cost of installing in-mast furling main sail

[chriscd]

i see a lot of good deals on older monohulls but most do not have in-boom furling main sails. i am an older cruiser and think this would be a good thing to have. can anyone give me a ball-park estimate of how much it would cost to install one for a sloop from 35 to 40 ft? new sail. new mast, new rigging ??

[svmobert]

I don't know about a fully burdened cost estimate, but I suspect you could piece it together from a few numbers..


Basically, you have the cost of the mast itself, the standing rigging, the running rigging, and the sail.

So you'd need to ask about:

Parts prices for a furling mast of the same height as your existing mast.
Cost to replace the rigging on your boat including stepping the mast. The mast type won't make that much of a difference on this.
Cost for a new furling mainsail (probably $3-4k) but heavily dependent on the sail materials and design
Cost for modifying the running rigging to work with a furling main.. Primary differences are the addition of an Inhaul and an Outhaul (if you don't have one that can stretch all the way from end of boom to mast) plus any blocks, clutches, deck organizers needed to route appropriately for your use.

That said, Standing rigging is probably somewhere around $10K, Sail somewhere around $4k, extra's could easily be several more $K, and I have no idea what the mast will cost but I found a 52ft furling mast on ebay (used) for about $3K.

Anyway, that adds up to >$20K and will probably end up being more for who knows how many reasons.

Hopefully that helps.

[skipmac]

Your thread title says in mast but you mention in boom in your post. Which one?

In mast, unless you can find a used mast from a wreck or rerigging will be very expensive. Don't have an exact for an furling mast but based on a few prices I've seen for new, plain masts a new furling mast could be $20,000 or more.

[sparks1988]

I can provide one data point, based on the cost of a Leisure Furl boom furling main installed by the PO on our Pacific Seacraft 34 in 2005. He passed on the invoice in the documentation provided when we purchased the boat last year.

For the boom, upgrading a cabin top winch (Lexmar 43) to electric power, a hard vang (Forespar), and installation of the above, the price was just under $20K in 2005. That did not include the new mainsail required.

[Mark Stillwell]

It might be a lot more cost effective to find one of the many boats that are out there that have a in-mast main....or install an electric winch to help manage a classic main.

[TwoLegged]

How much it would cost to install an in-boom furling main sail?

Here are some of the costs:

• Sail efficiency. Usually less roach, less depth, and less control of the shape of a reefed sail
• Weight. You'll end up with a much heavier boom. That's weight high up, which is not good ... and if the boom hits anybody, it will do a lot more mischief
• Safety. If that roller jams when you need to get the sail down, you'll be in a real mess. Slab reefing is much simpler and more reliable.

You may think those costs are worth paying.


It will also cost you money.

[caradow]

Would strongly consider slab reefing and lazyjacks.
Save your money for extra fuel when you don't want to raise the mainsail

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by chriscd

i see a lot of good deals on older monohulls but most do not have in-boom furling main sails. i am an older cruiser and think this would be a good thing to have. can anyone give me a ball-park estimate of how much it would cost to install one for a sloop from 35 to 40 ft? new sail. new mast, new rigging ??

I think your question is valid.

I hope you will get some quotes from professional riggers (or sources that will give a quote for the entire job).

And, ask them to quote for TWO types: In Mast and In Boom furling.

Make sure you include ALL costs, including a new sail if needed.

Then, I hope you will come back to this thread and post your findings.

Good luck on your research, and do let us know what you find, with as much detail as possible.
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Also, I would suggest asking the same riggers for a good (close) estimate for an alternative:

1. Sail Cars and Track (to make it easy to raise and drop a standard main)

2. Electric Winch to make it easy to raise the main

3. Lazy Jacks or similar for ease of stowing the dropped main

4. Halyards led to the Cockpit.
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Here are a few other resources you might want to read:

http://www.doylesails.com/cruising/dutchman/index.html

https://www.morganscloud.com/2013/09...ing-made-easy/