Hi Brian, It is a good idea and I think many or most on this list have their boats rigged with a jib downhaul. And it's an essential element if you want to control all functions of the boat from the cockpit. One problem that I've encountered with my jib downhaul is that the working jib, which has the twist type nylon headstay clips, often fouls when dropped with the downhaul. My genoa has the brass spring clips and the downhaul operation works very nicely. The system is very simple, a light line going from the jib halyard shackle down to a small block at the stem head, turning the line back to the cockpit. A cleat somewhere at the aft end of the cabin will allow you to keep the line shipshape when the jib is up and keep the halyard tight when the jib is down. If you need to drop the jib in a hurry, it's the only way to go,especially on our small boats, where going forward is not only dangerous, but changes everything about the way the boat sails. Fair Tides, Rick Langer M15 #337 Bluebird
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:57:54 -0400 From: Brian Gilbert <hammerguy@mindspring.com> Subject: M_Boats: Poor man's roller furling... does it work? To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Message-ID: <C0C6CDC2.7270%hammerguy@mindspring.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Hi Everybody: I'm curious about something... has anybody ever used a jib downhaul to control their headsail on their boats? You know, where you tie a light line to the head of the jib abd run it through a small block at the stem of the boat. A pull from the cockpit is supposed to bring the jib down without having to send a crew forward. If you've ever tried it, does it work?
It seems like a good idea, but if it worked, I'd imagine more folks would have their boats rigged that way, and it seems we never hear of anyone actually using a jib downhaul. I'd suppose you'd need halyards led to the cockpit as well.
Just wondering!
Best BG
Brian, Our 1988 M15 and M17 both came rigged with Jib halyards and downhauls lead back to the cockpit. On both boats I replaced the individual jib halyard and downhaul lines with a single line, in effect making a big loop of both lines . As you raise or lower the jib the single line feeds in-and-out of the cockpit, leaving nothing to coil or stow. Randy M17 #410 ________________________________ From: montgomery_boats-bounces+randyg=cite.nic.edu@mailman.xmission.com on behalf of Rick Langer Sent: Tue 6/27/2006 1:32 PM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Poor man's roller furling... does it work? Hi Brian, It is a good idea and I think many or most on this list have their boats rigged with a jib downhaul. And it's an essential element if you want to control all functions of the boat from the cockpit. One problem that I've encountered with my jib downhaul is that the working jib, which has the twist type nylon headstay clips, often fouls when dropped with the downhaul. My genoa has the brass spring clips and the downhaul operation works very nicely. The system is very simple, a light line going from the jib halyard shackle down to a small block at the stem head, turning the line back to the cockpit. A cleat somewhere at the aft end of the cabin will allow you to keep the line shipshape when the jib is up and keep the halyard tight when the jib is down. If you need to drop the jib in a hurry, it's the only way to go,especially on our small boats, where going forward is not only dangerous, but changes everything about the way the boat sails. Fair Tides, Rick Langer M15 #337 Bluebird
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:57:54 -0400 From: Brian Gilbert <hammerguy@mindspring.com> Subject: M_Boats: Poor man's roller furling... does it work? To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Message-ID: <C0C6CDC2.7270%hammerguy@mindspring.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Hi Everybody: I'm curious about something... has anybody ever used a jib downhaul to control their headsail on their boats? You know, where you tie a light line to the head of the jib abd run it through a small block at the stem of the boat. A pull from the cockpit is supposed to bring the jib down without having to send a crew forward. If you've ever tried it, does it work?
It seems like a good idea, but if it worked, I'd imagine more folks would have their boats rigged that way, and it seems we never hear of anyone actually using a jib downhaul. I'd suppose you'd need halyards led to the cockpit as well.
Just wondering!
Best BG
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Just a note- For many years, I offered a jib downhaul on the 15 and 17 as an option, with very few takers. At that time I lived in Newport Beach and was doing quite a bit of sailing in the Sea of Cortez, and became more and more convinced that a jib downhaul was the only way to go. I eventually marked the base price up enough to cover this former option (playing God?) because of the firm belief that all Montgomery boats should have it. (Whether you want it or not, you're going to get it, and you're going to pay for it). Kind of like a radio in a car. I'll never forget the time I went on a double-handed around- Catalina Isl race with a friend, a good sailor, on a Capri 25, which isn't a bad boat except for a few things. One of these things was that it had a roller furling jib that liked to get all snagged up.. The sail actually set pretty well when not furled, but out in the middle of the channel (it was my turn to be the deck ape) the wind picked up to about 25 and eventually 30, and we decided to take the jib down and replace it with a smaller one. Bad decision- it got hung up and we couldn't do a thing with it. I spent about a half hour on the foredeck trying to get it functional, upwind, and I clearly remember having the thought that a guy could DIE this way. It was at night and if I went overboard there was no way that I'd ever be found. There were 6' waves, steep and short. I've had a thing about furlers ever since, even though I'm quite aware that they have been improved markedly since then. For all but an all-out racing boat, a downhaul is the way to go, in my opinion. I always carry the anchor in the port cockpit locker, and if I'm single handing I can drop the jib, pick my spot to drop the anchor, drop the hook from the cockpit (by that time the boat has lost way), walk forward as the boat drifts back, and set the anchor and tie it off on the bow cleat. You can do the same thing with a furler, but what if it hangs up? Jerry jerrymontgomery.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Langer" <farreach@optonline.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 1:32 PM Subject: M_Boats: Poor man's roller furling... does it work?
Hi Brian,
It is a good idea and I think many or most on this list have their boats rigged with a jib downhaul. And it's an essential element if you want to control all functions of the boat from the cockpit.
One problem that I've encountered with my jib downhaul is that the working jib, which has the twist type nylon headstay clips, often fouls when dropped with the downhaul. My genoa has the brass spring clips and the downhaul operation works very nicely.
The system is very simple, a light line going from the jib halyard shackle down to a small block at the stem head, turning the line back to the cockpit. A cleat somewhere at the aft end of the cabin will allow you to keep the line shipshape when the jib is up and keep the halyard tight when the jib is down.
If you need to drop the jib in a hurry, it's the only way to go,especially on our small boats, where going forward is not only dangerous, but changes everything about the way the boat sails.
Fair Tides,
Rick Langer M15 #337 Bluebird
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:57:54 -0400 From: Brian Gilbert <hammerguy@mindspring.com> Subject: M_Boats: Poor man's roller furling... does it work? To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Message-ID: <C0C6CDC2.7270%hammerguy@mindspring.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Hi Everybody: I'm curious about something... has anybody ever used a jib downhaul to control their headsail on their boats? You know, where you tie a light line to the head of the jib abd run it through a small block at the stem of the boat. A pull from the cockpit is supposed to bring the jib down without having to send a crew forward. If you've ever tried it, does it work?
It seems like a good idea, but if it worked, I'd imagine more folks would have their boats rigged that way, and it seems we never hear of anyone actually using a jib downhaul. I'd suppose you'd need halyards led to the cockpit as well.
Just wondering!
Best BG
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participants (3)
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jerry -
RandyG -
Rick Langer