Ok so I attached my self tacker track however when I attach both of the jibs I own they are too long in the foot and the angle is wrong, did PC/SE change the jib for the self tacker and now I need a new Jib (ok with me just need justification to the wife).

yep. There are two different cuts - self-tacker and non.

-Mike

You also have a choice of fully battened self-tacking jib or a regular roller furling jib - dacron or Pentex. Having tried both self-tacking jibs, I don't think there's is much (if any) advantage to the fully battened jib. We ended up taking out the top batten because we could never get it to shape right (and I tried everything I could think of). Many folks think you can't go wrong with the roller furling (non fully battened) dacron jib - personally, I think they're all pretty even. Do note that if you go with the fully battened jib, you loose the capability to roller furl it.

What I've seen so far with the jibs is that the shape of the full batten one sucks in light air. The top of sail turns flat as a board. Another team has had some luck cramming the battens in to keep shape in the light stuff. The roller furling jib is definitely easier to get a nice shape in the light stuff. When the wind picks up I like the shape the full batten sail gets up top, but in reality I don't think it's that much different from the roller sail. At this point I think I prefer the roller sail. We haven't rigged our self tacker yet, I didn't realize we'd need a new jib...

You don't have to buy a new jib for the self tacker, they sell a clew plate you can rivet on to your existing jib that has the holes for adjustment in it. You might want to take it to a sail maker to have them get it on correctly as you will have to cut about 45 degrees across the bottom corner of the old jib clew.

I had the same trouble with the full batten jib, the top batten was too flat, so I cut it out and installed a very light strip of fiberglass and sewed it in. In heavy air I liked the mylar full batten jib, in light air the dacron jib seemed to have a better shape. Either way, it is well worth the effort to install the self tacker as it will make your tacks much faster and the crew can get out on the wire faster too. They will thank you for it!

Marc:

My Pentex reacher furls real easy with 1 to 2 system and the telltales always flow good, light or blowing stink. Furler is nice when the wind picks up and you just want to chill or when you are waiting between races.

Doug

I've been relegated to "another Team" hmmm....:) I'll take MY crew back!!

Yup jammed in there! Still not right, but better. And, the Velcro is tapped shut, so they won't fly out again!!

Did anyone try sanding the top batten?

Is the clew plate really the only difference between self tacking jib and the non-self tacking? If it is, then I'll refrain from my so much for one design and required sailmaker comment.

Sincerely,
The Other Team!

The cut of the jib is different - the foot is shorter. I've tried sanding the batten, I've tried putting a string tensioner on the batten, but nothing really got it shape well in light air.

I have noticed pretty much the same thing with the Tornado. The top batten in the jib is so short that it flattens out the sail too much in light winds.

Surely SOMEBODY thinks that batten is a good idea?

For the tornado, the class rules permits three battens on the jib. I suppose the reflexes of the sailmakers is to put in as many battens as allowable <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
In stronger winds, the top batten is nice.

We're both through with your crew, he's found his own ride!

By the way, the jib I'm using is borrowed from yet another team, and that boat has self tacker while our boat does not. I wonder...

Nice! I probably should have read and thought about your post. Very good then . . .

The other other team,