effect of barber hauler?

[tedp]

During the discussion on the Dutch language Jeanneau forum of results obtained with my new mainsheet traveller, someone suggested the use of a barber on the genoa clew to haul it in, gaining a few more degrees height to windward.

I wonder if any forum member has used a barber and if so, what results he or she obtained. In addition I would be interested in ideas how to rig one.

[davideso37]

We have barber haulers on our genoa on our SO37P. We used them a lot when we had the smaller rig but once we put the larger rig on the boat they are reserved for special situations. If we need to pinch to make a mark we will in haul the genoa clew to the cabin top. It definitely gives more height for the tight situations but I am not sure that there is an increase in VMG for normal situations. The other problem is that unless you let off the barber hauler before you tack it impedes both the letting out of the old sheet and the hauling in of the new one. It is only useful if the clew is at the coach roof height.
I have, without much success, tried to rig barber haulers for the 105% jib because the genoa sheet position is very wide. The Sun Fast 37 has cabin top track for the small jib and if we used the jib more frequently I would put tracks on the cabin top. But then we would need out haulers for reaching as we do a lot of non spinnaker racing. The new 409 comes with cabin top tracks as standard for the smaller jib so that is a good recommendation.
For the genoa we run a line from the cabin top winches to the turning blocks on the end of the traveller and then to the opposite side genoa clew. This is a perfect angle for our big genoa but every yacht will have a different angle depending on the genoa overlap and not many yachts will have spare turning blocks in their cabin top traveller. We use light alloy rings on the genoa sheet and these can be rigged 1:1 or 2:1 depending on your preference. We have plenty of winches and have them rigged 1:1. If you do a Google search on Barber haulers you should find plenty of advice.
Regards
David

[tedp]

Thanks again, David - I have what looks like a 110%% genoa (or jib if you prefer) with the clew slightly over cabin top level. I have two cabin top winches and plenty of stoppers, so rigging a barber hauler would be possible. Fitting a spare block to the base of the traveller each side wouldn't be a problem. Funnily the SO29.2 has tracks on the cabin top, not on the deck next to the cabin sides like the SO32.

The usefulness of a barber in a shallow keel boat may be debated. If I lie too close to the wind I may induce drift which won't do the VMG any good. But it is worth experimenting with. I admit I'm not into racing, but once in a while I like getting the best performance out of the boat when cruising.

[MartyB]

Ted,

Had not looked at this thread before.......a suggestion that may work, is to put a .5-1M track on the cabin top like the 29.2, use which ever track at the time will net the best VMG or pointing when going up wind for the conditions at hand.

I added some when I bought a 110 for my Arcadia, works well, then when I replaced the jib track along the cabin, I made them a bit longer so I could now use my outer tracks going downwind or reaching and get a pretty good shape, pointing I sometimes use the cabin, sometimes the outer if micropointing is not needed, or wind is really high, and going for the highest point into the wind is not always best.

There should be pics of both redos in the hints and tips.

Marty

[davideso37]

Ted,
My crew are more keen on the barber haulers than I. On Wednesday in 3 kts to 7 kts of breeze they had the 160% genoa clew tweaked in. We have a no extras winter Wednesday race on Sydney Harbour and on board we have about 300 years of sailing experience so there is lots of advice and some contrary opinions. With the genoa barber hauled in we won on handicap but then we were overdue for a win.
With a 110% genoa I would think either the cabin top tracks or the barber haulers would be a must for the best VMG. I would rig up some temporary barber haulers and give it a try. If it is found to be better then go for the permanent cabin tops tracks. As I said in the earlier post if we used our 105% genoa more frequently then I would definitely go for the cabin top tracks.
Regards
David

[tedp]

Thanks for the advice, both. I would certainly do some trials with a temporary barber hauler rigged before making drastic modifications. The roof will take extra rails all right - the bolts and backing plates will be out of sight under the liners. But if a barber hauler will do the trick perhaps it's easier to clip on a line than changing over the sheets to a different track.

I think in very light airs like you had yesterday hauling in the clew may work. If it blows harder you have to depower the sail anyway and it needs to be hauled out rather than in.

[tedp]

Today I did some trials using a barber hauler on my foresail. I pulled the clew of the sail towards the cabin roof and managed to gain about 5 to 10 degrees to windward, provided I pulled the mainsail traveller to windward as well. Speed went down to about 3.5 to 4 knots however, and looking at the track on my GPS I think the boat sagged to lee more than I would want. I don't think it is a success, although the foresail might do with some trimming. Here are a few photos.

Barber hauler rigged across the cabin roof:


www.009dutch.nl/jeanneau/569_02_07_12_10_03_04.jpeg

Snapshot of the wind gauge, showing close to 40 degrees off the true wind:


www.009dutch.nl/jeanneau/569_02_07_12_10_04_02.jpeg

[davideso37]

Ted,
The barber hauler angle looks good but it may be pulling the clew forward and giving the effect of sheeting more down the leech. I find it takes a few outings to get the new sheeting angles right and I purchased a video camera so that I could get a good record of sail shapes under different settings. I now photograph the sails from the same position. We get a good view up our genoa from the front hatch. For what it's worth I would try a line from the windward end of the main traveller to the clew and then back to the position you have on the turning blocks. This might flatten the foot. I am very keen to keep the back of the genoa flat and no more than parallel to the boom.
Regards
David

[tedp]

Yes, the foot of the foresail is a funny shape, isn't it. It was a 'jury' set-up anyway. I wil have to experiment some more, but not before August as we are away on another holiday soon. I will have to compare the VMG as well, perhaps investigate with my standalone GPS. I could lie quite close to the wind, managed 35-40 degrees at times, but it was a bit hit and miss. And I lost too much speed. That should be made good by better sail trim.