Behind the mast furling

[imagine2frolic]

Thanks Talbot,

These are all things that crossed my mind. I have also been thinking of a quick reefing system. My first boat had it for the first reef. I will have to do some research. The base of my mast will accept more blocks to run lines to the cockpit from the roof......THANKS ALL

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by Talbot

If you dont need an electric winch to raise the existing main, why would you need one for the in-boom system?

In-boom furling uses a lufftape (instead of cars, slides, or slugs), so the friction adds up on a large sail. A power winch is definitely nice to have.

[Pelagic]

Talbot, I have the profurl behind the mast system and when I removed them for inspection and painting the masts, I was surprised at how light the Alloy extrusions were.

You are correct about the added windage when furled, so in a storm/Typhoon situation we take them down

Obviously my boat is not sail performance oriented but I am happy with the sail size and would not want it any bigger.

I am also not concerned with furling jams as mine is all manual and I think you only get into trouble, if you apply to much power with no feel.

For me, my priority is ease of use and manageable by one. So far, we have been happy

[keelbolts]

Jiffy/slab reefing is easy, simple, & cheap. What more could you want?

Installed:

[Cowboy Sailer]

Kai Nui,
Thanks for the pictures. Please report on your sailing experiences with the behind-the-mast furling. As is obvious, I am thinking that due to the leading edge slot effect the aerodynamics may actually be better than a casual look would lead one to believe is possible.
It would seem that closing the boat up after sailing would be very quick and easy.
I would think that adjusting the sail area to the wind conditions would be so easy that one would not wait too late to reef. As far as the possibility of jamming it seems that it is no more likely than a roller furling jib jam.
It doesn’t look like it adds much weight aloft.
I hope that you like it. I am looking forward to your report. Was it expensive? Did you go with a new sail?
Thanks,

My reasoning was two fold. One, I Like the convenience. Two, My wife likes the convenience.
As for the weight aloft, it is not enough to concern meThe whole unit is less than 30 pounds.
It gives me piece of mind to know when my wife is on watch, and I am asleep, she will not have to leave the cockpit to reef sails.
As for sail shape, I can see potential benefits, and have read many articles on the potential draw backs. I can live with the possibility of lower performance.
The cost was very reasonable for me. The Reefurl system is very reasonably priced, and very simple. Well under $1500. The stand off for the mast, and the mount for the lower end of the stay was made for me by a member here at very fair price. The stay is made of two used Norsman fittings, and 38' of 1/4" wire. Additionally, I needed to modify how the stays mounted to the mast head, and had to add track, and a car system to the boom. All off the shelf stuff from Garhauer.
The system I have is designed, and provides instructions for modifying a standard sail for use with the furler.The battens must be removed, and a rope luff added. I located a used sail at Minney's that was already set up, then had a local sail loft modify it to fit my boat.
The one glitch I still need to resolve is that my topping lift interferes with the furler, so I will need to add a solid vang to eliminate the need for the topping lift. I will also add a boom gallows, something I intended anyway. Until I can afford that adition, we will not be ready to sail. As soon as we are, there will be photos posted, and I will give a full account of how this worked for me.