Sorry, when I said headsail, I meant something in addition to the jib.

I am very pro Hooter on 14s and I've been trying to get people to make the change for a while, so I am kind of boased. I also have a Hooter rig for sale, so it will probably sound like I'm a salesman.

I added the Hooter because I wanted the combination upwind sail and downwind sail. The Hooter is a very flat sail and is light enough to work both ways. It gives a lot of lift to the bows and the only time I have capsized upwind with it, I have gone over backwards. Downwind, capsizing is your typical pitch-pole.

To weigh the cost on both spinnaker and Hooter, you would spend about the same money. You would probably get a snuffer pole for the spin because you are solo and dousing a spin into a bag by youself is no fun. I think you would quickly get tired of the sail. Not to mention it would take up a lot of real estate on the tramp. On the Hooter rig, you would spend your money on a furler.

For convenience, I like the Hooter because it furls and unfurls quickly and easily. I have a 1:2 set-up on my furler, so it furls with like 3 feet of furling line.

For cost, I think you would easily spend $1000-1500 if you bought it all new. The Hooter sail I got would run about $900 and then there is the hardware. I used an old windsurfer mast as a pole and I got most of the hardware off od junked Hobies. I got lucky and got a furler on eBay for $75 and used the upper furler from the Turbo for the other end. I have a sail for sale now for $350.

If you have any questions and want to discuss it, feel free to call me.

Dan
757-589-6920