Furling Mainsail or Not ?

[markpierce]

Furling mainsails needn't be housed inside the mast.

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

There are two types of in mast furlers, one the Selden pulls the sail out through a narrow slot in the mast. We have one made by Metal Mast in Connecticut that has a wide openiong, at least four inches and maybe more. We jammed it once in 18 years and that was after it had sat unused for at least three years. Me? I like it. There is as much winch work to unfurl the sail as there is to raise it but it is done in the cockpit with a self-tailing winch, not at the mast. The mast has a separate track and a spare halyard for a storm sail. And yes we do have a full keel and protect rudder and a "real" sextant. So put me somewhere in the middle of the argument.

[SaltyMonkey]

I like these in-mast furlers. Hanna makes a good point that maybe it is the manufacturer. And the external ones make a lot more sense to me if you want to retrofit, and keep the ability to raise a storm or other sail

[Ukaliq]

Wow...looks like I got a bit of a discussion going!! I guess furling mains are a bit like marmite - that great British spread for your toast - you either love 'em or hate 'em. The advice is much appreciated and takes me further along the road of making my decision.

[Tingum]

Most of the ones I have sailed have at some point (Usually extremely inconvient) screwed up. Also: no one has mentioned the flute effect of them whistling at the dock as the wind blows from the beam.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Tingum

Most of the ones I have sailed have at some point (Usually extremely inconvient) screwed up. Also: no one has mentioned the flute effect of them whistling at the dock as the wind blows from the beam.

Noone mentions that a mainsail without battens or slides on luff or foot, therefore essentially no hardware, costs half as much. Or less. I just got a new main for my 76' tall stick for 2k. Would have cost 5 for a regular main the same size.

Fluting effect solved-

[minaret]

I also dont think my 5'6" wife would have such an easy time of reefing a rig that size without power furling. As it is she pretty much just pushes a button. This means the boat is never overpowered under sail, and you never procrastinate about reefing. It also takes about thirty seconds to do without leaving the cockpit. These are huge safety bonuses for us. The other advantage is that the helm can be carefully balanced on any point of sail with the ketch rig, which is all power furling. This makes the job much easier for the autopilot and is generally much easier on the boat. Really you can balance the helm on most points without using the AP at all.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by minaret

I just got a new main for my 76' tall stick for 2k. Would have cost 5 for a regular main the same size.

The same size mast or the same surface area of the sail? Your mainsail spans less than 50% of the rectangle formed by boom and mast (less than the triangle) while my main spans almost 80% of that rectangle, meaning it has almost twice the surface area and thus cloth material.

Also, you had to bear the cost of the furling hardware which is way more than that of batten hardware, which lasts as long and gets moved on to new sails.

ciao!
Nick.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

The same size mast or the same surface area of the sail? Your mainsail spans less than 50% of the rectangle formed by boom and mast (less than the triangle) while my main spans almost 80% of that rectangle, meaning it has almost twice the surface area and thus cloth material.

Also, you had to bear the cost of the furling hardware which is way more than that of batten hardware, which lasts as long and gets moved on to new sails.

ciao!
Nick.

Sure, of course! That's why it was designed with a taller stick, to give the right amount of sail area. Just seems that most people don't take into account that after a few sets of sails the furling gear pays for itself in reduced cost of sails. I can easily afford a new main every few years at those prices, and never have to fly some blown out baggy sails. The initial hit on the pocketbook might be harder, but after that it sure is a whole lot cheaper!
How about addressing the other issues besides cost? How are you gonna easily and quickly adjust sail area in a split rig to balance the helm without furling? You're not. And how does a cruising family with a small female component handle a really big rig easily without getting worn out? For us it's power furling and power winches that allow us to have and safely handle our boat as a team.
Oh, the anti-fluting device is factory and came with the boat in 1983. People have been doing that for many years, it's just those who are not familiar with in-mast furling who've never seen one. It's just made out of 2 layers of very heavy sailcloth, most people could whip one up in an afternoon given a decent sewing machine.

[Bash]

I sailed past a Perini Navi ketch a couple hours ago, seemed just longer than 50 meters. Mainmast was a five-spreader rig, and both masts had in-mast furling.

Someone ought to tell that fellow that he can only coastal cruise with that rig.

[SaltyMonkey]

Kudos. I've changed my thinking about in mast or furling mains these last few months. I think they are sexy. Most times if you get into trouble you're gonna knock down to bare poles and put up a storm anyway. Or reef in early enough Honestly, I haven't heard too many problems from owners. Beginning to think this is a myth, or technology has improved.

Plus I am a big fan of roachless, battenless, loosefitted mainsails with 3, yes 3 reef points, This is just a sideways version of that isnt it?

[sgtPluck]

I've sailed with in-mast main sail furling and without. On a 36' boat I don't see any advantage to roller-furling main. With lazy jacks or a dutchman system I would argue that the main is actually easier to raise and lower than with furling on a boat that size.
Some boats have the main halyard and 1st and 2nd reefs led to the cockpit, making reefing just as easy. (On my own boat I have to go to the mast.)
I did experience the in-mast furling jamming in the slot when the wind was rising to force 7 on us. The halyard was probably a little too loose from having stretched a little, but we didn't realize this until the 30kt wind put enough pressure on it to bend it far enough that the main jammed in the slot. Not an experience I would like to repeat. You wouldn't have this worry if it's not in-mast, and even with in-mast if you're mindful of using and maintaining it properly it'd probably be fine.
Another complaint I had about the furling main we used was that the leech would flap a lot, no matter how much we tightened the leech line. This is caused by the lack of battens. Apart from undoubtably wearing the sail out more quickly, the sound of it could be quite irritating!

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by Bash

I sailed past a Perini Navi ketch a couple hours ago, seemed just longer than 50 meters. Mainmast was a five-spreader rig, and both masts had in-mast furling.

Someone ought to tell that fellow that he can only coastal cruise with that rig.

WOW its for sale!! 2007 Perini Navi Ketch - Boats.com

didnt do much sailing did it?

Engine Hours 3670


for a 2007

[HopeFloats]

Originally Posted by Bash

I sailed past a Perini Navi ketch a couple hours ago, seemed just longer than 50 meters. Mainmast was a five-spreader rig, and both masts had in-mast furling.

Someone ought to tell that fellow that he can only coastal cruise with that rig.

I'm sure his engineer and 4 deck gorillas will help in a pinch.

Sailed a 53' Jongert from South Africa, thru Red Sea and thru Med to UK with an in-mast roller system. Also sailed a 54' Bruce Roberts from Argentina to South Africa. ... had jamming issues on both.

Better be able to go up the mast in all weather conditions.

[SaltyMonkey]

Wow HopeFloats! You have a catcha ketch rig with herringbones! Another favorite one of mine. No issues at all?