I rigged my Prindle 18 for a roller furling jib. The stock jib has two 10" batten in it which had to be removed to make it furl properly. I now have some slight flutter at certain speeds. I did expect this somewhat. I checked the cut of the leech and it is straight. Do I need to have this recut or is there another method to change the shape of the sail? If I have it recut, how much curve should there be in the leech?

Thanks,

Jack Hoying

Fort Loramie, Ohio

Prindle 18 #1645

jmhoying at bright.net

http://www.bright.net/~jmhoying

Sorry, can't help you with your question, but I was interested in your roller furling jib. I have a Prindle 18 with no jib battens. I've been considering a roller furling jib. What did you use? Was price reasonable? Are you happy with your system other than flutter problem?

i had this problem when i converted my h16. i was able to correct it by hoisting the jib higher. this changes the angle of the jib sheet and increases tension on the leech.

Danno,

I used a used Hobie 18 furler and had a new shroud and pigtail made. You'll also need an upper swivel. The jib is tied permanetely to the forestay. If you are a recreational sailor, like me, once you have a boat with a furling jib, you will hate to sail a boat without one. It's great to launch, take a break, depower, etc.

Check some photos that I have on my webpage:

Jack Hoying

Fort Loramie, Ohio

Prindle 18 #1645

jmhoying at bright.net

http://www.bright.net/~jmhoying

I have a rolling furly thing on my Supercat 17's jib - sometimes it flutters under a decent wind, but if I TIGHTEN the jib line it tends to make it stop.



SId sends

Jim,



A lot of the roller furling boats place their jib battons at an angle and nearly vertical so that they are parallel with the forstay and will roll with the jib when furling. It is likely that you will be able to place them at about a 15 to 30 degree angle and still be able to furl the jib. I would use sail repair tape to test the placements of the battens for furler compatability and anti flutter.

Hi Jim, You have two choices. You can have a small amount of leech from head to clew cut out of the sail in a crescent shape so that the unsupported material that is fluttering is removed (this is called leech hollow by sailmakers) or you can use battens to support the leech that are oriented parallel to the luff so that they line up when the sail is furled. They must be parallel, though so that the battens due not twist and deform when they are furled. They also need to be longer than the previous battens to get into the body of the sail that provides the support they need for the leech. Any sailmaker should be able to do either of these jobs for you for a reasonable cost. FWIW, for the small amount of extra sail area you keep with the battens, I would recommend going the simpler route and just use the leech hollow method. This is what the Hobie 18 jib looks like, for example. Hope this helps!



Mike Fahle

Hi Jim - I started on a P16, very similar to your P18. I now have an I20, which comes stock with the jib battens parallel to the forestay (about a 45 deg. angle to the leech). They roll up into a very small cylinder, which is how we store the boat (with a protective jib snorkel-cover). This way works well for us, and I suggest you try it. The leech hollow method also sounds interesting.



Sail fast and have fun,

Alan Thompson

I20 - San Diego

I just discussed this question while ordering my new set of sails from Randy Smyth. Randy sez...



1. Harken's "rolling Battens" are okay for a fully battened jib, but with those short 10 inch battens, the roll-able ones don't smoothely roll up, stick out and generally act uncivilized when you furl.

2. He recommended the parallel-to-the-luff aproach, not mentioning a hollow leach. This was for a new sail, perhaps his advice would have been different for an existing sail. I'm going that route.



I can't wait for my new sails.

Slightly Off topic



Alan mentioned a protective jib snorkel-cover. I store my Nacra, with roller furling, mast up and would like to keep the jib on and rolled. (I love the roller furling, but at least on my boat with the furling, getting the jib on is the hardest part of the rigging)



Can anyone comment on the snorkel covers from Murrays (p65 of 2001 catalog). Good/Bad?



Does anyone have another source for snorkel covers?



Has anyone made their own?



Thanks in advance.

I have one I got through the Hobie catalog for my 18. I can't imagine much variation in design - it's just a long piece of Sunbrella with a long zipper, and grommets at either end to secure it. I thought about making my own, but I figured once I bought the cloth, zipper, and did the sewing, it was more cost-effective to just buy one.



I used it for awhile, it's pretty nice and easy to use. Once I got a new jib, however, I've been removing the sail each time instead of leaving it furled on the boat.

I got mine with the boat from Ron Lane at http://www.fastlanesailing.com in San Diego. He has them made locally out of high-quality Sunbrella fabric. All of the I20's here have these covers for the jib, with almost all having similar ones for the tramp. They are very nice and I wouldn't get a cheaper one.



I don't know anything about the Murray's ones.



Alan Thompson

I20 - San Diego