[Public-list] Roller furling - or hanked on?

Tue Oct 19 17:01:10 PDT 2004

Brian,

I have had a similar experience on Tonic, my 1962 Rhodes 19.  Even with a day sailor a motor is important to have on the Pittsburgh rivers given the fluky winds and currents.  My formerly trusty 6 HP Johnson outboard gave up about 15 yards from the dock.  Fortunately, that season I had purchased a used set of sails that included a roller jib (with the furreller).  While the gas guy on the dock looked on anxiously, I struggled with the motor for a while then a light went off in my thick head.  I opened the jib, got up some headway, and neatly tacked away from the dock (with great aplomb, if I do say so).  Upon my safe return to the dock (under sail), I commented to the gas guy how lucky it was I had that jib so handy to get me out of my jamb.  He asked me what a jib was.  I told him it was a silent, emergency starter for the motor.

More on Roller Furrellering  (does anyone know, for sure, how to spell "furrellering"?)
Rumor has it, after retirement,  the previous owner of A30, #148 started taking his scotches a little earlier in the afternoon so his wife made him get a roller furreller to keep him off the foredeck while under way.  All other sails (#1 & working jib) are hank on and in pretty good shape because they have been in their bags since early cocktail hour started about 1987.  The Mylar 130% on the furreller was shot and I was able to get the sail described below at Bacons a few weeks ago which works out to a 138% (yes, I know it is not race legal).
      Catalog No 302-SNRW-102 Luff 34' 8" Foot 14' 6" Leech 36' 6" Head 0' 0" Price $ 245.00 
      J-105 ROLLER FURLING TRIRADIAL JIB, 6 OZ. MYLAR/PENTEX BACKED DACRON WITH 5 OZ. MYLAR/PENTEX LUFF PANELS, BY NORTH. 3/16" LUFF TAPE. LEECH & FOOT LINES. TELLTALE WINDOW. PEEL OFF DRAFT STRIPES. 3 ROLLER BATTENS SEWN IN. NEEDS MINOR RESTITCHING. LIGHT SOIL & STAINS. WITH BLUE ROLL BAG. FAIR.

Bacons seems to be very conservative in their sail ratings.  I could not find any stains or areas that needed to be restiched and the shape seemed pretty good.  I was told that the J-109 racing rules allow only one size of headsail and it has to be roller furrelling and can't contain any Kevlar.  Thus, the dichotomy of a racy, roller sail.  I thought the battens on a roller furrelling sail would have to be ventricle.  Turns out the battens are horizontal and work something like a single strip of Venetian blind.  They actually fold around the headstay; pretty neat, at least to a river sailor from Pittsburgh.  Anyway, price was right to fill in a blank in the inventory until I figure out weather to go roller, hank on, single double...  Has anyone tried kite sails?  

Roger L. Kingsland, AIA
Managing Partner
Kingsland Scott Bauer Associates (KSBA) 
N40° 27' 49"  W79° 57' 59"
3441 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
www.ksba.com

1(412) 252-1500 X101 - Office & Voice Mail
1(412) 779-5101 - Mobile (no voice mail)
1(412) 252-1510 - Fax

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brian and Elaine Timmins" <timmins at optonline.net>
To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at alberg30.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 6:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Public-list] Roller furling - or hanked on?

>   Let me chime in one more time on this topic. My preference is for having
> roller furling / reefing.
>   The point I'd like to add is a very short story. I dock my boats (as
> opposed to mooring). One day, my wife and I took a couple of freinds out
> sailing. On the way to open water, my engine died, so we sailed out and
> enjoyed a beautiful early December sail. During the day, I tried,
> unsuccessfully, to get the motor running. My wife started to worry about
> returning to the dock, so I calmed her down by telling her that we would
> sail in. Of course the approach into my slip was from the south and the wind
> was too. While in open water still, we dropped and secured the mainsail and
> continued on under jib alone. As we approached the slip, going downwind, we
> just rolled up a little jib. The closer we got, the more we rolled in. The
> last 50' or so was with just a wisp of sail out. As we entered the slip, the
> jib was fully rolled and we grabbed our typical "brake line", came to a
> perfect stop, and tied her up.
>   The next day, our guests (who worked with my wife) commented about how
> easily and smoothly we were able to dock under sail. Little did they know
> that it was the first time I did it in many years and the first time ever
> doing it down wind!
>   Working roller furling made it easy.
> Regards,
> Brian ex#497
> 
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