Small update on the JIB.
It works really good up to 3 bft (up to 10 knots).
Above: furl (21/22 knots, furl 75% and use as tacking help). Furl early is the advice (you loose to much speed, rudder and nose).
The Jib puts extra force on the mast, bending it more then normal.
Yesterday I had full jib/mail (10 knots), but suddenly I got over 16 knots on a beam/close reach.
And almost all the wind spilled over the mainsail (looked like it folded !), jib pulling to much on the mast (side but also front).
Speed gone, quickly recovered, no damage.
Will start testing with stay lines that stretch a bit and then are fixed, to prevent this.
Mainsail/Jib:
- if you look at the mast under sailing conditions: surf sail position (a bend mast, and spilling over the top, same setup).
- Thinking of adding an extra line to keep it bend always (tension a surf sail and it bends the mast), I will try some of my windsurf tensioners and see what happens.
- Then the jib can pull as hard as it wants (in fact it will counteract the bending forces on the mast, so less force on the mast) and with streching side stays the mast can handle higher forces.
- Jib and main pulling means the pin below will hold much easier and not snap.
I still have this crazy idea:
- pull the surfsail over the hobie mast, tension it, use the boom, connect end of the boom to the standard mainsail line........ up to 100 sqft sail (high power stiff sail....) on an adventure...
- If that works it will be better then a jib. Better balanced boat, pointing upwind..... windsurf sails does that better by design, downwind.....just flap out the full sail (it has a boom)....
- I will test it with 65 sqft first (got one lying around), just for fun.
- And maybe it turns out to be a not so crazy idea......