Roller furling on a solent stay?

[Sea Dreaming]

Im just muzzing a few random questions and this might even be a dumb one!
Anyway, our Cheoy Lee Offshore 38 was designed as a sloop with a genoa on a roller furler and a solent stay for a storm jib or stay sail. Is it possible to put a roller furler on that solent stay?
I dont mean that we want to use both head sails at once (the boat wasnt designed that way), I am just wondering if roller furling would be possible.
thanks!

[Don C L]

Hope you guys are having fun in the Sea of Cortez! I ain't no expert on solents, but this website should be informative:
https://theriggingco.com/2014/02/25/...-its-own-stay/
Many folks do have 'em rigged with roller furling.

[Sea Dreaming]

Thanks Don. that is really helpful!
Though it turns out that what I really ment was just the stay sail stay! Haha! And now I know!

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

Thanks Don. that is really helpful!
Though it turns out that what I really ment was just the stay sail stay! Haha! And now I know!

I hadn't seen your quote at the bottom before!

[UNCIVILIZED]

Yep, it can be done. Though evidently it sometimes makes tacking a pain in the rear. At least according to Ann & Jim Cate (members here). And there are production boats with such setups too, the Saga line for example.

Not that Solent stays are the most common to run across, but on some boats with them, there's also a dedicated 3rd stay for storm sails. Usually a detachable staysail stay. And such are very common on certain classes of short/singlehanded racers. Like Class 40's & Open 40's for example. Along with larger & smaler boats in the same vein.

Also if it strikes you fancy, & you decide to skip the furling gear on such a stay, the stay can be rigged so that it's usable when tacked to the deck either in the Solent position, or the Staysail position. Depending on what fits your needs best at the time/the prevailing conditions where you're sailing.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ay-127556.html
Adding a Solent Stay - Practical Sailor Print Edition Article

It's generally best to think through what headsails you use most, prior to starting to wrench on (reconfigure) your rig. So that your quiver of sails covers the widest range of wind strengths & angles, for the least effort in shifting gears (sail changes). And at the lowest cost.

Such as say:
- A Code 0 for light air beating, to beam reaching, or a bit deeper. On a furler
- A #2 (130%) as your generic upwind, liteish air headsail on a furler
- A #4 (80% aka Solent) for intermediate upwind work
And so on. Ditto for downwind.

If you do skip the furler for your Solent Stay, it can increase it's versatility greatly. Allowing you to hank large, light air sails onto it. Or a 2nd jib for a downwind, twin jibs rig. That, or a reacher (light or heavy, non-spinnaker type). As well as heavy air canvas.

One other option is structural furlers (for your Solent or Code 0). Though they're more common on the short handed racing class boats mentioned. Not that it's not a viable option, especially when paired with other, complimentary sails.

[Jim Cate]

I was thinking to answer in detail until I saw your later post saying it was a staysail that you were interested in. Our roller Solent works well for us, and we're happy to have it. Initially there was no furler there, and it was east to detach the stay and stow it by the mast. Made tacking the genoa a normal affair. As we came to grips with getting older, we put a furler there. At first we kept the Hyfield lever attachment, and with somewhat less ease we could remove the whole mess. One day at sea the lever came open, and by the time the dust settled, the sail and the furler were toast. When I rebuilt it no Hyfield was incorporated, and it just stays there all t he time... in the way of tacking or gybing the genoa.

There are heaps of proper cutters out cruising with furlers on theit staysails. No reason at all to avoid this setup IMO. If the staysail is properly designed it will serve as a storm sail when reefed down. If that does not satisfy, then a third stay, likely Dyneema, just for the storm jib, can be added as a readily removable item, only deployed when storm conditions prevail.

Cheers,

Jim

[DMCantor]

Our Outbound 46 is rigged exactly like that. We have a big, deep-cut genoa on the forestay, and a moderate, flat-cut sail on the solent stay. We love the rig. The genoa is great on a reach in moderate winds, or beating in light winds. Beating in moderate to strong winds, or reaching in strong winds, we use the solent. Since the solent is flat-cut, it keeps good shape as you reef it. We never reef the genoa, it's either all out or furled away.

