[Rhodes22-list] A question of size and shape (sails ye salty dogs sails)

[Leland]

Ron/John (sounds like a surf shop),

In my mind I think I would be just fine with a 150 or even a 135.  On a
close reach in placid water I can usually fill the 175 with about 3.5 knots
of wind.  In 3.5 to 5.0 knots of wind the big Genoa works well.  The sail is
fun and looks pretty in 5 to 7 knots without excessive heel but I can go
faster if I reef it a little.  Much of the time I've got the 175 reefed to a
150 or 135 or less.

However every time I sail with the 175 when it's the right conditions I
swear I'll buy another one when the time comes to replace it.  I may not use
the full 175 often, but when I can use it I want to use it.  I wouldn't want
to give up my traveler, adjustable sheet tracks/leads, centerboard, or
reefable main; and I often don't use them either.  That 175 can provide a
lot of power for our light boats and can be very useful with a whisker pole
on a broad reach or run.

I agree that a smaller sail won't need to be reefed as often and will have
better shape when reefed.  If most of your sailing is in winds of 8 knots or
more it probably makes sense to go with a smaller Genoa.  A lot of my
sailing is in winds of less than 8 knots.

With the sheets ran outside the shrouds on a close reach with the board down
and the boom up, in most conditions I think I would generally want to reef a
150 before hitting 9 knots of wind.  

I've never played with mast rake.  I've seen a lot of performance-oriented
boats with single adjustable backstays that allow you to change the rake for
upwind or downwind sailing.  How would an adjustable baby stay be installed
on our boats?  If you devised something to pull down on the lines connecting
the two backstays would it have any effect?

Good luck!

Lee
1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
Kent Island, MD


Ronald Lipton-3 wrote:
> 
> Hi John,
> 
>    I switched from a 175 to a 150 I purchased from Stand last year.
> I also switched from the GBI Furler to the CDI.  The GBI furler performed
> well, but I wanted the option to lower or change the foresail, and the
> CDI furler allows that. 
> 
>   I am very happy with the 150.  I do not need to furl as early and it 
> seems
> to be well suited to conditions on Lake Michigan more often than the
> 175.  It also retains it's shape a bit better when partially furled.  In 
> light
> breezes, when you might want more sail area the 175 does not perform
> well due to the heavy cloth.   I think the 150 is a bit more suited than 
> the
> 175.  I would thing the 135 would be a bit too small.
> 
> Ron
> 
> 
> 
> John Shulick wrote:
>>  Hello to the forum,
>>
>>   After extensive negotiations (groveling, begging, etc...) with the
>> Admiral
>> I have been authorized (allowed) to replace my blown out 35+yrs old 175
>> genoa and GB furler with new equipment. Over the last 2 yrs. sailing at
>> Kinzua has shown me the 175 is really not suited for the conditions I
>> have,
>> namely wind gusts that can double in velocity usually accompanied by 90*
>> or
>> more shifts in direction. I never fully unfurl the genoa unless the wind
>> is
>> so light that the sail can't or won't (not sure which) fill properly. My
>> research into the archives show the older rhodes came with 150 genoas and
>> my
>> 71 certainly falls in that group. My question to the forum is at what
>> approximate wind speed would you begin reefing in a 150 genoa and would a
>> 135 or less be even better for the conditions I'm facing. Also I'm
>> looking
>> for a furler and would appreciate any info on which ones offer more sail
>> tuning options. A final item of thought, has anyone out there in rhodes
>> land
>> experimented with mast rake and/or mast bending by use of baby stay
>> tension
>> to alter mainsail shape and performance.
>>
>> All comments are appreciated
>> Thanks in advance
>> John Shulick
>>
>>   
> 
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