Association Forum - 135 or 150 furling genoa?

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

135 or 150 furling genoa?

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

danc
Deckhand

Member Avatar

USA
22 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/23/2007 : 16:04:29

We've had our 1980 C-25 swing keel a year and have had enough of changing headsails in rough water. It's been recommended to me by the furler guy at North Sails in Seattle to replace my 150% genoa with a 135% genoa when going to a furling system. He says it's too much area for the boat and won't help speed much if at all. The 150 is great in light air so I'm reluctant to reduce the size for that reason. Here are my questions/concerns:

1. Anybody have insight on the pros and cons of the two sails?

2. Is the Harken furling system worth the price premium over Schaeffer or CDI or others? I single hand a lot and it needs to work right. We don't have a trailer and seldom unstep the mast, meaning that aluminum foil furlers such as Harken are good according to CD.

3. Is installation okay for the owner to do or are there tricks that might make it better to have the experts do it? I've done all the other work on the boat including rewiring the mast, replacing portlights, bringing halyards to the cockpit, and lots of other little stuff with pretty good success but the furler seems to be a more complex piece of rigging than anything else.

Thanks for any input.

Dan Clawson
"Keta" C-25 SR SK
Hull #1901
Seattle

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 07/23/2007 : 17:01:30

Purely one opinion from a non-racer: Having owned C-25 with a roller-130, I think it (or the 135) is the right sail on a furler. Poled out, the 155 might be advantageous downwind, but if it's not a deck-sweeper (as it generally isn't on a furler), I don't see it adding much to windward except difficulty in tacking. I think the 135 is easier to handle and shape, and gives you a better shape when reefed for stiff breezes.

I can't speak to installation--our Hood furler was on the boat when we bought her.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2007 : 00:33:46

Dan, Dave covered the advantages of the 135 furling sail over the 150, he is right. However, that said, the Catalina 25 is heavy and undercanvassed so the 150 is the perfect sail for a lot of wind conditions, it is the furler that changes the formula. Harken is the best even though they are not as good as they used to be, they used to have two swivels on the unit for our boats. One at the top and one at the bottom, that allowed the center of the sail to roll up first so the reefed sail was flatter, they no longer have the lower swivel so the Harken furler no longer makes better sail shape on a reefed sail than the competition; too bad. If you have the money buy a Harken but others give you pretty much the same thing for less money. I had a good Harken on another boat and have the CDI on this boat, the CDI does fine and a monkey could install one.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2007 : 07:09:38

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Frank Hopper
 ...CDI does fine and a monkey could install one.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
But get the ball-bearing upgrade (unless that's standard now).

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2007 : 08:27:41

Since furlers are a bit of a compromise, so too is the sail you put on her. For my sailing venue, the 135 is the perfect size, not too big and not too small. I'll probably replace it in the next year or two, and when I do, it'll be with another 135.

If you do go with the 135, you could always pick up a drifter/cruising spinnaker for those light air days.

(PS...I have one of the older Harken units and it is rather bullet proof.)

Edited by - dlucier on 07/24/2007 08:29:07

danc
Deckhand

Members Avatar

USA
22 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2007 : 10:37:03

Sounds like the Harken is to the CDI as a Lexus is to a Toyota? Simplicity and ease of installation, not to mention saving a few bucks, are worth a lot. B.O.A.T.: "break out another thousand." I'll give the CDI furler with ball bearing upgrade a good look. Appreciate the responses!

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2007 : 11:50:58

Another thing about the Harken units is that I believe they now all have removable split drums that allow you to take the drum off and use the entire foil length.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2007 : 11:43:02

You got to tell us your normal range of wind speeds and the highest wind speed you would go out in.

If you are normally sailing in 15 to 20 and would go out in 25 for sure the 135.

If you are normally sailing in 5 to 10, the 155.

The trick is what about between 10 and 15 ? I'd fly the 135 if I had guests especially novices. I'd fly the 150 in a race or if I felt like speed, spray, and heeling.

Probably the 135 is the best all around sail.

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2007 : 13:21:59

I sail on the Chesapeake Bay, which often has light winds, and hedged my bets with a 140% genoa. I singlehand frequently, and the 140 is much easier to tack, and, if you have to furl it deeply, it doesn't create such a fat roll as the 150, which means you can still beat to windward fairly well. Nevertheless, it has a skosh more sail area than the 130 or 135, so it still drives the boat well until the wind is almost nonexistent. If the 140 won't drive the boat, a bigger, heavier 150 probably won't do much better. It's a good compromise.

Edited by - on

danc
Deckhand

Members Avatar

USA
22 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2007 : 11:07:30

Thanks for all the responses. I just ordered a 135 from Cruising Direct as part of a package including a ball-bearing CDI FF4 furler. It might not move quite as well as a 140 or 150 in light wind but should be a big improvement over the 150 I'm using now, which was original on the 1980 boat and will be better for the occasional blow. We will apply the savings to an autopilot which we really need.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2007 : 15:02:04

Save that old blown out 150, take the hanks off, Use it as a drifter in light air. One of the advantages to the CDI is the internal halyard which leaves your current jib halyard available for drifter/spinnaker duty. Use the old 150 like a free flying drifter, with the 135 furled, tack the 150 to the bow and raise it with the halyard, play with the halyard tension to control the luff shape and enjoy.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2007 : 21:36:50

Good choices, Dan... I predict you're going to love them!

Edited by - on

dblitz
Navigator

Members Avatar

240 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2007 : 20:07:00

Wow, Frank using a sail in that manner wouldn't even occur to me. Thanks for the tip

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2007 : 20:40:22

Good call, Frank!

Edited by - on

danc
Deckhand

Members Avatar

USA
22 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2007 : 22:41:57

Frank,

I will definitely try that. Was racing a C-34 recently and was able to keep up with it going wing-on-wing with the whisker pole extending the 150 allmost all the way out. So the 150 does get some power. Besides it's so old and mildew stained I couldn't sell it anyway!

Dan

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2007 : 23:23:14

Coo

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.