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Why not a furler

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John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/16/2008 : 09:20:44

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by crystal_blue
 Not to hijack the thread, but is it possible to buy a new 250 with a hank-on jib? Or would I have to take the stock roller-furling jib to be refitted at a sail loft?

Thanks--

--Jim
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Jim, I'm just curious, why would you prefer a hank-on to a furler?

John Russell
1999 C250 SR/WK #410
Bay Village, Ohio
Sailing Lake Erie
Don't Postpone Joy!

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2008 : 10:29:46

John, I love my furler but some people prefer the hank-ons because a smaller hank-on has a better shape than a furled genny. Racers who care about small speed increments would be a good example. For cruisers I don't think the small difference would account for much.

Plus the furler does add a mechanical item that could go wrong.

I would not want to go back to hank-ons myself. In addition to ease of use it means not sending someone forward to mess with the foresail.

Edited by - Nautiduck on 02/16/2008 10:31:31

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2008 : 10:35:53

That's kinda what I was thinking, Randy. But, I'm not sure I'd look to a C250 if I was all that serious about racing. I love my boat but she's not a gazelle.

Edited by - on

crystal_blue
1st Mate

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USA
64 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2008 : 12:25:11

Hi John -

My thoughts at present are that
1) I learned to sail on a J-24 with hank-ons;
2) I've heard horror stories about roller furlers jamming at precisely the wrong moment - I prefer to keep it simple;
3) If/when I get a C250, I don't anticipate having a permanent slip which means I'll be raising the mast every time I want to go sailing. The furler just seems like one more thing to deal with - especially if, as some have suggested, it's a bad idea to leave the sail on the furler when you take the mast down.

You've got plenty of time to talk me out of it, if you want--it'll be some time before I'm in a position to buy (gotta get out of law school, get a job, pay down my student loans, buy a house, buy a minivan with which to haul the kiddies, buy a truck with which to haul the boat . . . )

--Jim

Edited by - crystal_blue on 02/16/2008 12:26:49

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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3444 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2008 : 12:31:34

Jim
Look at my signature block. I postponed the purchase of my boat using all the same reasoning you have--'cept the law school part. Before I knew it, 30 years past. Buy what you can afford now. You can get a pretty good C-22 or C 25 for a lot less than the C250. The serenity it can provide will do a lot to help with the bar exam. or, is that just the marina bar?

I learned with hank-ons, too. Wouldn't trade my furler for them though.

To answer your original question, I'd bet that Catalina would sell you whatever you ordered. Particularly since the furler is installed by your dealer after delivery to them. They can just skip the part where they put it on and sell you a hank-on sail instead.

Edited by - John Russell on 02/16/2008 12:36:57

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2008 : 12:54:54

Jim... By the time you get to where you say you're going, everything will be different. Catalina makes their own sails, so I'm sure you could get one with hanks, and the boat w/o the furler... (The detraction for resale would probably be greater than the savings when new.)

However, for every horror story you've heard about furlers, I've got a dozen about trying to get a headsail down in a blow, losing a halyard up the mast in the process, having the sail try to climb back up the forestay as you point up into the blow, etc., etc. Others here love it! The only issue I had with my furler once in a while was an uneven wind on the drum stopping the unfurling process, which caused me to roll the sail up part-way and unroll it again. The best part, when single-handing or day-sailing to nowhere with non-sailor guests, was being able to pull one string to sail on the genny alone, and pull the other to make it disappear--without even pointing up. Nirvana!!

I wonder if a solution for trailering with a sail on a furler would be a jib-sock. Or could you keep her on the trailer near the water, mast-up?

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 02/16/2008 13:03:59

Russ.Johnson
Commodore

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USA
843 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2008 : 13:43:15

Jim,
I use a jib-sock.
I keep the boat on the trailer with the jib and the jib-sock on the furler.
When I rent a slip for a week or two the jib-sock protects the jib from the UV exposure.
Russ

Edited by - on

Silar_Phas
Deckhand

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Canada
22 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2008 : 13:56:39

Well I agree whit Dave about the Horror stories whit hank on

Actually I do remember this time when I went sailing on Ontario lake whit my last boat ( rhode 22 , a real good boat but only 22 feets)
and the wind went up and up and up and we wanted to get back from the protect beach we were .

Had to send my brother up front in 6 to 8 foot waves . He had full confidence in me , but not a lot in himself...

Every thing went ok after raising the jib, and also on our way back
but this could have easily became an major emergency

btw I saw a monster wave that day .. the one that looked like a wall
all white on top that we though it was around 12 feets high

thx god I was on a sailboat that day...

Edited by - on

crystal_blue
1st Mate

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USA
64 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2008 : 16:57:08

Thanks for the feedback, gents!

John, we might not wait to pay off the student loans before getting a 250--but my Admiral is pretty adamant about the rest! As much as I like sailing, I'm pretty sure I like her more.

(She's open to us getting a used Catalina 14.2 right after I graduate, though--so hopefully I'll be on the water in the next year or two).

Dave, I've been thinking about a drifter sort of like Arlyn's. Do you think it would provide a substantial benefit over the stock genny?

Russ, if you roll up the jib wet, put the sock over it, and then trailer the boat for a few weeks/months, do you wind up with mildew issues?

Silar_Phas (and Dave), those are good points about the need to go up to the foredeck to change sails. When I was learning (on SF Bay), I rather enjoyed doing it - it was a bit of a welcome adventure/break from the routine - but I imagine it could get old real fast. (Not to mention the obvious safety issues . . .)

--Jim

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 02/17/2008 : 11:43:35

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by crystal_blue
 ...Dave, I've been thinking about a drifter sort of like Arlyn's. Do you think it would provide a substantial benefit over the stock genny?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I'd ask him--he's probably lurking here somewhere... ARLYN?? The furling jib and drifter are not mutually exclusive--the drifter can be "loose-luffed." (Did I just make up a term?)

Edited by - on

Russ.Johnson
Commodore

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USA
843 Posts

Response Posted - 02/17/2008 : 21:49:23

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by crystal_blue
 Russ, if you roll up the jib wet, put the sock over it, and then trailer the boat for a few weeks/months, do you wind up with mildew issues?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Jim, you have a point, but a wet sail in a bag get's mildew too.
In either case you need to dry the jib later. At the dock or in your backyard.
At the dock, you can unfurl or drop the jib from the furler to dry.
On the trailer, it's easy to remove the forestay and furler or remove the jib from the furler to dry.

You said you learned to sail a J24 on SF Bay.
So did I, at Berkeley's OCSC.
You will find the C250 has a much higher freeboard and the jib seldoms get's wet.
We don't wear foulies in July like the J24 crews.

Russ

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crystal_blue
1st Mate

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USA
64 Posts

Response Posted - 02/18/2008 : 14:13:28

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">You said you learned to sail a J24 on SF Bay.
So did I, at Berkeley's OCSC.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hey, what a coincidence! So did I, back in early 1998.

--Jim

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