A Jib Question

[m2244]

I'm taking a sailing class this week and we've been taking the sails down every night for storage, which tends to make me notice the boats around us with mainsails stored on the boom and jibs on a furling (I googled that, is it right?)

What I'm wondering is, do most cruisers use a motorized furling or one with a manual winch system? It seems to me that having a manual winch would pay off in not having another motor to maintain.

[DDabs]

Electric winches/hydraulic furling systems don't usually come into play until you get over 45 ft. or so. Of course, you could install an electric winch on any size sailboat to make things easier.

[barnakiel]

Small sails are furled by hand.

You can at times see non-furling jibs on dinghies that are furled by simply taking the sail round the stay a couple of times.

Big boats can have hydraulic or electric furlers.

b.