The Sailboat Shop clearly misjudged when they strongly recommending the 150% genoa regardless of my expressed reservations due to the characteristic wind strengths of the area where we intended to sail. The CDI roller furler/reefer has also proved marginal in these conditions. The Sailboat Shop caters to local lake sailors and didn't appreciate the differing wind conditions of the Cape when recommending the genoa. Other sail handling and sail control changes have been made. Further changes are planned.
We sailed our entire first season with the 150% genoa. It was very rarely fully deployed. Even half furled we were often overpowered and carrying a poorly shaped sail when furled to that extent. At the end of summer we had Tina at Yachtcloth Sail and Canvas in Harwich cut down the genoa. It is now closer to a 110% genoa than a 150% now. The clew just passed the upper shrowd when close hauled.
The genoa recut was a considerable improvement but led to a second though less severe problem. The sail foot stitching was left intact but the foot shortenned. A new leach was sewn. The way the sail was recut, the jib sheet lead belongs farther forward than the genoa track goes. We sailed our second season with this sail and the sheet led too far back. In order to compensate for the excessive twist, the sail had to be sheeted in much tigher than it should be. When the lower portion of the sail was sheeted in too tight, the top portion stopped flagging. The problem was most pronounced in strong winds when we were unable to flatten the sail by moving farther forward on the jib track.
Over the following winter we bought two new headsails from North Sails. One of these is a 110% working jib and the other is a 60% headsail and does not have a UV cover. On days where conditions are stronger we intend to change down to the smaller sail and remove that sail when not in use. We are also added a 32 inch section of jib track forward of the current genoa track. The sails where designed with this sheeting angle in mind.
We now have one season on the 100% jib. The properly cut 110% jib is an excellent choice for a working jib. With a second reef now available in the mainsail, a few turns around the furler and the second reef make sailing in 25 knots quite comfortable. With a single reef and the 100% jib fully set, 20 knots is comfortable.
The Compac 23/3 sails best when sailing on her lines. If heeled too far she sails slower. Shortenning sail not only makes sailing more comfortable, it makes you go faster. About 20 degrees seems optimal.
Because the second reef and a mild reduction in the 110% jib works so well, we have not yet had a need for the 60% jib. I consider this to be very good news. This means that we are likely to have a sail wardrobe that will allow us to sail comfortably at 30-35 knots and possibly 35-40. That takes us into near gale and full gale range. When considering the possibility of more serious coastal cruising, this sort of safety margin is good to have.
The CDI roller furler itself was problematic in stronger breezes. The CDI furler uses a unique internal halyard and flexible foil. The foil is plastic rather than the more common aluminum. The foil is too flexible in the torsional direction. It twists badly when furled in a strong breeze. The internal halyard is further tensioned when the foil has been twisted by the furling the sail in a bit of wind and eventually the halyard stretches or the sail luff stretches.
The stated advantage of the CDI flexible foil is that it is much easier to handle when rigging and particularly when trailering than an aluminum foil. Trailering and raising the mast is definitely easier with the flexible foil. The foil does not have to be rigidly supported along its entire length. Since we only launch and retrieve once each season, these advantages are not a great benefit to us but might to to others.
The entire CDI assembly may be too flexible for our use. By the time we furl the 110% jib there is enough torque on the foil that the foil twists from top to bottom while furling. This leaves the sail hopelessly out of shape. The headsail must be furled not at all or completed. Roller reefing simply doesn't work with the CDI.
CDI has the FF1 model for real small boats. This furler is good for the Compac 16, maybe the Compac 19. We had the CDI FF2, which is more than adequate for the Compac 19, and good for Compac 23 under normal use (max headstay length 28'). The FF1 is $400 on CDI's web page, FF2 is $590. CDI at the time was not carried by West Marine, Defender, or BoatUS, but is carried by SailNET. SailNET lists the FF1 at $252, and the FF2 at $369, much less than what is listed at CDI (which appears to be MSRP).
The lowest end ProFurl is the R25. These were going for $850-$900. The R25 is roughly comparable to the FF4 or FF6 in CDI's line. The CDI FF4 and FF6 are comparable in terms of certain specs such as stay length, wire diameter, and clevis pin diameter, but I think the ProFurl is a more solid product. The FF4 is $439 (special at SailNET) and the FF6 is $549. CDI furlers cost considerably less than the competitors, but not as much if you look at comparable products.
The Harken Unit 0 is comparable to the ProFurl R25 but goes for about $1,200. The Unit 00 is about $750 for up to a 31' headstay which should be just fine for a Compac 23. Its definitely more furler than the FF2, but not comparable to the ProFurl R25.
