Cover for furled jib

I am going to start storing my H18 with the mast up at a local marina. Part of that will be that I will leave the jib up and furled all the time and I want to protect it from UV light. I have read somewhere that the recommended way to do this is a zippered sock that is raised on another small halyard to cover the jib. My goal is to make the boat as ready to go as possible to reduce setup time which is why I want to leave the sail up. The previous owner did not cover the jib and I had to do some repair work on the stitching because of UV damage.

My questions are where do I get such a sock at a reasonable price? Where should I run the halyard and store it when I am sailing? If I have a sailmaker build this sock for me what dimensions should I use?

I am getting spring fever and will be doing this within the next moth to get ready for sailing season.

Hi,

Some sailors use the main halyard to hoist the jib cover, once the main is down and stored .....

Try Murray's Marine ... they used to sell one ..... "Sunbrella" material is the best from all reports .....

_________________
HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

Any Hobie dealer or Murrays can get you a jib "snorkel". It'll run you a little over $100. And as stated above, you don't need an extra halyard for the snorkel, just use your main halyard to hoist it.

A word of warning- even with the snorkel installed, be sure to tie a line really securely around your jib going through the clew fitting. Last year I bought a second boat so I could store one on the beach. I left the jib up on the beach boat with a snorkel installed. Well during the fall, we had a strong nor'easter come through and it blew out the zipper on the snorkel and the jib began to unfurl and flog itself to death (this is a fairly old snorkel). Needless to say, the jib suffered some damage.

sm

SnORKEL JIB COVER Protect your roller-furled
jib from attack by ultraviolet light and the weather.
Easy to install and remove—the Snorkel is a must
for protecting your expensive sail from eventual
destruction by the elements. The Snorkel is a zip-on
cover for roller-furled jibs. Made from durable fabric
with a full length zipper. Snorkle covers are not
intended for long term storage. Jibs must be furled
tightly, have luff tension and be secure for windy
conditions. Loose jibs and cover may cause chafing
damage to sail.
1811 H18/H16/Sport/21S
1812 H14 Turbo/H1-14
1813 H20/H21SE/H18SX
1815 Getaway

page 32 of your Hobie catalog

_________________
Rich Vilvens
F-18 5150
[email protected]
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/f-185150sailing/

Second the motion about tying a piece of line around the clew of the jib....

Firstly, its often needed to make the rolled up jib 'more compact' so the snorkel will fit over the jib, (especially if you are de-rigging on your own....my crew often disappears to the washroom or some other lame excuse).

Second, it keeps the jib rolled up and secure, in the event of a problem with the snorkel.

Also, once I'm done, I'll tie another small piece of line around the base of the snorkel to keep everything 'snug'. This prevents those pesky gusts of wind from trying to unravel the snorkel, as the zipper does not go all the way to the end....just velcro.

Wow, strange winter, up to 52F this afternoon, and sunny. Ah well, back to snow and 12F tonight....

_________________
2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

I raise my jib sock using the main halyard.

Before raising I also thread a line through the halyard ring so once the sock is all the way up via the halyard and tied off, I then wrap this line (2 lines in total) around the sock in opposite directions.

Tie one end off first to a bridle wire to keep things tight. Wrap the line in a clockwise direction around the sock and tie off at the base. Take the second line and wrap in a counter-clockwise direction. The opposing two lines keep the sock snug and eliminate jib chaffing. It only takes a few minutes and after 5 years, the jib and threads all look fine. No signs of chaffing. And I keep a close eye on this each summer.

The sock I have was a gift but I think it came from Murrays. It could stand to be a few inches longer from what I recall. It's not here at home so I can't give you the exact measurements but it zippers all the way. Good quality zipper is a must!

Good luck.

Update

I bought a used Murrays snorkle from a fellow forum member and it arrived yesterday. I hope to get the boat rigged and on the water in the next few weeks. Thanks for all the advice.