 2 full +2 short batons, Tides Track system and a stack pack lazy jack system.
New mizzen sail 1 reefs, 2 full +2 short batons, Tides Track system and a stack pack lazy jack system.

Before I start pouring money into sails I would like some opinions from others, on what works for them, what didn't, what they would in my position.
So to all give me our advice I am all ears.

Regards
Derek and Darlene
Ocean Dove

[roverhi]

Mack sails supplied me with a 135% Genoa with foam luff, Main with 3 reefs, an asymetric spinnaker and new boom with internal reefing for way way less than I could get a quote in SF, in fact for 1/2 what the 'Fruit' sailmaker wanted. They were very good about correcting the two issues that I had. Even shipping me a new boom gratis as Zspar cut the first one a few inches too short. Couldn't be happier with their quality and service after a couple of thousands of miles sailing the Bay and to Hawaii.

[unbusted67]

IMO the staysail on a furler is kind of over-kill. Don't underestimate the amount of windage you can create with a rolled up staysail, not to mention the added windage and clutter of the running rigging from this rig. What is wrong with sticking with the current set up with a removable forestay and a hanked on staysail? There are a million and one arguments for and against furling main-sails on this forum. I, for one, have had no luck with them. People say good things about the stack pack, I am a big fan of jiffy/slab reefing. Those are my two cents, feel free to take them or leave them. In the end, what is right for you is right for you.

[Jim Cate]

G'Day,

Seeing that you will have the stays'l readily available for when the wind gets up, you might consider a bit lighter cloth for the genoa. 8 Oz is heavy enough to impair light air performance, and the Whidby needs all the help it can get in the light stuff.

And FWIW, we did exactly what you propose: replaced an easily removed stays'l stay with a roller. Ours is a Solent rig, which has a very narrow slot between the stays'l and the genoa, meaning that we must roll up the gennie in order to tack it. I hate that! But, having instant access to the stays'l means that we use it a lot more, and that we can resist using the gennie reefed a few rolls when the wind gets up. The stays'l drives the boat better, and we don't bugger up the genoa with the somewhat unnatural stresses caused by roller reefing in strong winds. The advice about increasing the windage forward is true, too. The boat sails around the anchor more than before, and the bow blows down easier in slow maneuvering. Would I do it again? I dunno... hard choice!

Good luck with your decisions.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Church Point, NSW, Oz

[unbusted67]

I too had a small slot between the forestay and the staysail stay and found it cumbersome to furl when tacking. Why not leave a hanked on jib on a disconnected staysail stay? Then you can walk the whole bundle up and raise it that way. I dunno maybe I'm wrong. Do people find they use their staysail less when they have a solent rig?

[Jim Cate]

[QUOTE=. Do people find they use their staysail less when they have a solent rig?[/QUOTE]

Nope -- au contraire, in fact. We use our staysail (really more like a #4 jib) way more than when it was a hank on. On the other hand, when it was just a wire to disconnect (we have a Highfield lever for that), we got it out of the way a lot more than we do now with the furled sail to deal with.

Ain't no free lunches on a boat!

Cheers,

Jim