Mike
12-31-1969, 04:00 pm
I too was investigating my sail options when installing roller furling last year. I took my existing 130% genoa in to have a foam luff sewn in, and my sailmaker informed me that it was too light to be reefed on the roller unit. It would be fine if all I wanted to do was completely furl or unfurl it, but it couldn't be made to function as a 100% jib too. He was sure that it would tear fairly easily. I therefore went with just having my 100% jib fitted for the unit. Don't forget, if you want to use your headsail in multiple configurations, you will also have to install adjustable jib sheet blocks on the foredeck. My Oday 23 still had the fixed blocks (set up for the 100% jib), and I used the adjustable blocks installed behind the winches when using the 130% genoa. I didn't think it would be too convenient to have to reroute the jib sheets every time I changed the headsail size, so I went with simplicity. I just use the 100% jib on the furler. On those rare occasions when I want the bigger sail, I just fly it from the now unused jib halyard and leave the jib furled. This works fine for me as my genoa doesn't really need to be hanked onto the forestay as it has a bolt rope sewn into the forward edge. Hope this is helpful.