sunvista wrote:
I would have to say that your existing fore-stay is going to be about 15 inches too long - the length of the upper fore-stay with swivel. I don't see why you couldn't use your jib though with a new wire. On the other hand its not clear to me what kind of jib you already have that doesn't furl. I thought they were all the same. Is it a Hobie jib or something else? Maybe one of the Hobie reps can chime in.
There were/are a lot of aftermarket jibs for the 14. At first, Hobie Cat recommended against having a jib on the 14 (early '70s), but came out with their own jib kit in the late '70s. The Turbo class was officially recognized in the early '80s.
Some jib kits have halyards like the 16 that run down the mast - they cannot be furled. Some have halyards like the 18 - with a zipper luff. They can be furled.
The problem with the stock Turbo jib is you can't take the sail off the boat without dropping the mast. This led to the various "snorkel covers" that can be hoisted over the jib with the main halyard.