Storm Sails on a Furling Main

[carlylelk]

I wonder if one can mount a separate track for the storm sail, keeping in mind that the furling mast section is an open section and has significantly less strength than a closed mast section.

I suppose one could have a main built with a stronger fabric in the aft section and a stronger/reinforced clew, but I doubt the sails on any production boat come that way. Even so, I wonder if the rest of the furrling/reefing system is up to that?

Duane

[Tar34]

Sure. Just know as you reduce sail area the weight of the fabric can also be reduced. If you want step construction for your sail talk to your sailmaker. The idea of storm sail for your main is to get the effort as low as you can. A storm sail's clew is usually brought low to the rail. You have to decide how you want to configure, Storm Trysail or reefed main.

[Pete7]

Duane, we have a separate 5mm track to the side of the furling main for a trysail. You might ask how many folk have actually used a trysail in anger.

Are you headed off somewhere remote?

Pete

[rockDAWG]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Duane, we have a separate 5mm track to the side of the furling main for a trysail. You might ask how many folk have actually used a trysail in anger.

Are you headed off somewhere remote?

Pete

You meant in danger?

Would it be better to have it and not need it than the other way around

[Pete7]

True, but he already has an in mast main sail which if like mine can be furled down to the size of a napkin.

Pete

[estarzinger]

^^

I would think the application is if the furling main breaks, or if you want to "save it" from fateigue and loads while say hove to for a couple days.

Those are the primary two situations we have used our tri.

As to the op's question . . . Yes, it can and has been done.

I have seen some hood furling masts with standard tri tracks on them . . . They are tree trunk masts . . . You would need advice from a rigger whether yours could withstand the loads.

If not, there are other options, one is to hoist a wire or dyneema stay alongside the mast, tension it way up, and hank the tri on that.

Whether it is worth doing (Pete's question's) has been long debated to no conclusion. Some think yes, others think no.

[carlylelk]

Most of the advice I've read advise using a storm jib rather than the roller furler, so it stands to reason that using the furling main wouldn't be the best option. Shape is an issue.

[carlylelk]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Duane, we have a separate 5mm track to the side of the furling main for a trysail. You might ask how many folk have actually used a trysail in anger.

Are you headed off somewhere remote?

Pete

Not so remote, but we are considering an ocean crossing. We're looking for our next boat and I'm trying to decide whether I want to avoid R/F Mains or prefer them.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by carlylelk

Not so remote, but we are considering an ocean crossing. We're looking for our next boat and I'm trying to decide whether I want to avoid R/F Mains or prefer them.

Our config is all roller furling except the stays'l with removable stay. Heavy weather rig is mizzen furled up as much as required to balance the helm on the desired course and hank on storm stays'l. No main. Get a ketch.

[Gerrycooper56]

We recently bought our 1990 Tayana which had a storm track on the mast. The storm try sail was still crisp and new in the bag after I would think 10 years and a circumnavigation.
I wondered how, if conditions warranted flying the try sail how you were supposed to actually fit it.

[Cheechako]

I think one of the things a furling main does well is eliminate the trouble of a trysail. Interestingly, this month's sailing mag had an article on storm sails and had a short question for many world cruisers, most of the answers were "we carry storm sails but in XXXXXX miles of cruising we havent used them, we just triple reef (or in mast furl) the main and use a heavily furled headsail or staysail." It was almost unanimous.... especially regarding the trysail....

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Gerrycooper56

We recently bought our 1990 Tayana which had a storm track on the mast. The storm try sail was still crisp and new in the bag after I would think 10 years and a circumnavigation.
I wondered how, if conditions warranted flying the try sail how you were supposed to actually fit it.

Having tried to use mine in heavy conditions, I can tell you , you need to work it out ahead of time to a T. I felt lucky to sruvive the ordeal of trying to use it! There really in no good point on many boats to attach the sheet... often it needs to be in the cockpit somewhere for a good sheeting angle. Any change in the halyard pendant height on the mast changes the sheet location.

[chuckr]

i can only tell you what worked for us -- but we are not great sailors like most of you -

we sail a Jeanneau DS40 with inmast furling main -- have for the last 10 years -

we have sailed the east coast of the usa twice then spent about 4 years sailing both sides of the Caribbean and last may crossed the atlantic and now in Tunisia

when we crossed the atlantic we had on 2 seperate occassions winds 25-30k and 3 meter seas - we had reefed down both the main and jib and adjusted both a bit -- at times we had to reef in to keep her from pounding to much but with enough speed to not fall off the waves -

so in summary we just adjust the main and jib to keep the boat in balance and at times we have a very small main and jib

but as i said we are not good sailors so some of you may know better than us

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by carlylelk

Not so remote, but we are considering an ocean crossing. We're looking for our next boat and I'm trying to decide whether I want to avoid R/F Mains or prefer them.

Like Gerry our kemp / selden mast with in mast reefing has a separate mast track to take a I think a 5mm bolt rope. Never used it for a trysail but I do use it for our mast climbing ladder.

Pete

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Having tried to use mine in heavy conditions, I can tell you , you need to work it out ahead of time to a T.

My experience . . . You need to hank the tri sail on, and have it bagged at the base of the mast (with the sheets attached), before you leave the dock. If you do that it is dead easy to hoist and because it is so easy you will actually do it. If you don't do that, you will convince yourself that the triple reef is fine, and not go to the effort to set the tri.

A lot of spar makers and riggers don't understand this. And stop the tri track near the gooseneck, which sucks both because it is then difficult to hank the sail on in bad conditions (you have to stand on deck working with both hands with the sail flogging around) and you cannot put in on ahead of time and let it sit on deck. The track must come down to near the deck (stopping say about 6" above it). If it is down there, and you forgot to hank it on ahead of time you can still do it in a gale, sitting down on top of the sail as you put it on.

A bolt rope "track" also does not allow you to put it on ahead of time, and can be quite fiddly in a strong breeze (probably a 2 person operation) and is IMHO a poor idea.

And yes, you need to have worked out the halyard hoist (with a nice highly visible mark on the halyard when it is hoisted to the right height) and the sheet locations (I actually have two halyard and sheet settings, one for upwind and another for downwind).

IMHO the reason people do not use these sails is simply because they have not given any thought to how to make it safe and easy, and the riggers and spar makers generally have also not.

Personally I see no reason NOT to have a tri setup. It is relatively inexpensive and small to store and will save your expensive main from a lot of wear and tear. And gives you something to work with if the main self-destructs (we have had harken batt cars blow up) . I rate it way ahead of a lot of the other gizmos people install. But, no, it is not "necessary".

We also use ours for day sailing on breezy days . . . Just easier than re flaking the main at the end of the day. Nice if you sail someplace like the UK or chile where "nice days" can be quite breezy. It is a real "high comfort/low stress" sail, which is nice for cruising.