Wave sail on Getaway?

Has anyone put a Wave mainsail on a Getaway?

I had reefing points put on my Getaway mainsail, and it works very well. Then I got to thinking (always a dangerous thing!) and thought about having a Getaway sail cut down to the reefed size, so I could just put on that sail in big wind days.

I seem to recall some discussion about using a Wave sail on a Getaway as a big wind sail, but couldn't find the topic. Has anyone tried this? Does anyone (hint: Matt) know if the Wave sail will fit on the Getaway (with a halyard extension so the halyard button can still latch)? The Wave sail appears to be 5' shorter than the Getaway, so thats pretty perfect. I don't know about the bolt rope size or the foot length though.

I'm planning on a Lake Superior trip next summer, and this might be a good safety item!

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Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft)
Too many canoes and kayaks

I have a 21SC with 2 reefing points. I find the reefing to be much nicer than having another sail as I can always shake out a reef if the wind dies.

That said: as far as I know all hobie sails use the same bolt rope size. My H16, H18 and H21SC were.

A shorter foot is probably a good thing for your reduced sail, especially if you are not using the Jib sail, here is why:
When you furl the jib the center of effort from the sails shifts aft. This is because there is no sail area in front but still lots in back. This gives the boat lots of weather-helm and makes tacking hard. Using a mainsail with a shorter foot shifts the center of effort forward, slightly compensating for the shift from the jib.
Adding to this is sail shape. With no boom you have no outhaul. Normally sailors tension the outhaul to flatten the sail on windy days. Shortening the foot of the sail changes the angle of the mainsheet, causing it to pull the clew more aft, just as hauling on the outhaul would have.


Just make sure you aren't too short footed. The shorter foot will result in higher loads on the sail tack and lower vertical loads at the clew as more of the force from the mainsheet will be horizontal.

Also, be sure to use the downhaul on those windy days. A lot of downhaul tension goes a long way.

And drop the traveler. Many times you can even avoid having to reef by simply dropping the traveler a few inches.

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

I'm not sure what "dropping" the traveler is, easing the traveler out? I do that all the time, I use the traveler a lot to maintain sail shape.

We get a lot of gusty winds around here, with winds at 15-18 knots with gusts to 25-30 or more. It's the gusts that get me!

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Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft)
Too many canoes and kayaks

Dropping the traveler is less useful in gusty conditions since you likely can't release and drop it quickly enough to stay on your feet. Racers here in SFBay play the traveler more than the mainsheet but with a 2:1 gust/lull ratio, tough to stay upright.

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II