Thanks Tom, Larry, Tyler, Keith, and all who responded to my question about drifters. I would like to get one before this season ends. I'm curious about what the actual measurements are for your existing drifters and what the relative sizes (150%, 170%, etc) are? A related question for you experts out there (that includes everyone but me): Does the % size of a genoa or jib refer to the ratio of the LP to the boat's J measurement or does it refer to the ratio of the sail's area to the 100% fore triangle? I've seen several sailmakers' sites that define it as a function of the J measurement, which is 6.58 ft according to Sailrite's data base. This makes sense to me when talking about overlapping genoas but what about smaller jibs? You could have a number of different sails with the same LP measurement but that vary greatly in luff length. Their areas would be quite different but they would have the same LP percentage. Take a storm jib sized sail versus a blade jib; they theoretically could have the same LP measurement but there would be a great difference in their total square footage. Someone set me straight, please! On Fri, Jul 24, 2015 at 1:07 PM, Tom Smith <openboatt@gmail.com> wrote:
I've used a drifter on both an M15 and M17 to good advantage. I'll have to measure the sail, but Larry's right, when the wind builds, pull that dude down. I probably max out 8 to 10 knots. I found it advantageous to have two hanks at the top of the sail and hook a down-haul to the second one (maybe a foot or 18 inches lower). If you have only one top hank, the sail will jam when you try to douse it. t
On Fri, Jul 24, 2015 at 10:20 AM, Larry Yake <larryyake@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Henry,
The drifter on CornDog is 170% in 3/4oz nylon. It was made to be flown with the luff "hanked" onto the furled genoa with bead parrells (short loops made of a wire with beads strung onto them so they can roll up and down the furled sail). I found in practice that the parrels just hung loose, even going upwind, and served no real purpose, so I eliminated them. Flying the sail from the bow pulpit is unconventional, but the sail was unfortunately built too short in the luff, which made it possible to fly it form there, and doing so allowed some working room between the drifter and the furled genoa. This allows the sheet to pass between them. I have also flown both sails at once, poled out on opposite sides as a version of twin head sails. The drifter is "tacked" to the pulpit with a web loop.
All that being said, I use the sail very little. Where I sail, light winds don't seem to last very long. They are either in the process of dying clear out, or building and soon beyond the wind range suitable for the drifter. There are exceptions of course, so it gets a little use, but if I was to do it all again, I would opt for a cruising spinnaker instead. A better performing downwind sail would be more useful than the drifter, which, when used as an upwind sail, isn't any better than my 150 genoa, unless you're trying to sail in winds so light that the genoa won't stay open.
Larry Y
On Fri, Jul 24, 2015 at 9:50 AM, Henry Rodriguez <heinzir@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks Tyler!
I remember it from the Lake Pleasant Ran Tan. I think you walked away from us on Seas the Day! Of course my extra xxxx lbs. didn't help our performance much.
On Fri, Jul 24, 2015 at 11:43 AM, Tyler Backman <casioqv@usermail.com> wrote:
I use a nylon drifter on my M15, I am not sure of the dimensions. It can tack to windward but doesn't point as high as the working jib, I think even in light air it's much faster downwind but slower upwind than the working jib.
I run it outside the shrouds, currently to the dockline cleats... but will add a genoa track for it soon.
Tyler Davis, CA M15 #157 "Defiant"
On Jul 24, 2015, at 9:27 AM, Henry Rodriguez <heinzir@gmail.com> wrote:
Who uses a drifter with their M17? What are the dimensions? I see in the archives there is a picture of Larry Yakes' Corn Dog that shows a drifter that appears to be tacked to the bow pulpit. How is that working out, Larry? How big is the sail? Do you tack it like a genoa or jibe it like a spinnaker? What type of fitting do you have on the bow pulpit? What other light air options, short of a full blown soinnaker, are there? Thanks!
-- Henry https://picasaweb.google.com/heinzir
-- Henry https://picasaweb.google.com/heinzir
-- Henry https://picasaweb.google.com/heinzir