We always furl the genoa when tacking or gybing. It's a bit of a pain, but the slot is simply too narrow to thread the sail through it.

[Cheechako]

On my cutters, I considered a furler on the staysail stay. But decided due to weight, more rigging etc to just go with hank on and a special bag that allowed the staysail to be stored hanked on and ready. It was a joy to use, simple and out of the way..

[hsi88]

I sail the Chesapeake where the summer winds can be almost non-existent. I want to add an all around light air sail similar to a code 0 that can point and add a considerable amount of sail area for the predominant light air of summer. Was going to put the code zero on the end of my bowsprit and run a permanent 130 genoa tied to the bow just behind the bow sprit via a solent stay.

Not sure if I want to sock or furl the code zero. Sort of depends on the cloth weight I suppose. Before I take the boat anywhere beyond the Bay, I also plan to install a removable stay to run a storm jib, but only if I find reefing the 130 inadequate. I haven't talked to any sailmakers or riggers yet, but am seeking opinions to see if this arrangement make sense. While we are on the OP's subject of multiple stays up front, I'm curious as to what sails people use them for.

[wiekeith]

I have a solent rig with furlers on both. The inner genoa is rigged as self tacking, which I use until I get into less congested waters (a great benefit when single-handing), so the pain of tacking the main genoa is not such a problem as it tends to be set and left for a while when a heading is set.

I have a detachable inner stay too (stows at base of mast), and a hank-on staysail. All-in-all, I'm quite happy with the arrangement - it works well for me.

[buzzstar]

OK, just to test the numerous experts, my ideal (as I prefer solo) is a ~32' vessel, say a Dreadnought 32, which would be rigged as a ketch. Is a solent rig for the "foresails" reasonable, or even a cutter-ketch rig? And if so or not, why? Go ahead and presume I am not coasting or day sailing, which I usually would not, although I tend to be hove to during the say in many areas and sail at night, but nothing is absolute.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

I was thinking to answer in detail until I saw your later post saying it was a staysail that you were interested in. Our roller Solent works well for us, and we're happy to have it. Initially there was no furler there, and it was east to detach the stay and stow it by the mast. Made tacking the genoa a normal affair. As we came to grips with getting older, we put a furler there. At first we kept the Hyfield lever attachment, and with somewhat less ease we could remove the whole mess. One day at sea the lever came open, and by the time the dust settled, the sail and the furler were toast. When I rebuilt it no Hyfield was incorporated, and it just stays there all t he time... in the way of tacking or gybing the genoa.

There are heaps of proper cutters out cruising with furlers on theit staysails. No reason at all to avoid this setup IMO. If the staysail is properly designed it will serve as a storm sail when reefed down. If that does not satisfy, then a third stay, likely Dyneema, just for the storm jib, can be added as a readily removable item, only deployed when storm conditions prevail.

Cheers,

Jim

Thank you Jim!
That was a very thoughtful answer. A furler isn't something we need to do now, but I'm glad that it can be an option.

Cheechako
Re: Roller furling on a solent stay?
On my cutters, I considered a furler on the staysail stay. But decided due to weight, more rigging etc to just go with hank on and a special bag that allowed the staysail to be stored hanked on and ready. It was a joy to use, simple and out of the way..

Hey Cheechako,
Can you describe that staysail bag? Where did you get it?
Our staysail has the absolute worst bag. It looks like pasticky mail bag without anyway to close it. Agh!

[gjordan]

Look up Sailrite kits on the net. They sell kits or probably finished sailbags that are designed to leave the sail on deck. If you are going to leave it that way for any length of time a grate underneath to allow water to run off is needed, but then that is just one more thing on deck. If leaving the sail in the bag at anchor or in a marina, the bags are usually made with a D-ring so you can lift it a little off of the deck to avoid it sitting in a puddle. When built correctly, it is a nice looking set up and is one less sail to clutter your cabin or lazzeret. Grant.