Jaguar Yachts

# Jaguar 21 - Fitting Behind the mast furling

John Gardener

Having sailed the last few years in the Med I eventually decided that it was time to buy my own yacht. The decider for me was size. I wanted something that I could sail single handed and also was not going to be to heavy to rig and winch in my dotage. Also since sailing first in the Solent then the East coast I wanted a lifting keel, ditch crawler. Lastly something I could leave in my back garden and ignore if I lost interest i.e. not a vast sum. As a Wayfarer sailor at The Blackwater Sailing Club I noticed on the board a Jaguar 21 for sale including ground tackle and launching trolley. I bought it. Anyone want a Wayfarer World? I had great fun sailing it up and down the Blackwater, but found reefing it was a pain as I have become used to in mast furling. So last London Boat Show I visited Sailspar and chose Facnor behind the mast gear. I ordered the system and waited and waited. Eventually 2 large boxes arrived. Not too heavy I thought less than 25K. (Kilos, not thousands, sterling!) It is curious that Vanishing points of stability seem to have become a big issue, I don’t remember it being a consideration when I first started to sail. It wasn’t considered when fitting roller reefing, and the guide tube only weights the same as the furling section so the extra weight up the mast is equal to 3 foresail roller rigs.

# Fitting

  • Attach slugs to plastic strip and slide up the luff grove, and attach casing with nut making sure that the bolts doesn’t protrude as they will damage the sail. The casing is aligned with guide pins. Cut the last section of casing to size and fit.
  • Attach a light line and the main halyard to halyard swivel on top internal furling section an push up from bottom of mast inside the housing. Join on sections until correct length. Cut furling section to length.
  • Fit drive unit to furling section and casing. This should just clear the gooseneck and boom.
  • Attach boom track to boom with slugs and screws, making sure you have clearance for outhaul to flow freely round end of boom.
  • With care remove one end of boom traveller carrier, hold tight against end of track and slide onto track, this is a re-curculating ball race I dropped mine and had to feed in some 50 plus ball bearings, don’t do it.
  • Phone sail maker he will require various measurements check several times. Then wait for delivery.
  • Much later.
  • Fit braided rope through drive unit, this will eventually be spliced into and endless loop, Instructions for this are available from Marlow ropes by fax.
  • Attach your brand new crispy white mainsail head to Halyard slider, and pull up luff grove in furling section.
  • Attach Tack to shackle on drive unit and pull tight and lock off.
  • Roll sail into casing by pulling endless loop.
  • Attach outhaul to track thread through flying clew block and back to end of boom. To pull out sail pull out haul.
  • Job done.

This all sounds very easy if somewhat long winded. It probable took some 2 days and numerous cups of tea and much disassembling and reassembling as the instructions were somewhat brief, presumably roughly translated from French.

# Sailing

The boat was taken from home to my sailing club, where the mast was stepped. Then came the task of fitting various cheek blocks and cleats. So that the system could be controlled from the cockpit. This was only done temporally until we had time to work the system and iron out any problems and decide where things should finally go.

After launching we were off for a sail. The first problem encountered was that we were unable to pull out the mainsail, after much winching cursing, and eventually pulling the sail by hand pulling on the tack it was achieved. Only to arrive at Bradwell marina for the evening to find we were unable to stow it. Why was this? The answer was several which we addressed the next morning in daylight.

The solutions:

  • The main halyard was too loose so that the top of the furlong gear turned ahead of the tack.
  • None of the blocks on the outhaul where ball race. So the friction was too high.
  • The outhaul turned through 360 at the clew 360 at the end of the boom 90 at the mast 90 at the deck. All of these blocks need to be the best ball race.

Am I happy with and was it worthwhile. Definitely, reducing the main and balancing the sails is a piece of cake. Down sides, The Boat is possibly more tender, but because it is so easy to trim the sails you really don’t notice it. Do I miss the battens? Can’t say that I do the new main sets so well in all positions, better than the Genoa.