Technology
No furling line required…
New from UBI Maior: an electric version of its Jiber top-down headsail furler
Just a few years after its introduction, UBI Maior Italia’s innovative Jiber furling system is now enjoying great popularity in racing and performance cruising fleets around the world for all sorts of headsail and staysail applications. With a lightweight and reliable Jiber system installed, sailors have easy top-down furling, which in turn minimises any compromise in performance when choosing a furled headsail solution. Until now the furler itself on a
Jiber system relied on using only a manual furling line method of rotation… but not anymore. The new electric Jiber40 is now ready to handle the headsail furling needs of boats ranging from 37 to 52ft in length. This promises to be a game- changer for any crew – racing or cruising – with only a few hands to help with sail handling, including the growing culture of single and double-handed sailors who need safe and reliable ease of operation in any circumstance that may be encountered when sailing offshore. Having the option of furling easily and quickly could mean the difference between a quite manageable situation and one with potentially disastrous results. With an actuator powered by
either 12 or 24 Volts, the electric Jiber40 will deliver an impressive 300N⋅m of torque which at 1,700 watts of power consumes a maximum of 100 amp-hours. The unit is designed to rotate at a constant rate of 60rpm, but has some important safety features: should there be excessive resistance to the rotation the unit will switch off, and the ultimate safety is a shear pin built in that will break if too much torque is applied. Thus there’s no danger of breaking sails or other equipment in the system during the furling process. Should there be a loss of power
for any reason, there is the option of removing the furler pin to drop (or hoist) the sail on the stay, so
80 SEAHORSE
the sailing trip may carry on with minimal interruption. The default design of the Jiber40
is envisioned to be an under-deck installation in a forestay well to keep the headsail foot roach as close as possible to the deck for optimal aerodynamic efficiency. This extremely clean set-up is found on luxury performance cruiser-racers such as the new Grand Soleil 52 which features the Jiber40 as standard equipment. However, with the actuator having a vertical footprint of only 120mmin length, itmight be possible to retrofit a boat with an above-deck headstay fitting with an electric Jiber40. Being stainless steel, the electrical power cable connection is robust enough to withstand any punishment from wind and waves coming over the bow. Like the manual Jiber systems,
the electric Jiber’s weight footprint is also surprisingly small: only 15kg, which would have minimal impact on the pitch gyradius performance of most 40-50ft boats. Upgrading from a manual Jiber to an electric Jiber is easy: it is installed by simply inserting the actuator below deck without changing the forestay, the javelin (shaft) or the top swivel. The net difference in weight is trivial: only 10kg. UBI Maior Italia has spent the
past year in an extensive development programme focusing on design, fabrication, refinement and testing, including a recent session on a Grand Soleil 52. The team reports that with only two crew – one being a helmsman at the ready to press the furl and unfurl buttons and the other easing the sheet – the 70m2
genoa furled
completely over a 6.3m foredeck length in just 12 seconds. Similarly, the smaller 62m2
self-tacking jib
furled in only nine seconds. The team reported some operational details that always help to make furling easier regardless of using manual or electric power: for example, reducing the backstay and
Above: the low profile of the Jiber tack swivel keeps the headsail’s foot roach close to the deck. Right: the actuator has a vertical footprint of just 120mm so a retrofit is possible on many boats
headstay loads and a slight ease on the halyard helps reduce the tension for easier and faster rotation. Some top sailmakers and riggers
whomanage elite programmes are full of praise for UBIMaior Italia’s Jiber system, as well as other items in its product lines. These include Mike Toppa fromNorth Sails USA, who says: ‘I'ma fan of UBIMaior Italia’s products and use themon many projects. They have well thought-out hardware that fits the many needs of both racing and cruising sailors.’ Steve Branagh, CEO of RSB
Rigging Solutions adds: ‘UBIMaior Italia has an excellent product range that is not only well-designed and built, but is reasonably priced too. We have worked with themonmany projects over the years and have always had happy customers.’
www.ubimaioritalia.com
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