ProFurl R25 or Harken 0 are overkill for a Compac 23 if used for small lake sailing or well protected water. Using either of these might be an error on the safe side for Compac 23 in open ocean (or the Great Lakes), but often its better to error on the safe side. The Harken 00 would probably do the job admirably. We went with the ProFurl R25 due to ProFurl's reputation for smooth operation under heavy load and ProFurl's reputation as a very nearly indestructible product.
In spring 2003 we bought the Profurl R25. I had some installation problems that were no fault of ProFurl. There is more detail about installation on the Completed Projects web page. After a full season with this furler, including furling numerous times in 20-25 knots, bending on and taking down the headsail in near 20 knots, and one furler jam in near 25 knots and 5 foot waves, I'm happy with it. In the second season I adjusted the feed of the furler line to remain perpendicular to the forestay under heavy load. The first block is on spring mount and its position changed too much under load until a second block was added neadby. Again this is an installation issue and no fault of Profurl, and this installation oversight was the fault of the one nasty furler jam I had.
The mainsail and its controls as shipped by Compac also leave quite a bit to be desired. The mainsail itself is a good choice of sailcloth weight (seems to be 7 oz), with four small battens and one reef point. A very serious ommission is lack of a boom vang.
We often sail in 20-25 knots sustained winds with gusts over 25 knots. In our first season, at times we felt quite overcanvased with the single reef and no headsail up. Since a roller reefed headsail is only effective when well over half the sail area is still out, we furled it completely in these conditions, or left out a very small triangle. When on a beam or broad reach the rail was often in the water and we clearly had quite a bit more weather helm than we needed with just the mainsail.
In our second season the boom vang helped considerably on all points of sail. Leaving the boom vang cleated but not tensioned downwind kept the boom from rising excessively. This reduced heel and gave us more power in the sail and far better control. On a close reach or close hauled tensioning the vang allowed the mainsail to be flattenned without cranking down on the sheet and putting it directly over the centerline. On a close haul this is normally the job of the traveller, but we don't yet have one.
The weather helm would have been helped by some headsail. On the other hand in our first two seasons, we were often already heeling at over 30 degrees and had a poorly cut headsail. With the vang available to flatten the mainsail, we experienced less weather helm second season but had the same headsail.
In the third season we added a 3:1 outhaul, 3:1 downhaul, and had the vang and a much better cut headsail sheeted farther forward. We were able to carry headsail in much stronger winds and weather helm was greatly reduced. We also bought an IdaMarine foiled rudder but don't know to what extent weather helm was reduced by the more efficient rudder. The IdaMarine rudder is also a balanced rudder which does reduce tiller effort. With all of these changes, we were sailing flatter (less heel) and weather helm was substantially reduced in the third season.
After the 2002 sailing season we put a second reef in the mainsail. In 2003 and 2004 we had quite a few chances to use it. We used the second reef on two occasions in sustained 18-22 knots and 22-25 knots. In 18-22 knots sustained with gusts over 25 knots we had the full 100% jib out and sailed very comfortable. This was our first use of the second reef and we were slightly undercanvased during periods that were closer to 18 knots, just right closer to 22 knots, and didn't have to leap for the mainsheet in gusts over 25 knots. When sailing in 22-25 knots sustained the second reef could be used for a comfortable and efficient sail. In 22-25 knots, the first reef can also be used, but makes for a rough ride, considerable heel, and requires more attention to the helm and mainsheet if gusts occur. We've used the second reef and the 110% headsail in conditions gusting to 35 knots. At that point the 60% jib is desireable but the CP23 can be sailed with the 110% jib reefed a little, but with some effort.
A boom vang was sorely needed. A proper topping lift or alternative was also needed. Compac doesn't offer these, even as options. Other things we've considered are a mainsheet traveller, self tailing winches, and wind vane steering. We may be adding a traveller any season now and may add wind vane steering. Self tailing winches are nice but expensive.
With some wind, the lack of a boom vang contributes to the excessive heel on a beam reach (can't flatten the sail) and makes any downwind headway somewhat problematic. The last thing you need in a strong breeze is the boom riding way up and a baggy mainsail.
The topping lift attached to the backstay is a terrible arrangement. Getting the boom clipped in, the reef tied, and the the boom unclipped is tricky once the wind has picked up, at least without damaging fingers between the clip and the flagging boom.
Over the winter of 2001/2002 we fitted the boom with a Ronstan boom vang and a Boomkicker and are very pleased with both of these. Since then, the boom vang has made a remarkable difference in performance of the mainsail. The Boomkicker provides convenience any time raising or lowering sails and makes reefing or shaking a reef much easier.
