Why no furling mains on cats?

[thinwater]

You couldn't pay me to give up the roach.

a. As numerous commenter have mentioned, the main comes down in seconds. No possibility of hang-up, even if done badly.
b. Sail weight means less on multihulls because we heel less. It does not have a negative affect on heel because it is always inboard of the lee hull.
c. Multihulls are more likely to feather in a blast, and full batten mains feather much more comfortably.
d. Putting a fully battened sail to bed is a snap. They practically self fold.

Simply put, most cat sailors have no interest in furling mains. It does not solve a problem, but poses potential new ones while slowing the boat down. We know what they are and don't care.

[Kaptain Ken]

I have a Lagoon 440 and am considering going the mainsail furling route - I am 72+ years young and raising the mainsail can be a bear for even a thirty year old. In-mast is pretty much a no-brainer, but the loss of battens would be a large price to pay. With the boom furling option, I have always heard that it is absolutely imperative that the boom and mast be perfectly perpendicular, which would require substatial re-rigging, as most cats have a substantial "rake" to the mast. How were you able to accomplish this on your boat???

[SVNeko]

Get a power winch. Easier and you'll keep your proper sail shape.

Sent from my SM-T210R using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Cheechako]

A cat needs the roach to drive well and especially point up.

[Sail IC]

Large roach main requiring battens is a far better sailplan than pin-head.
Everybody knows that.

Most cats have no backstay, so they can have a large roach main.
Most monos have backstay, so they cannot have a large roach main.

I sometimes wondered about above, because that's in my view the forcing function.

[Canibul]

Interesting that the OP asked about mast furling. Not about in-mast furling.

Our old Catalac 12M has a rotofurled main. Nothing to hang up. Easy as heck to furl or unfurl from the cockpit. Same with reefing.

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Interesting that the OP asked about mast furling. Not about in-mast furling.

Our old Catalac 12M has a rotofurled main. Nothing to hang up. Easy as heck to furl or unfurl from the cockpit. Same with reefing.

I've sailed Canibul's boat and agree. It works perfectly and sacrifice's little as our boats have two backstays.

[2Wind]

Originally Posted by Kaptain Ken

I have a Lagoon 440 and am considering going the mainsail furling route - I am 72+ years young and raising the mainsail can be a bear for even a thirty year old. In-mast is pretty much a no-brainer, but the loss of battens would be a large price to pay. With the boom furling option, I have always heard that it is absolutely imperative that the boom and mast be perfectly perpendicular, which would require substatial re-rigging, as most cats have a substantial "rake" to the mast. How were you able to accomplish this on your boat???

Ken.

There is no easier job on the boat than raising and lowering the main on a L440. If you don't have a powered winch for the main halyard and the reefing lines, this is the only expense you need to consider. Cheaper, with better sail performance and higher safety.

It helps to have the aft most lazy jack lines on a snap shackle so they can be released and brought somewhat forward to a mid boom location so as to avoid snagging a batten ends when raising the main. This one modification is a game changer as you need be far less precise with heading to windward. So you use the autopilot set to wind angle = zero. Power winch and its up in 30 seconds. No snags. No issues. Remember "KISS". Cheers.