Gennaker

I've always wanted a "light wind" device like Gennaker, Spinnaker or Code-0. However the more you will think about these sails, the more you will be confused what is the best option for you. I'm not any kind of a racer so I wanted just one and the most usable sail for a light wind conditions.
After a few months of discussion with different sail makers I had decided for the most general purpose sail Gennaker G1 on the roller furler from the polish sail maker SailService.

The rig dimension of the Phobos 21 with a standard bowsprit is:

I = 7800mm
J = 2720mm
LP = 8200mm (If I will subtract the height of the roller furler Ronstan 60 series, the sail luff can be 7900mm maximum)
B = 6000mm (Horizontal dimension between the bowsprit and sheet's block)
Sail foot ~5100mm

rig dimensions

Gennaker G1 with straight luff from SailService

As you can see, the shape of this sail is slightly different than regular Gennaker. That's because with the regular shape, you need a "top-down" roller furler which is a bit expensive. For our size of the boat, the Ronstan 60 series with 8mm anti-torsion rope is just enough, but the sail needs to have a straight luff! This sail shape is also called as Code-D. See the theoretical wind angles bellow.

Code-D wind angles (trade mark of  Delta Voiles)

Ronstan 60 series and 8mm anti-twist/anti-torsion rope.

The sail cloth for the winds up to ~15 knots has been chosen the Contender nylon Superkote 75 - orange color.

Finally arrived at the beginning of the year

Pretty long luff in comparison with 4 year daughter :-) 

SailService sail bag

The hard work had to wait till the warmer months so I could prepare the mast and boat with the necessary hardware.

At first I had to drill a hole for the halyard - Holt-Allen HA28 40mm sheave box.

mask the mast with the tape to prevent scratches

Cutting the hole for the sheave box was pretty easy. Drill the holes at the ends of the groove and then use the jigsaw to cut through the remaining material. Then finish the groove with the file.

finished groove

Then insert the sheave box and drill the holes for the stainless rivets.

finished halyard block

Fortunately, the mast is already equipped with the line exit at the mast step, so I just had to use the mainsail halyard to pull the new line through the mast.

Harken furler with the snap-shackle attached to the bowsprit eye

The continuous furler line is led aft on the port side and ended with a small block that is attached to the pushpit with a bungee cord. This bungee cord will hold the line in the jaws of the furler and helps a little from free wheeling. When you need to unfurl the Gennaker, just push the bungee cord a bit forward and pull the sheet.

continous furler line and Gennaker sheets with cam cleats

The sheets from Gennaker lead to the 40mm blocks attached to the pushpit and then to the Ronstan RF5010 cam cleats. The cleats are fastened through the deck inside the cockpit lockers.

I can use the main winches instead of the cam cleats, but this is more convenient to keep all the sheets from the Genoa and Gennaker cleated and in the stronger winds, I can still handle the sheets by hands without any trouble.

first test

first test

During the summer season we have used it plenty of times, even single handed, and I must say, it's worth the money. It's a great upgrade to every boat!

running with mainsail - Orlik dam

close reach on Adriatic sea

Adriatic sea

As you may notice, there are white velcro tapes near the clew. This is a clever idea of the sail maker that keeps the Gennaker from unfurling.

One hint on the Gennaker sheets - the rope should be as light as possible so they will not pull the clew down in light wind. I was lucky enough that I was able to get 8mm dyneema core sheets from Lanex during a boat show for a very low price.

great time sailing