Dual headstays?

[Brent]

After a closer inspection of my standing rigging (thanks to Pete for the URLs--good info), I have decided to replace all of it before I put #66 back in the water. I was leaning in this direction anyway, since it looks like it is all original (40 years old).

I'm not too thrilled about roller furlers--seems to me to be just one more think to go wrong--and the cost certainly works against them too, given the amount of $$$ I need to put into #66.

So what about dual headstays? It seems to be a cheap way to make headsail changing easy; I could have the jib and genoa hanked-on all the time and just raise whichever one is better suited to the conditions at the time. If heavy weather is expected, just replace the genoa with a storm jib before casting off.

[Tony G]

Brent
Well, Christmas has come and pass and I didn't find a roller furler in my sock...bummer. So may by a double headstay needs closer scrutinization.:confused: They say the purists never stray from the hanked-on head sails. 'Don't know if I'm really a purist-I think I'm still too young for that but I really like tweaking the sails for max speed and optimum shape and that's not an option with rollers from my current understanding. Our wind isn't consistent enough to set and forget so maybe that's a backhanded argument for furlers or maybe against them. Regardless, I'd like some more info on rigging twin head-stays if you care to share. What's your source, experience, inklings etc.
Regards, Tony G

ps what's the status on the upgrade/redo?

[Brent]

No source. No experience. Not even quite sure how to go about doing it.

I have come across triangular plates that (I guess) are used for split backstays; these would seem to be useful for a dual headstay.

I was actually looking to see if anyone else had any experience with this particular topic; I know little about it myself, but I'm not at the point yet where I need to worry about the rigging. Research.

As for the rennovation of #66, things have been slow this Fall. At my job, I was asked to pick up the slack until we could fill an open position, so I've been doing more traveling lately, and that has a ripple effect on everything.

I'm collecting wood for a shelter (my father-in-law is a builder, so scrap wood is easy to come by), and I hope to have it up and useable by the end of January. It will probably look similar to Tim's (Glissando).

Once that is done, I'll be able to clean out the bilge (once and for all--every time it rains, it fills) and finish the demolition work inside.

[Mike Goodwin]

Brent,

Go down to the marinas and yacht clubs and seek out a Allied Seawind MkII . It is a 30 or 32' Thomas Gilmer design that is older than our Ariels and built up into the 1980's .
They were rigged as sloops and ketches , most I've seen were ketches . I think they were built in Rhode Island .
It was the 1st fiberglass boat to sail around the world ( that boat was here on the Chesapeake a few years back ).
Some of them were factory equiped with dual headstays , I remember seeing them at the 1980 Annapolis Boat Show and it had dual headstays .

[commanderpete]

You just have to avoid the sail chafing on the additional wire.

Although I can't offer any advice, at least I can provide some encouragement.