560: Parasailor or Not for a Multihull?

[Amara]

All-
I thought you would like to know that we DID purchase a parasailor. The team at ISOTEC was amazing and able to turn around our custom graphic in less than 3 weeks. We are getting trained on it in a week and plan to use it for our Atlantic crossing from France to St. Maarten. I'll try and post some videos of it once we get comfy with it.
THank you again for all of your input, it really helped us to make this decision.
Cheers!
Kym

[Ozbullwinkle]

Hi Kym, We also have a Parasailor being made at the moment for a FP Eleuthera 60. It will be 188 square metres. It would have been even larger if we had went for the Masthead model but this will be large enough for us especially when short crewed.

Coincidentally ours will be delivered to St Maarten for our passage across the Pacific to Vanuatu which will commence in early March.

What size will your Parasailor be?

Steve

[RockBottomCat]

I also sailed from Grenada to Kemah with a parasailor, wouldn't take a long trip with out it !!! It is a must have!!

Lagoon 380

[caradow]

This thread is unbelievable!
I sincerely do not want to offend anyone but I must say
it sounds like you people advocating a parasail may have just fallen victim to a sailmaker's marketing skills.

From someone who has come from a very competitive racing background and racing with numerous sailmakers for over 40 years I think the parasail is a goofy invention.
For cruising dead down wind a slightly blown out racing kite would do just as well and a lot cheaper!
A symmetrical kite is one of the easiest sails to fly especially on a cat. It is not like you have to jibe the thing.
You guys have talked about how easy it is to fly, not having to worry about it overnight and it just cares for itself. Well I guess it's no problem when you get hit with that squall line that is always lurking.
Please, I encourage someone from a racing background to convience me otherwise.

Maybe it is something I am missing so I would like to be educated. I really don't need to hear from someone who has 7000 miles experience with one unless they have used a symmetrical kite extensively in the past and under the same conditions of your parasail.
Please please spell it out for me and if you can provide me logical explanations then I will go and buy one because my asym is quite disappointing when you need to go deep.

So again please do not be offended just have a different opinion.

[careka]

Caradow, have you sailed with a Parasailor ? i guess not.
its a very nice crusing sail.
Just try one, and you will se why so many like it.
---
and when you are only 2 onboard, it works very well, comp, to a full crew 8-12,
when racing and have to deal with a spinnakker.
---
Try to sail with one. then we can speak again.......

[caradow]

Careka,
thank you for your reply.
you are right I have never sailed with one but would welcome the opportunity.

It just seems to me it is a spinnaker with a hole in it.
It has a head, 2 shoulders, foot and two clews.
It is in a sock.
Is that the reason people find it easier to handle?
You have to trim it like a spinnaker and I suspect in a blow it needs to be tended too. You just don't leave it up in a squall do you?
If you have a broad shouldered running kite and you keep the boat down wind it is a very stable sail. A 3/4 oz. would do but a 1.5 would be nice and it could be flown in lighter airs.
If the seas are giving you a problem then you over sheet it.
If the wind strengthens then simply pop the sheet and it will fly free. Then simply drop the halyard carefully and stick it in it's bag......done.
A two person job.
I would think the secret is to have the right sail area flying for your individual cat.
The other thing that brothers me is you are flying a sail off the mast in a boat that does not have a backstay and rig failure becomes a worry without a main flying to add some form of compensation.
With a symmetrical kite I would advocate flying it with a double reefed main.
Anyway, thanks again for your comments.
I will try a parasail ASAP and you will be the first person I contact.
By the way do you sell them?

[RockBottomCat]

I want to put in my two cents for the non believer above, I purchased a parasailor from Jerry Toomy in florida, and as Creaka says sail one and you will understand, with that said, Parasailor offers a day class for $500 or so , and it includes a one night stay on one of thier boats in St Pete, Florida, if you purchase a sail, they apply it to the the purchase price, I went down after purchase so my experience at the Parasailor University was free! Great people and a great Sail, Could not even imagine not having it , and welcome every chance I get to sail it!! Seriously although its expensive, probably the best investment I have made for the boat other then shore power!!!

Cheers
Robert

[careka]

Originally Posted by caradow

Careka,
thank you for your reply.
you are right I have never sailed with one but would welcome the opportunity.

