Hanks or Foil?

Our boat's sails came with hanks when we got her and we raced her like that for 1 1/2 seasons, then went with a carbo foil. I have read old postings, or read in the old Laser Newsletter that hanks were preferable because they require less of the foredeck hand. However, unless one is happy with the luff looking like the outside edge of a clam shell, then one must tension the luff quite a bit and that changes the draft in the sail. I much prefer looking at a smooth luff and having the ability to choose my own tension rather than having to look at a scalloped sail when the halyard is eased.

Also, with the carbo foil, the recommendation for the feeder is that it is fixed (lashed) to the forestay. With the old Tuff Luff, the feeder floated on a line. With the fixed feeder, the foredeck guy can take the sail down pulling below the feeder and avoid having to re thread the sail through the feeder and the groove. With a foil it is more important that the sail be secured on the foredeck, but that is pretty easy to work out. I'm a clear vote for the foil.

Hi Dan,

We tried hanks once and it cost us a good spinnaker, as getting dragged by the forestay with hanks on killed it pretty quick. We did chute repairs all season long and eventually switched back to a new Harken carbo-foil (much better quality then a tuff-luff) to this day we find the Harken carbo-foil (7000.9m)superior to the tuff-luff for wear/ breakage / poor handling etc. However you can purchase just the tuff-luff "extrusion only" if you want, but if you get the Harken you will be glad you did.

Edited by Bill Layton - 28 December 2010 at 2:25pm

Going hanks makes your other 10 jibs useless!