Alternative Headsail Furling for KISS or Emergency

[Yobarnacle]

If your jib furling/reefing system jammed, or your jib halyard jammed, if for any reason you needed to get the headsail off and normal system has failed, this is an alternative.

I believe for trailer-sailers, this might be a KISS furling system instead of roller furling.

Certainly cheap as it uses two lengths of line, and a little forethought.

Please comment and make suggestions. This idea has potential for developement, I believe.

Thankyou

[gonzo]

I think they use to call that bunting. Many small workboats used that method on their sails.

[Yobarnacle]

I probably saw it somewhere then and forgot everything but the concept. It's been bouncing around in my head for a couple years.
Has there been any advancements? Tuning? Gear designed for it?

Drawbacks are: needing to do it in high wind, would require some constant tension adjustments. Probably eliminating singlehanding this task.

Another is the pre-rigged loop on fore deck could be secured out of way of feet easily enough, but when you were ready to use it, the sheets need to be inside the loop, below it. Obviously, having the sheets carry the stowed loop up into the air with them not a good idea.
Seems solution is having one end of potential loop to port, other to starboard when stowed, and knotting together in continuous loop above staysail sheets when ready to use it.

Any information, refinements, veteran users of systems opinions?

[Yobarnacle]

Searched net for references to bunting and none of it was about furling headsails. A buntline is used to clew up square sails, and if frapping the jib to its stay is bunting, I suppose that would be a buntline also. I called it a gantlin, gauntline, any extra line rigged aloft with no dedicated purpose but available to be pressed into service as emergency halyard, topping lift, ect.

Sure would like to learn more about this. seems sinple enough.

[viking north]

Yobarancle--ok got your drift now on the idea--No reason why it shouldn't work --if it's a previous used system i have not seen it before but then again i wasn't looking, mindset usually in the standard systems, could have walked or sailed right by such a set up. One feature I do install on all non furling rigs I have worked on for customers and myself was a Jib Downhaul leading back to the cockpit.

[Yobarnacle]

thanks Gonzo and Viking North for responses. The fault of my post on other thread referencing this was the horrible sketch, nobody could have made sense of it. Apparently the sketch here is more understandable.

Since i don't have any head sails for IntrpiDos yet, just the main that came with the boat, I'm looking for alternative headsail gear ideas.

The ideal thing, would be a system that sucked the headsail below deck in a sleeve like a spinaker turtle. Not invented yet I guess.

Maybe attach a tether ball t the gantline/buntline and punch the ball so it wraps around and around and around the jib and stay.

[gonzo]

Sharpies use to have their sails wrapped with the halyard while working.

[Yobarnacle]

It's an interesting concept. Since our boat is for two, and my wife isn't much of a sail handler, (she does like steering for half hour at a time), I need to set up for single handing.

Most important is ability to point under main alone. And main be easily tacked and reefed.

I may make her cutter rigged.

or I may set up the fore triangle for a storm jib and a genaker, two extremes, but light air is frustrating and heavey air dangerous. Two extremes.

Genaker could have a sock or a chute.

Storm jib used in moderate air, is ready if it blows up. Can also be hanked on backstay as riding sail at anchor.

options galore

[FAST FRED]

IF you want a furling headsail that can simply be struck and stowed , the technique is to sew the luff to a chain.

Under tension the chain will not twist with some halyard tension , and is easy to stuff into a bag when lowered.

Disadvantage , so far the luff must be hand sewn to the chain.

A set of sails would require zero use of a partially rolled up sail , with its lousey shape.

FF

[kenJ]

In order to work there can be no wind pressure on the sail. It must be limp. Otherwise all the line will bunch up at the top. Adds more lines to foul on the foredeck. Think it would be easier to drop the sail or add a roller furler.

[viking north]

That combination of keeping a little tension on the jib sheet while lowering with the downhaul sheet combined with a bit of lacing/net installed between the top pulpit rail/lifeline and the deck to keep the sale out of the water is a time honoured proven system. Granted someone still has to go forward and stow it but usually that can be at one's convenience.

[gonzo]

There are furlers that are not attached to the stay. The sail can be doused easily.

[Richard Woods]

You don't need to use a chain. A 1x19 wire does the job. But you do need a continuous line furler

Look at the America's Cup AC45 cats to see it in action

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

[Yobarnacle]

Thank you each and everyone.
Roller furling is nice, though now expensive. Major draw back for me is when tipping/lowering the mast. The modern systems with the luff groove tubes surrounding the stay would be difficult.
IntrepiDos is a maxi-trailer-sailer. Will be frequently stiking mast to load on trailer. Shoal draft for gunkholing means probably encountering low bridges.
Once had a free standing harken roller furler on a 15 ft daysailer. Consisted of a toothy sheave on a swivel at the tack for a continuos furling line, a swivel on halyard end, and a wire luffed jib.
Forestay was separate and sail not hanked to it. Think I paid $80 for fittings, and $150 for jib.

Today, I'd have a flying jib with spectra in the luff instead of wire.
I agree, hauling down jib is best. I have a big hatch ready to install in cabin roof. Fairly low on priority task list.
There's 6+ft headroom in forecabin and wheelhouse. I could stand on settes with head and shoulders thru hatch and gather in doused jib without going on fore deck.

The spiral furling topic of this thread is something swimming around in murky depths of my head for years. Yall have tons of brains and centuries of experience all of you together. My respects, sirs. So I thought I'd let that murky thought breach into the light, and ask if anyone thought it a sailfish or a catfish?