How Is Your Furling Line Rigged ?

[JK n Smitty]

I think you got the right advice from those that said to furl early and to bear off to furl.

What I wanted to add is to check your gear. You should be able to spin that furler at the dock with almost no effort. If it takes more effort, there is likely something wrong.

Go up to the furler while at the dock or on a mooring and try to spin it by hand (not using the furling line). If it doesn't turn easy there is a problem. When I bought my boat, it had been a dock queen and the furler was so stiff I could barley turn it. It turned out that the bearings were ruined and there was a bit of a design flaw. I got a new bearing for $140 and it now works great.

[muthaiga]

This IS quite the macho group. Bearing off or not, my 100 lb wife is not always able to get the jib furling process started when the wind suddenly pipes up without some help. She also has trouble letting out a partial furl in a blow without the sail pulling all the way out unless she has a wrap on a winch. There is nothing wrong with using a little mechanical advantage so long as you aren't forcing something. We do it all the time on our boats. Our furlers run free and our leads are fair. 99.9% of the time, I do not use a winch, but when I need it, I'm set up to use it. If you don't want to use a rope clutch, then don't, but don't give the impression that one is somehow not a good seaman/woman for having one. There is nothing wrong with having that option in place. Some (like me) might even say it is an added safety feature, and therefore wise.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by muthaiga

This IS quite the macho group. Bearing off or not, my 100 lb wife is not always able to get the jib furling process started when the wind suddenly pipes up without some help. She also has trouble letting out a partial furl in a blow without the sail pulling all the way out unless she has a wrap on a winch. There is nothing wrong with using a little mechanical advantage so long as you aren't forcing something. We do it all the time on our boats. Our furlers run free and our leads are fair. 99.9% of the time, I do not use a winch, but when I need it, I'm set up to use it. If you don't want to use a rope clutch, then don't, but don't give the impression that one is somehow not a good seaman/woman for having one. There is nothing wrong with having that option in place. Some (like me) might even say it is an added safety feature, and therefore wise.

A dedicated winch works great. Unless you love flogging sails in 35 knots of wind.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

A dedicated winch works great. Unless you love flogging sails in 35 knots of wind.

Or a dedicated wench.

[cfarrar]

Like muthaiga, we use a turn on the winch to control the furler line as we unfurl. I've tried furling with the winch, going upwind, but the loads are significant. It's difficult to judge how much force I'm applying to the furler and the jib, and I'm scared those #58s are going to destroy something.

We always spin it downwind to furl, a maneuver that's hardly macho. After all, no self-respecting racer would give up a few boat lengths to shorten sail! Yet it works: no flogging, no strength required, and it only takes a few seconds.

[Tim R.]

If you cannot pull it by hand, how do you know something is not jammed? If your winch wench cannot pull then you need to do it. Let her steer.

I agree with heading off the wind to furl.