Twin Forestay

[hoppy]

I think I will inspect this Sweden Yachts 34 but I am not sure what to think about the twin roller forestay set-up.

The two headsails are 150% & 110% and I assume the larger is on the front roller. The forestays are two close together to be a cutter rig using both sails at the same time.

I guess it must be a pig to tack when using the front sail as it must need to be rolled in. I suppose it is fine for open water when you don't need to tack so often and if the wind picks up making the roll in tacking more of a challenge you can roll it in and then use the smaller sail.

I suppose if you are solo or short handed in tighter waterways it will motivate you to use the smaller and easier to handle headsail which is fine if you are not in a rush.

Am I understanding this correctly?

[PamlicoTraveler]

You want this..... It is a big plus.

You could remove one of the furled sails (the smaller probably) and use the stay as a hank on for a drifter, storm sale, asymmetrical, yankee etc. We have twin stays, with one furled Genoa. It gives you a lot of options!

[estarzinger]

Generally, with that rig, you use the aft sail for upwind work if you are going to be tacking at all frequently. As you say, the forward one needs to be rolled up to tack. But you can effectively use the forward one upwind if you are going to be on one tack for quite a while.

The forward one is more typically used for reaching/running in lightish air.

This was a somewhat common rig before the development and refinement of the code zero/rope luff furling systems. It gave you a small and a big jib immediately available for use, but at the cost of extra windage and weight aloft. Its still a useful cruising rig, but today, the more 'modern' solution would be to put the forward sail on a rope luff/zero furler, which you can leave up for reaching running work, but take down for upwind work to reduce windage and weight and wear and tear on it.

[PamlicoTraveler]

Evans,
They could do like you did with silk

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by PamlicoTraveler

Evans,
They could do like you did with silk

Silk's headstays were 'side by side' rather than 'fore and aft' There are trade-offs between those two options and to the 'zero furler' option.

With Silk's side by side headstays you can tack either sail easily, avoiding the 'roll it up to tack' problem with the fore/aft design. But the sails will rub on each other (or on the bare headstay if you have one hank on as we did - we had rod headstays which minimized this chafe problem), and there is a rigging problem that the headstays torque the mast cap differently and can cause cracking in the welds at the masthead if not correctly done and tensioned.

Both 'double headstay' design have a stay tension problem - eg that in practice/the real world you really can only properly tension one stay and the other one will be a little slack.

All these options are great for running downwind with two headsails poled out - the classic trade-wind cruising rig - creating zero chafe and a very balanced helm.

[zeehag]

side by side is mainly for down wind sailing. with a twins set up like that, if one is a drifter and one a genny ,you go down wind fast and efficiently with no main sail in use. when you want asingle foresail, roll one in. is easy.

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

....
All these options are great for running downwind with two headsails poled out - the classic trade-wind cruising rig - creating zero chafe and a very balanced helm.

The classic butterfly rig. Perfect for trade wind sailing

[hoppy]

Thanks... I'm happy that they will now not scare me off that boat.

Just waiting to hear back from the owner to see when I can inspect it

[Vasco]

That rig is quite common on Sagas and Shannons. Except in Shannons the two are even closer.

[PamlicoTraveler]

Originally Posted by Vasco

That rig is quite common on Sagas and Shannons. Except in Shannons the two are even closer.

Ours are side by side.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by PamlicoTraveler

Ours are side by side.

You must have the cutter rig with double headsails. Shannon's "scutter" rig was what I was thinking of.

[djmarchand]

The close parallel forestay rig is sometimes called a Solent rig. I had one on my Saga 43, a Bob Perry designed performance cruiser. I think it is one of the best sailing rigs for cruising.

As someone noted you use the forward genoa for reaching and running and use the inner flat cut jib for upwind work. The Saga's rig was self tacking.

Yes, to gybe you have to roll up the genny, but on a cruiser you don't do this very often.

The only downside I can see was the extra windage of the rolled up genny while hard on the wind.

David