Furling Main On A Catamaran?

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by Factor

Given the incredible ease of a main with batten cars and lazy jacks and single line reefing, I really dont know why you would want the in mast or even in boom systems.

I agree 100%

[Cap]

This has been a very interesting thread and leads me to ask, what if you already have a boat with this system, what are your options? Can it be modified with changing out the mast?

Thanks...Jeff

[JerryF]

Good discussion on in-mast furling but what about in-boom furling. With in-boom furling you can have horizontal battens, no increased weight up higher in the mast, a jam probably could be handled much easier than up on the mast, and when you shorten sail you lower the center of effort along with the sq footage of sail area. Also, you can have it be electric with a manual back up.

What do you folks think of in-boom furling?

[s/v Jedi]

Cap: you have to change the mast or get another boat or live with it the way it is.

Jerry: sure, in-boom gives almost the same sailing performance. The difference is that the angle that the battens make to the luff must be so that the battens don't intervene with the furling system which means that the battens are not in the optimal position/angle. I do not see the advantages of in-boom furling and would suggest to try it out on another boat before investing in it.

cheers,
Nick.