My Harken allows you to remove the drum and use racing sails cut to tack right at the deck level. When off the wind on a run or broad reach for a decent period of time (4+ hours running home from Catalina) and wind strength under 15 knots I roll up the genoa and hoist the cruising chute in a sock, hoist the sock ring and fwapp, we're stylin'. I confess I do a sail change under certain circumstances but the furler is not really involved. If it's blowing more than the 120 can handle, you'll find me on a bar stool instead of beating my boat up. The sailmaker offered the option of a foam luff which I declined preferring to size the jib so I could carry it comfortably in most conditions. I got weary of one foot on the cockpit sole and the other on the coaming. I gave up nothing in boat speed but now rarely dip the rail when before the boat was overpowered. I specified a 120 for the new jib and could not be happier. The previous jib was a 135, a little much for our normal conditions (20+ every afternoon). When it's time to reef, tuck one in the main and carry on. If not, I'd fit a jib suitable to the expected conditions then sit back and enjoy without all the foredeck calisthenics. Where I was headed was if you're one of those racers constantly changing headsails to squeak the last 1/10th of a knot out of her, I get it. I probably should ask this on one of the sailing forums (and I will) but this thread got started and so far no one has steered me wrong here. The S2 is shoal draft and is going to be more demanding of sail selection than the O'Day. If we could reduce from a 135 to 100 or 70 easily a lot more sailing would be done. We don't go out on days much over 15 knots (gust 25-30 on our pond at that speed) because of the ugly, poor functioning, reefed head sail. Yes I have sails designed to be reefed on a furler, foam luff and special reinforcements at 2 points in the sail (3 sails by 3 different manufacturers). nice track, great prefeeder, top bearing that goes up and down smoothly, easily changed head and tack etc.ĭon't get me wrong I like the furling aspect but the reefing aspect of a furler sucks. So my question is which one of these furlers is the easiest to change sails? ie. I'm going to buy a new furler for the S2 26 Mid we are refurbishing (It has the A4). I currently have a Schaefer CF500 on our O'Day 23 and it works great.
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