It just seems to me it is a spinnaker with a hole in it.
It has a head, 2 shoulders, foot and two clews.
It is in a sock.
Is that the reason people find it easier to handle?
You have to trim it like a spinnaker and I suspect in a blow it needs to be tended too. You just don't leave it up in a squall do you?
If you have a broad shouldered running kite and you keep the boat down wind it is a very stable sail. A 3/4 oz. would do but a 1.5 would be nice and it could be flown in lighter airs.
If the seas are giving you a problem then you over sheet it.
If the wind strengthens then simply pop the sheet and it will fly free. Then simply drop the halyard carefully and stick it in it's bag......done.
A two person job.
I would think the secret is to have the right sail area flying for your individual cat.
The other thing that brothers me is you are flying a sail off the mast in a boat that does not have a backstay and rig failure becomes a worry without a main flying to add some form of compensation.
With a symmetrical kite I would advocate flying it with a double reefed main.
Anyway, thanks again for your comments.
I will try a parasail ASAP and you will be the first person I contact.
By the way do you sell them?

------ No, i dont sell them i am a spender , not a seller.
----
the good thing with parasailor is that it is made out of a fab. that is very strong, and its OK to use up to 35 knots, but then you better be a dam good sailor to handel it, and not alone onbord.
i can easy set and take it down alone. on my boat. just rig it right.
---
something close to what a parachute is made out of.
it is easy to handle. and it is very stabile, (if that is the correct word)
when the wind varyes is force, and the shute starts closing/or something like that, it does not come back with a big Bang, due to the wing that lest the air out, if i cloud tell you it all, in my own language ,
It cost more. but i got due to others recomended it. and they where not wrong.
Go and try one. or look at al the films on Youtube..

here is our Blogg, http://lagoon380careka.blogspot.no
and if you are close to me when the summer comes up here, come on and we can go sailing the parasailor.

[caradow]

thank you again Careka.
and to be fair I will try a Parasail at my first opportunity.
however my cat is currently in the Caribbean but will be bringing her up in the spring to the Long Island Sound area.
Then I am sure I can hook up with someone who has one of these sails and try it for myself.
In the mean time I will try convincing some of my monohull racing buddies to to part with one of their symmetricals for the trip up.
again I will let you know when I try one.
take care and wishing you safe passages.

[careka]

Sail safe, its a Cruse, not a race.

[dochueb]

For the uninitiated, I see a parasailor & a parasail on the company's website. What's the difference?


DH

[careka]

Originally Posted by dochueb

For the uninitiated, I see a parasailor & a parasail on the company's website. What's the difference?


DH

i am not sure, but from what i can se on the page, it looks like Parasail is for smaller boats and Parasailor for bigger boats.
but thats how i read the web page.

[Ozbullwinkle]

Hi Careka, As I mentioned in a post above our Parasailor is currently being made and will be arriving in the next few weeks. I have been looking at your Youtube clip which gives a real good look at the sail in action.

I have been thinking of the best way to run the 2 brace lines from the bows after they go through the blocks. Run them straight to the blocks at the base of the mast then to the mast winches or install 2 extra blocks on the side decks adjacent to the mast to run the sheets back to these mast blocks. Neither of these seem ideal & I notice on your Youtube clip that you were going to set up a better system for these braces. Wondering if you have done so as yet? I expect that the Parasailor comes with some suggested rigging tips.

Regards,
Steve

[Octopussy]

We have a catamaran and definitely want a parasailor. Actually, you wrote about Jimmy Cornell advocating them. Here is a link to a recent blog post of mine... within it I have a link to a recent review by Jimmy Cornell using a parasailor on a catamaran delivery.

We were sold after listening to him talk about the performance on a cat during his seminar at the Annapolis Sailboat Show last October.


Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder | S/V Octopussy


Cheers,
S/V Octopussy

_________________________________
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[careka]

Originally Posted by Ozbullwinkle

I have been thinking of the best way to run the 2 brace lines from the bows after they go through the blocks. Run them straight to the blocks at the base of the mast then to the mast winches or install 2 extra blocks on the side decks adjacent to the mast to run the sheets back to these mast blocks. Neither of these seem ideal & I notice on your Youtube clip that you were going to set up a better system for these braces. Wondering if you have done so as yet? I expect that the Parasailor comes with some suggested rigging tips.

Regards,
Steve

Hey, Ozbullwinkel
No i have not done anything yet, we got winter up here and ice around our boat where she floats in the sea.
But when we are getting closer to summer, i might put up some blocks back on the sides, but i dont want to run lines up to the mast, that will give the line an angel that increase the pull on the pad in deck up on the bows.
So far i think i will just have the line going back to the puller, on the side deck./middel.
i did not have any problems with pulling or letting out on the line, but i did not run it in havy winds.
I would also try to move my point more out on the bows , clear of the pulpits that i have, but as i am only sailing up here in the north sea, and not out for weeks in the open ocean, i think is OK.
Some spinnlock on the side and then blocks to bring the lines up to witches is most likely what i will be doing,
Have to se when i start sailing again. its only a few months now