Forestay and Jib Setup

[bobsummers]

I have begun planning my next project for the schooner but want to thank Osteoderm (bone tissue???) and Brian for the bowsprit netting information. I have laid out the netting plan on plywood and will begin splicing, weaving and knotting this weekend and hopefully install (long 3 dayer). My next project involves the jib and how it's currently rigged. Right now it's set up with Wykeham-Martin roller-furling but in a unique way. The jib furling gear is set back from the forestay about 10" or so allowing the drum to clear the turnbuckle. From there the jib is hoisted by the luff wire sewn (there is no foil/track) in the sail, tied to the jib halyard then to a single block on the foremast and tied off at the pinrail when hauled. There are no hanks, foil, track or any contact with the forestay!! Needless to say with a single block at the top and no winches it's impossible for one person or even two for that matter to set the jib so that we can keep something close to a straight leading edge. Anything above a very light breeze bows the luff leeward which is a result of not being able to properly set the jib and probably more important, the luff wire was not meant to be used as a stand alone jibstay. As a result, I would bet that a square-rigger can go to windward better. My first comment would be that this set up is very consistent with the look of the schooner. The furling drum is bronze swivel and open drum from Davys etc, etc. My first question would be, is there a traditional looking roller furling system out there that can be set up as the forestay/jibstay in a similar fashion to most current furling/reefing systems or is my setup incorrect and my hardware would work if done correctly? Worst case would be to go back to a hanked on jib with a downhaul led aft eliminating the need to do battle out on the bowsprit but in my experience, downhauls don't always/generally/usually work as something always seems to jamb/tangle/get stuck right when you need to drop the jib. If I do end up going to a hanked on jib, is there a good downhaul setup that would work most of the time?
Thanks
Bob

I'm not sure what sized unit you are using but the easiest fix is probably a 2:1 purchase on your halyard. Working alone you can get 300-400+ pounds of tension just by standing on a bight and with someone else you can get way more if you really sweat it up. To answer your question about whether or not you are set up correctly try this site for some info: http://www.classicmarine.co.uk/Articles/WMgear.htm

[osteoderm]

As already suggested, try a 2:1 halyard arrangement. For a hanked-on sail, a 2:1 downhaul is very simple to accomplish. The trouble with setting-up is that the sail must be fully run up the stay, and there must be sufficient room below the tack to allow for sail stretch; it's amazing how easily/quickly a 2:1 tack downhaul will get two-blocked.

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
Even with a massive purchase, that furler will still continue to set your luff well to leeward, and at some point, if you keep trying to tension it, you are liable to pull it apart, and then the entire sail will be set well to leeward. That's why the only contemporary free-flying furlers are either for drifter-type sails, or are engineered as standing rigging.
The nearest thing to a traditional-looking furler that sits on the stay, and is likely to work well, is the Reef-Rite. And by traditional I mean not modern-looking, and a bit rough.
As for downhauls, the single greatest cause of jams, in my experience, is attaching the downhaul to the head of the sail; it wants to be attached to the top hank's ring, so it doesn't pull the head over to one side, causing it to jam the top hank. I've sailed thousands of miles with properly-led downhauls, with zero problems. They certainly present fewer opportunities for malfunction than, say, a jib furler.
Still, given the need to go out on that bowsprit, and in the absence of lazyjacks for the jib, a good furler, regardless of appearance, might be a better choice.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss