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Need new jib

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JanS48
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USA
141 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/25/2014 : 00:06:18

Greetings all, upon inspection the C25 I just purchased needs a new jib. It's currently roller furled and the size is a 135 or 150 not really sure. Anyway I sail out of Newport RI and will be heading out to Block Island on occasion as well as up the New England coast. What type of jib should I be looking at? Are used ones around at a good price? What is the price range for a new one?

Happy new year everyone.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5239 Posts

Response Posted - 12/25/2014 : 01:16:33

JanS
Welcome to the forum and ownership of one of these great boats.
Many people like a 135 genoa for a headsail, as these boats are largely powered by the jib. But the big question is "what's wrong with your current jenny? Is it tattered? Full of holes? or do you just need a good cleaning and maintenance of the stitching? In my case a few years back, the jib itself was fine but the sacrifical strip on the furler was a shambles. For a few hundred, I sent it to Gene Sutter repair service in Stratford CT (he's associated with NeilsPryde sails) and he replaced the strip, fixed the stitching and cleaned the sails. Looks as good as new and works great.
If, however, you need a replacement, Catalina Direct offers a good medium price/ medium quality jib, North Sails Direct offers a similar product (when I checked it was about $700) and a host of offshore providers with sailmakers in SE Asia and elsewhere.

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 12/25/2014 : 12:42:57

It is less common to find used roller furling jibs for a good price. People tend to keep using them well beyond their useful life. Occasionally you get lucky and find a good one for a good deal.

It is easier to find good hank-on jibs for a good price, because people upgrade to roller furling and have to replace their headsails at the same time.

135% to 150% is a good size for a genoa for the Catalina 25, and practically necessary to get the boat moving well in light air. It is well complemented with a 100-110% jib for heavier winds. Having two sails will allow the boat to perform much better than partially rolling up the big genoa.

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dmpilc
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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 12/25/2014 : 17:46:04

135 or 150... depends a lot on the type of sailing you intend to do most of the time. If your winds tend to be on the light side most of the time, a 150 might be preferred. However, a 135 would be a better choice for an all-round sail for mixed wind conditions, and a better choice if you can afford only one head sail. Also, from what I've read in this forum, a 135 will hold its shape a bit better than a 150 partially furled.

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9017 Posts

Response Posted - 12/25/2014 : 22:48:10

Narragansett to Block (or just the Narraganset)--I'd say a 130-135. 150-155 is a lot to handle and reduces visibility. You'll have decent ocean breezes most of the time. Generally the "0" (as in 130, which "Voyager" Bruce has) indicates a higher clew for cruising, and the "5" (as in 135 or 155) is the same sail with a lower clew, and thus more area down low. Racers hate partially rolling up sails, but we normal people

don't mind so much. However, for better performance and the more comfortable ride, the first place to reduce sail is by reefing the main.

I'll sugest, however, that to get to Block in the prevailing SW-erlies, you might be choosing to start the motor...

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 12/25/2014 22:56:05

JanS48
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USA
141 Posts

Response Posted - 12/25/2014 : 23:39:35

Thanks so much for the reply(s).

I'd be sailing from Newport harbor to Block Island on occasion also visiting points north of Newport like Martha's Vineyard / Nantucket and points on Cape Cod. I also do a lot of day sailing in Narragansett bay. It's sounding like the 135 is the way to go but enlighten me more about the 130 vs 135?

Also not related to needing a headsail, the C25 should be capable of short ocean hops correct? Previously I did similar runs on a Seafarer 22. The Seafarer handled rough water ok but didn't tack well at all, I'm counting on the C25 being better all around.

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dmpilc
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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 12/26/2014 : 10:24:20

The C25 was designed to be a coastal and inland lake boat, not a blue water cruiser, largely attributable to the stern-mounted rudder, swing keel, and pop-top cabin. Your details indicate you have a fin keel, so you are clear of the most serious of the 3 reasons above for not traveling too far from shore. Several members have made successful passages to Catalina Island, about 20 miles or so off the coast of CA. You should be good to go for some short offshore sailing, but I will defer to other members who have actually done it successfully.

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9017 Posts

Response Posted - 12/26/2014 : 20:45:30

Jan, I don't have much more to clarify the 130% vs 135% distinction than what I said above--I suggest you discuss your needs with a sailmaker and see how his advice compares. I'll try adding that the leech of both sails is on the same line, but the foot of the 135 is lower such that the length from the clew to the forestay on a line perpendicular to the stay is slightly longer. That line is used to calculate a % of the distance from the bow to the base of the mast (approximately) as a measure of the sail. I had a roller-130, which Bruce now owns and described repairing. It was more of a cruising than racing sail, and took good care of us in the widely varied conditions of western Long Island Sound. Also, a 130 might wrap a little tighter at the foot on a furler than a 135 based on the size of the sun strip--i'm not sure...

Regarding the term "off-shore" and its use in various discussions among ocean sailors, that refers to going "over the horizon" and out of reach of shelter in less than, let's say, a day. Going to MV or Block is "in-shore" or "coastal" sailing, where if you keep track of the weather, you'll be able to keep or get yourself out of trouble. (Of course, some people don't keep track...) The C25, especially the FK, is highly capable for that--as long as you pay attention.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 12/26/2014 20:49:05

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 12/26/2014 : 21:20:03

Some sailmakers may use 130% to mean high clew and 135% to mean low clew, but there is nothing which requires this.

A high clew can be nicer for cruising, a low clew maximizes the sail area. On my Pearson (which is mostly used for day sailing and cruising, I race on other boats) I like a clew height of about 4' off of the deck. This is about double the lifeline height (it would be more than double on a C-25) and provides enough visibility and eliminates the requirement to skirt the jib over the lifelines. This is a pretty standard clew height.

If you want to see a very high clew height sail go look for a photo of a Yankee-cut jib. That reduces a lot of useful sail area.

Furling genoas can be reefed about 30% of their sail size while still providing some sail performance up wind. The sails are also normally reinforced for this, but not for reefing any more than that. This is why a 135% sail "reefs" better than a 155%, it reefs down to a working jib size (around 100%) where a partially furled 155% is still a rather big genoa (120-125%).

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9017 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2014 : 09:04:06

quote:
Originally posted by awetmore

Some sailmakers may use 130% to mean high clew and 135% to mean low clew, but there is nothing which requires this.

Yes, I should have said it's a convention I was told about years ago, and seemed to correspond to the sails I seen since, including mine.

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