The need for a downhaul and outhaul become apparent when trying to flatten the mainsail in strong conditions. Without mechanical advantage, the mainsheet must be release and the halyard let slack a bit. The outhaul must be tensioned with the boom flagging. The downhaul has to be cleated and the halyard winched to get a tight luff. Then the mainsail can be sheeted in. With a 3:1 outhaul, the outhaul can be tensioned with the sail set. The sheet and vang still have to be let out a little to tension the downhaul, but at least the halyard no longer has to be used as the means to tighten the luff.
The factory setup of the reef line had a horn cleat well forward on the boom. Cleating the reefing line required leaving the cockpit and going forward onto or alongside the cabin. A second cleat was added and the cleats moved 42 inches aft of the gooseneck. Putting the forward cringle on the hook also proved problematic. Cheek blocks, padeyes, and two more horn cleats were added to handle the tack cringles. All of the reef lines can now be tensioned and cleated standing in the cockpit.
If Compac were to put in one sail track for use with either a working jib or a genoa, they would (and did) put it aft, where it can be used for the genoa. While this jib fairlead placement can be used for a working jib or smaller, it is poorly suited for this use. The working jib must be cut with a very high clew (called a blade jib) and the distance from the clew to the jib fairlead is long.
A track specifically for a working jib would be better placed farther forward. The clew of the jib can lowered and better sail shape can be acheived. Sailing upwind, the sail is sheeted closer to the centerline of the boat, yielding better pointing ability. In stronger conditions, the shorter distance between the clew and the fairlead block reduces any tendency to flog at low frequency and pump the forestay and with it the entire rig.
The new sail fairlead tracks were 32" long and extend from a few inches aft of aft lower shrowd to alongside the stantion aft of that shroud. The sheet is still lead outside the lowers and inside the upper shrowd when sailing upwind and has to be moved outside the upper shrowd when sailing downwind with the headsail poled out.
The whisker pole comes in handy when sailing on a broad reach or wing and wing (straight downwind with headsail and mainsail on opposite sides of the mast). The pole can be extended 8-12 feet. With the pole at 8 feet, the jib sheet should be moved outside the upper shrowd but can be kept inside in light to moderate conditions. In stronger conditions or with the pole extended, the jib sheet must be moved outside the upper shrowd or risk chafing the sheet and putting excessive tension and possibly a kink in the shroud.
The pole helps a great deal in downwind sailing. Because setting it up, taking it down, or jibing involved foredeck work, it is only useful when staying on the same point of sail long for a while. When single handed the improved performance seems to outway the hassle factor at about 10 to 20 minutes on the same point of sail, depending on the mood of the skipper.
A lot of Compac sailors have made very strong positive comments about the IdaMarine foiled rudder. Claims include less tiller effort and better windward performance. We've changed so much in one year that its difficult to tell what improvement was caused by which change or the extent to which any one change contributes to specific improvements. There is a noticable improvement in tiller effort. This is likely to be caused by the rudder, though better sail balance can also contribute. We are able to point better, though the extent to which the rudder contributes is uncertain.
We still have the flat rudder. It is quite easy to remove one rudder and put the other in place. We may try this in order to be able to determine how much improvement was a result of the rudder.
A mainsheet traveller would further improve the ability to shape the mainsail. It is not as serious an ommission as the boom vang is. The combination of the boom vang and sheeting can be used to independently flatten and trim the mainsail. With a sufficiently stiff mast and boom sailing without a traveller is not a problem. Where the traveller would really come in handy is in light air when it is desireable to have the boom over center but with a lot of draft in the mainsail.
For sailing upwind in strong conditions, the sail shape can be kept constant while sheeting out in gusts using the traveller. The stronger the conditions the easier it is to use the traveller and mainsheet rather than the vang and mainsheet, leaving the vang slack upwind but set to limit the rise of the boom on a reach or downwind. Stress on the rig is also reduced with traveller and sheet rather than vang and sheet.
When sailing in light to moderate air, the traveller allows the sheet to be eased while still bringing the boom near the centerline. The boom vang does not help in this regard, although with the Boomkicker and the vang eased there is a tendency to bring the boom over center first, then down. The same deep draft and boom over center that can be acheived with the traveller to windward cannot be acheived with the boom vang. The traveller will therefore improve light air pointing.
