Possible To Convert Hank On Main To Roller Furling?

[forsailbyowner]

A friend of mine is considering having me sew on luff tape to convert a hank on main to roller furling. Is this feasible? My gut reaction is the sail won't roll up flat but I have no eXperience with roller mains other than sailing one on occasion. Thanks in advance.

[MANUIWA]

lt would work if he had a battenless main but I doubt that is the case. He would save money if he just bought a new main that is battenless or has vertial battens. Then the conversion would be easy.

[islandplanet]

This probably won't work for a couple of reasons.

I assume when you say hank on main, you're actually referring to a mainsail that currently has slides or slugs on it.

If that's the case and the sail was a conventional main with battens, you would need to recut the leech to add some hollow. If you're not a sailmaker experienced with using a lofting batten, you probably should turn down the project at this point.

Assuming that's not the case and it's a batten-less main with leech hollow, then we need to be concerned with shape.

Most frequent complaint with in-mast furling sails is that once the sail starts to lose shape it won't furl properly. If someone is getting rid of a sail, there's a better than even chance that the sail is not in the best of condition and that the sail has a "belly" to it.

Furling mains are inexpensive to build. We are building a genoa and staysail for a Roberts 44 ketch that we met while cruising. The boat has an in-mast furling main. The main has some UV damage to the clew area. We haven't checked to see the shape, but if the shape is gone, we'll probably build a new main since a recut and repairs could represent a significant percentage of the cost of a new main.

Furling mains are relatively inexpensive. There's no batten pockets or reefs to deal with. Unlike a furling headsail,, we only need a small suncover for the clew.

Most likely your friend would be better served with a new sail.

[forsailbyowner]

Thanks Islandplanet. Your advice is much appreciated. Not a sailmaker yet. I'd had an offer to take an apprenticeship with Doyle sails but I'm enjoying cruising too much at this point to stay in one place that long. Just gonna stick to canvaswork for now.

[islandplanet]

Originally Posted by forsailbyowner

Thanks Islandplanet. Your advice is much appreciated. Not a sailmaker yet. I'd had an offer to take an apprenticeship with Doyle sails but I'm enjoying cruising too much at this point to stay in one place that long. Just gonna stick to canvaswork for now.

Canvaswork is a great skill for a cruiser and it's easier to deal with canvas repairs than trying to work on sails. Most of the sail repairs I've done while cruising had to be hand sewn. Not fun or easy.

Sailmaking is hard on your knees. Keep on cruising. Much better deal than being in a loft every day.