David, Reefing the genoa on a furler is routine where I sail and race. I reef my main first, then reef my 135 second. Typically when wind is about 15mph+ I keep about 5 winds on the furler, making the headsail about 110. My luff is foam and will keep the sail shape decent up to about the 5 winds. Another boat has a UK sail with very large foam tubes that maintains shape pretty well when furled. After 5 winds, the shape gets bad fast on my foam luffed genoa. The genoa needs to be capable of being reefed, but I don't know of anyone I sail with who has a head sail that isn't made to handle reefing. Have a sail maker look at it if you aren't sure. As for the furler line "fighting" the sheets, not really. Lock the furler in and done. Sheet the headsail as you normally would. Challenge might be moving your cars forward, then back again as you furl and unfurl. Also, unfurling is easy. Furling back on is not. But, typically our races are to windward start, then a reach, so start with furled, then let it go around the mark and finish the race. Not ideal, but it works better than being overpowered. A purist in the fleet scoffs at furlers and says, "You never have the right sail with a furler." Yea, ok, but I sail solo a lot too, so that's where I am.
Jeff Laman 81 C&C34 Harmony Ludington, MI ________________________________ From: Hoyt, Mike via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Sent: Monday, September 12, 2022 10:25 AM To: Stus-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Hoyt, Mike <mike.h...@impgroup.com> Subject: Stus-List Re: Partially furling the genoa when racing Hi David First I find it unusual to hear of a J27 with a furling genoa. We had a J27 that came that way and it was the only one I knew of. Our furling genoa was awful to use when racing anyway so we would ignore the furler and tack our racing sails to the deck below the drum. Eventually sold the luff foil, furling system and the furling genoa and replaced with a tuff luff J27 upwind if too windy for 150 should use a blade as it is much faster. Downwind most 27s fly a spinnaker anyway. On our 33 we will sometimes be overpowered upwind flying our non furling 140 or 155 genoas for the added boost downwind if racing non spin. If it is too windy for our 140 we drop to our 103%% head sail. Your genoa would have to be designed and built to sail partially furled for it to have any sort of performance up wind. I know some have foam in the luff area for this. Regardless I would think the loss of upwind performance would be a pretty nasty price to pay for more horsepower down wind … Those are my thoughts Regards Mike Hoyt Persistence Halifax, NS From: David Knecht via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Sent: September 12, 2022 11:12 AM To: CnC CnC discussion list <CnC-List@cnc-list.com> Cc: David Knecht <davidakne...@gmail.com> Subject: Stus-List Partially furling the genoa when racing I was talking to the skipper of a J27 who nearly always wins our PHRF class and he was telling me that while he wins a lot, he struggles in heavier air. He said he had recently started partially roller furling his large genoa for upwind legs and then unfurling downwind when the wind was strong enough to overpower him. I have never considered doing that and my larger genoa does not have “reef points” . What are the groups thoughts on the value/feasibility of this? Any reason it would be bad for the sail? It certainly would be easier than putting on my smaller sail when winds are questionable. I worry about not only sail shape, but when partially furled, the furler and genoa sheet are fighting each other, which might not be a good thing for the furler. Dave S/V Aries 1990 C&C 34+ New London, CT [cid:image001.png@01D8C69A.4F2D4620]