The overriding consideration so far has been that adding a traveller is much more difficult and costly than adding a boom vang. We have considered numerous potential installations. A 4 foot long raised traveller could be placed somewhere on the stern if we can do so without the rail interfering with the tiller. Unless we order the rail with a curve, we might find that we can no longer tilt up the tiller. Even with a curve, the traveller will have to be elevated at least 8-12 inches. An alternative would be to put the traveller in the cockpit with mid boom sheeting. Locating the traveller on the cabin top would put it too far forward and a sheeting system that far forward may bend the boom. Another alternative is building a small arch for the traveller, using heavy stainless tubing and getting a metal fabricator to put in the bends and welds. The labor could be prohitably expensive. This is something to think about long term. The arch mounted traveller would be great but might be a very expensive modification. The best choice seems to be mid boom sheeting with the traveller in the cockpit.
Self tailing winches are a convenience when shorthanded or single handed. In most conditions I find that I can sheet in to a reasonable trim without use of the winch and only in stronger conditions need to use the winch to trim. My wife and kids need to use the winches in almost any conditions. None of them single hand the boat. Self tailing winches would be a rather costly upgrade and therefore is not something we are considering immediately.
Hand steering on passages of more than a day when single handed (or short handed with marginally enthusiastic crew) simply isn't feasible. Having already hand steered for nearly eight hours at times, I recognize that some form of self steering would be helpful. I added a Davis Tiller Tamer but this only works well on a close reach (and with some loss of speed). An autopilot would seem to be the logical answer. The continuous current draw had ruled this out in the past but with an anticipated charging upgrade from a 6 watt solar panel to one or more 50 watt panels would make this feasible. The alternative self steering is wind vane systems. Aside from the high cost, it may not be feasible to mount a wind steering system on an already crowded transom without eliminating the outboard. Having just recently eliminated the outboard in favor of a trolling motor which mounts quickly on the boarding latter, wind self steering is now feasible. The most likely candidate is the wind vane self steering from Sailomat.
We are still considering adding a traveller quite soon. We're also considering taking a break and making no changes at all to sails or sail handling next season.
Being satisfied for the moment with the way the boat handles in strong conditions, it may be time to turn attention to light air performance. Being stuck out in Nantucket Sound in light air has prompted that. For light air sailing a nylon drifter had been considered, most likely a 150% sail using the original genoa track. Our North Sails rep strongly suggested a dacron genoa for upwind and an assymetric spinaker for downwind rather than a drifter which may not do either one very well.
We'll probably replace the mainsail in a few seasons. The new mainsail is likely to have full battens and at least three reef points. Later we will consider adding a storm sail with wire luff on a separate inner stay but may not go ahead with this if sailing in stronger conditions is alread satisfactory. It makes much more sense to add a traveller first and then consider changing the mainsail.
The purpose of sailing in above 25 knots to see how the boat handles in heavier conditions. In the first two season it was not good. In the first season it was terrible. With the one reef we are overpowered even with no headsail up, heeling at 30 degrees in gusts with just mainsail and tons of weather helm. The kids love sailing with the rail in the water, standing on the side of the lee cockpit seat and have been known to double team a jib winch with enthusiasm. My wife initially thought we were all nuts and only went out in 15-20 knots. Now she seems to be comfortable in any conditions as long as I'm doing the sailing.
In our third season we had made many changes. The mainsail can be more effectively flattenned. The new working jib and the sail track positioned farther forward have improved pointing. The better shaped headsail and flatter main sail allows us to sail comfortably with full sail up to 20 knots. At 20 knots, a single reef it is a bit more comfortable (less heel, less of a need to sheet out for wind shifts or gusts). The first mainsail reef and a few turns on the roller furler is good to about 25 knots. Using the second reef makes sailing comfortable at 25 knots.
The problem of the forestay pumping in strong winds has been completely eliminated. This may be due to the better cut of the sail but is more likely due to the new jib track moving the fairlead position much farther forward. The clew is now much further down and the clew to fairlead distance is quite short. The problem of twisting the furler foil is also quite obviously emiminated.
The 60% jib and the second reef should allow us to sail comfortably in higher winds. Since we have yet to try this we can't report on how well it works. The 60% jib is clearly not needed at all up to 25 knots. In 30-35 knots, which we've experienced only in gusts, the 60% jib should allow us to sail comfortably. Whether we can sail comfortably with the 60% jib in near gale or full gale winds is yet to be determined.
Sustained gale force winds bring enormous waves. Our goal is not to be able to sail comfortably in sustained gale conditions and the accompanying waves, but to be able to sail comforably in the relatively brief gale force winds that often accompany thundershowers on the ocean. These brief gales are a condition that is difficult to predict and therefore very difficult to completely avoid.