Winter Storage of roller furling mainsail inmast or always Pull Down ?

[tsenator]

Just worked on the boat this weekend and started to winterize. New sailboat to me and it took twice as long as normal . This is my first "in Mast Furling Main" and I tried to 'flake it" like I did with my old boat on the boom (I had the Dutchman System) , but when I brought my Main Sail down and tried to do a semblance of flaking, it was a CLUSTER F*** ... LOL . Question 1) Any tricks to Flaking/Folding a roller furling mainsail ? Can you do it on deck ?

Question 2) How the hell do you people put the Roller furling mainsail away for the winter ? If you don't need any work done on it do you just leave it in the mast for the 4-5 months for "northern sailors" ? Why not ? With the sail out the "roller" in the boom sounds like it rattles and clanks a lot . Does the main furling slot have much UV exposure for winter exposure to harm the sails ?

[Chotu]

Didn’t even cross my mind to take the sail out of the furler for the winter. I don’t really see a reason to do that. There is a small rag or washcloth size piece with Sunbrella on it that sticks out. That is fine. Inside the mast, the sail is protected from the elements and UV.

I take my heads sails down just in case they find a way to come loose in strong winter storms.

[chuckr]

We have always left ours in the mast. Just roll in it as far as possible and leave it.

[psk125]

At this question the first thought that came to mind was how nice a squirrel would think it was for you to provide him soooo many warm layers to chew and snuggle in.

[jeff356]

I am of the camp that why not take it down to inspect, repair and/or clean if necessary and save the weathering, even though not that much although that sail open to the slot is exposed.

I flake my sail right on the boom / deck and roll it up and bag it.

Jeff

[valhalla360]

I might look at some means of covering that little tag end that sticks out but otherwise, inside the mast is probably about the best place to store the sail.

[billknny]

Originally Posted by jeff356

I am of the camp that why not take it down to inspect, repair and/or clean if necessary and save the weathering, even though not that much although that sail open to the slot is exposed.

I flake my sail right on the boom / deck and roll it up and bag it.

Jeff

Exactly like he said. ^^^^

You should be taking your sails down every year for detailed inspection and repair. Leaving them up until they tear is stupid. A full set of sails for your boat probably cost almost as much as a new engine. They need maintenance too! Rodents, birds, insects. Just some of the reasons to leave them down for extended periods of non-use.

It is a lot easier to fold a sail on the ground, flat, with two people, but certainly can be done on deck.

[kenbo]

If your mast slot is facing south there's alot of UV that reaches the sail in a very narrow area. I've also heard but not seen of a boat that had it's mainsail come out during a winter nor'easter that pulled it off it's stands.
If you're having problems folding on deck you can drop it unfolded onto a large tarp and fold it on the ground.

[Redline452]

I inspect mine, reduce halyard tension slightly, then furl snugly - it's possible to get virtually the entire sail into the mast save the outhaul fitting. Compared to being flaked and folded in a bag in a locker, the tall thin vertical aluminum sailbag works fine.

[Howler]

There are some good reasons on both sides of the argument. We take ours down to inspect. I've heard it's best not to have too much weight aloft in case of a strong winter wind or ice storm. Unlike the Van Halen song, the cradle won't rock so all the wind force will try to knock your boat over.

If you do your sail aloft, tie a safety line (a long sail tie will work) through the clew and around the mast. That helps avoid accidental unfurling.

[SkipMark]

We always wash the sails before putting the boat to bed for the winter. This extends their lives significantly. And since one has to take the main sail off to wash it properly, we just bag it for the winter, and put it back up in the spring.

[SteveSadler]

I take them down to keep them dry and out of the sun. The mainsails slot will let the sun in daily, causing UV damage to the leech. This year the sunbrella strip and clew stitching came off due to UV damage on both main and Genoa.

[kas_1611]

The rules of our marina state that all sails must be removed for winter.

Although some do interpret that as meaning "in mast" removal means furling it fully into the mast. Most boats do indeed lower and remove their sails then rig up a securing system of lines between the top furler, main halyard and outhaul to stop the foil clanking and the halyard slapping in the winds. A simple soft shackle tied back to the outhaul keeps my halyard taut whilst a short line from the gooseneck to the top furler keeps everything down low and prevents excessive foil motion.

Lowering and inspecting the sail every year means you spot damage while it is still small meaning much lower repair costs. it also allows me to grease/lube the top furler bearings at the start and end of each season reducing friction. We drop the sail over the side and flake then bag it on the ground. Just making sure we don't fold up any dirt of grit by brushing the sail every flake.

[David B]

Originally Posted by tsenator

Just worked on the boat this weekend and started to winterize. New sailboat to me and it took twice as long as normal . This is my first "in Mast Furling Main" and I tried to 'flake it" like I did with my old boat on the boom (I had the Dutchman System) , but when I brought my Main Sail down and tried to do a semblance of flaking, it was a CLUSTER F*** ... LOL . Question 1) Any tricks to Flaking/Folding a roller furling mainsail ? Can you do it on deck ?

Question 2) How the hell do you people put the Roller furling mainsail away for the winter ? If you don't need any work done on it do you just leave it in the mast for the 4-5 months for "northern sailors" ? Why not ? With the sail out the "roller" in the boom sounds like it rattles and clanks a lot . Does the main furling slot have much UV exposure for winter exposure to harm the sails ?

We always strip all canvas, all running rigging, all blocks, all leads - why leave any of it out in the weather - even if you have the money to replace regularly.

To get the main down, we have tried flaking, and frankly not worth the effort unless you have plenty of hands on deck (and usually it is just the two of us). Just loosen the halyard and pull the sail down onto a side deck. Then ideally be berthed alongside and you can drop it straight over the side onto the wharf/pontoon/jetty, loosely bundle it up, and take it to a lawn or at least a smooth paved area where you can inspect fully, then flake it properly, roll up and put into its bag.

As for the mast, the next bit is really important:
Tie a good length of 8mm double braid to the shuttle.
Tie another length via a prussic loop or similar, (I always also secure the bitter end with a couple of cable ties just to be safe) around the halyard at a point that will be halfway between the shuttle and the masthead, when the shuttle is hoisted halfway back up the mast (you may have to adjust the position after a quick trial).
Hoist the shuttle up to half-mast, secure the halyard, and tie the line back hard to somewhere aft, and as high as possible (if you have a solar arch, then perfect!). That will pull the foil in the mast back against the slot and stop the foil rattling and banging in the mast during swell and high winds.

Now tie the other line back hard also - preferably to the opposite quarter so that the two lines cannot chafe in high winds. That will pull the wire halyard out of the slot and away from the mast so that it cannot frap and cause damage to the mast and spreaders.
Now everything should be snug for the winter.

Might sound a bit of work, but once you have done it and got it down pat, it is quite quick and easy.

A note regarding removing the running rigging and mousing the halyards.
I use 4mm double braid for each halyard with a parrel bead at one end, then a have 3mm braid from the parrel bead at the top of the mast, down to the deck. That way the critical mousing line is inside the mast out of the weather, and pulled hard onto the sheave so there is no chafing. Come spring, you just re-attach the halyard at the bottom and pull it back through the mast. Use a single mousing line and apart from weathering, you risk it chafing through where it goes over the sheave - then you have a problem!

On that, for extra security I use 8mm for the topping lift mouse. Lose that, and I can't get to the top pf the mast ……...

If you want a further idea, there is some reference to it in this video clip:
https://youtu.be/EuGQUR7qwGY

I need to do a proper vid of this process and put under the 'Boat Tech' section of our channel, but this will have to do for now.

I hope that helps.