Posted: May 31, 2011 - 10:13 AM
Correct, the jib is "permanently" attached to the forestay, using shackles. I also trailer my P18 everywhere and use the forestay to step the mast, the jib is furled around forestay and I use a velcro strap to secure it, I use a carabiner to attach my jib blocks to the jib at the jib clew grommet. There is no need to raise and lower the jib when using a furler setup, you just furl the jib and it"s out of the way, not flapping in the wind. And yes, it is recommended to secure jib top and bottom.
When I get ready to pack the cat away at the end of the day, furl jib, secure with velcro strap which runs through jib clew grommet, disconnect jib blocks at the carabiner, step mast down, remove forestay/jib and trap wires, leave sail, jib and jib sheets to dry in the sun while I put everything away. I stow sail, jib/forestay in sailbag and it's ready for next time I go sailing.
Once you use a furler setup, it's hard to go back to the old style of raising and lowering the jib to get it out of the way, if at all possible, get with a cat sailor who has a furler setup and check it out, ask questions, I love my furler setup, ease of use, depowering when wind gets up, furling it when parked on a beach having lunch. The key to a furler setup is that the jib must be pinned/shackled/secured to the forestay head and tack, and the 2 become 1.
Mindpicture, you attach upper forestay to bell shackle at mast hound, you attach, swivel to bottom of upper forestay then attach lower forestay to bottom of swivel to complete your forestay, you have Hobie bridle wires with furler attached. Now you step the mast, how are you going to pin the forestay to the furler? if you are using old Prindle forestay turnbuckle could be a problem. Do you have a 10 hole stay adjuster on top of furler? In your case you want to use old Prindle jib halyard to raise jib and secure jib with hook and ring method, how do you plan to pin jib to forestay at the tack? using the adjuster? the tack of the jib stops at the turnbuckle. In this scenario a major factor to consider would be chafe, you would have to wrap the turnbuckle with electrician's tape to prevent chafe but also the forestay would chafe against the jib along the outside of the zipper pocket. You also used extra time to raise the jib, hook it to the ring on the upper forestay, pin jib somehow at the jib tack, far quicker if jib was already attached to forestay when you stepped the mast.
The only downside to a furler setup is the furler line which wraps around the spool, you have to adjust the line manually so that when you haul on the line the jib furls all the way before you run out of line, when disconnecting the furler from the bridle wires and packing furler away, this setting can become un-set and has to be re-set next sail. I use a Harken small boat furler and was able to drill a small pin hole on spool housing, I drop in a split pin and this secures the spool, keeps my setting, stops the line from unravelling when packed away, not too sure on the Hobie furler, might already have a pin hole and pin, dunno
Hope this helps you some Dustin
Turbo
