Hank on Jib...

[Dogboy]

I've never had a hank-on jib.  My prior boats all had a furler or no jib.  I'm struggling with how to make the process effective.

Here is my process.  Please let me know if there is an easier/faster way to do this:

The jib is stored in a Sunbrella jib-bag.  There is a tab on one end and a zipper on the other.  I think it is designed to stay on deck but I have been removing/attaching the sail each time.

At the dock, I hank on the jib, attach the halyard, run the sheets back to the cockpit.  I keep a sail-tie on the jib so it doesn't blow off the deck while motoring out to the lake.

I head into the wind, raise the main.  I then go forward to undo the sail-tie, go back and raise the jib.  Sailing ensues.

When its time to go in, I turn the motor on, point into the wind, center the clew with jib sheets and loose the jib halyard.  I go forward with a sail-tie, flake the sail as I bring it down on the head-stay.  I tie the sail-tie, leaving the jib on deck.  Then I drop the main, flake and put the sail-cover on and go back to the dock.

At the dock, I bring the jib sheets to the fore-deck, fold them over along with the jib, and insert them into the bag (I confess some "stuffing" happens here).  Then I remove the sail from the stay and place it below for our next visit.

I'd appreciate any suggestions/criticisms.  It is working, but seems a bit clumsy still.

I'm leaning towards an FF4 cdi furler just for ease, but

[brackish]

Why do you remove the sail/bag from the foredeck?  Maybe your bag is different, but when I had a hank on the sail stayed attached to the forestay as did the bag.  The tab in the rear was to attach the halyard to when the sail was in the bag and lift it slightly off the deck so it would not be laying in water and scum up the deck.  The process was to unzip the bag, take the halyard from the tab to the sail for raising, pull the sheets out and run them back (they also stay attached to the sail in the bag), turn into the wind and raise the sail.  Often I didn't remove the bag, it just stayed on the deck and the sail would cross over it when tacking.  I had a second line on the tab that would secure it to the bottom of one of the bow pulpit rails to keep it from flapping about.

Mine had the zipper on the top of the bag and a series of twist locks on the front that went on the stay.  I left them locked and just raised the sail out of the bag.

I have to admit that it is very nice to have a furler for convenience, however, not for performance, hank on is better for that.

[Shawn]

You are making it harder than it needs to be. Leave the jib on the forestay tucked into the bag with the halyard holding the bag off the deck. You should also be able to leave the sheets run all the way to the back and still attached to the jib.

What I did was motor out, unzip the bag, attach the halyard and get the sail mostly out of the bag. Raise the main and then loosen the downhaul and raise the jib.

Run a downhaul to the halyard and when it is time to drop the jib you just shadow it in the main or head into the wind. Release the halyard and pull the jib down from the cockpit. Tie off the downhaul and tighten the sheets and the sail will pretty much sit on deck until you get up there to bag it.

Not as easy as a furler but not much more difficult. Huge advantage in changing headsails for the conditions though. I had a heavy 60% storm jib (great when winds where at 20+ knots), 110% working jib, 130% genoa and a 170% drifter. I switched between them all regularly. The storm jib and the drifter really widens the conditions when I could be sailing.

Shawn

[Tim Gardner]

I like the way you think.  I wish I had a furler on my Hunter 23. going forward is dicey.  But on the 19, no problem for me.  I often use a asym spinnaker so a furler doesn't really help me.

TG

[capt_nemo]

The only comment I would add to those already mentioned is to consider a quick-release textile attachment for the sheets. There are several advantages. First, after releasing the sheets from the sail it is more easily stuffed into the bag. Second, the sheet loop is attached to the halyard holding the bag up off the deck which allows you to leave the sheets rigged (one less thing to do) and keep the sheets at hand for ready attachment. Finally, a textile sheet attachment will not do as much damage to the human body as a metal one should one get caught in the way of a flailing jib clew.

The following photos illustrate a traditional quick-release textile jibsheet attachment:

capt_nemo

[Shawn]

Yup, Serenity had that and it worked great!

Shawn