Furler-how many turns?

[Rucksta]

Originally Posted by oztayls

That's amazing. We have chosen to not go with sun protection on the genoa. Instead, we will have a zipped sock that we can hoist using the spinnaker halyard (masthead).

I have one.
It works well.

Cost was about the same as UV leech & foot.

Sail is cut low for a furler
The thickest bit of the wrap is within reach to clip the sock and start the zip above it.

Sock needed to be tapered to reduce slack in the top.
Slack allowed flapping and created a harmonic rigging load.

A good even wrap not too tight makes for best deployment and dousing.
Sheets exit sock at bottom so sit flat on the foredeck.

Next addition will be a turtle to help keep the sock out of the water during deployment & retrieval.



Oh furling line formula. Length of foot largest headsail + length of boat + three wraps around the drum + a tail

[JPA Cate]

Yes, I wouldn't go smaller than 8 mm for the furling line. ....and 10 mm is more comfortable to handle, but may not fit on the furler.

Ann

[oztayls]

Originally Posted by Rucksta

I have one.

Oh furling line formula. Length of foot largest headsail + length of boat + three wraps around the drum + a tail

Cool, that's a useful rule of thumb, Thank you!

[double u]

2 x LoA would usually do it

[getthejibin]

All of the above are right, but one critical factor overlooked. If you furl in strong winds (ugh) you'll use many more turns than when you furl in light winds. So you need to enough spare furling line to cope with that.

[teneicm]

Originally Posted by getthejibin

All of the above are right, but one critical factor overlooked. If you furl in strong winds (ugh) you'll use many more turns than when you furl in light winds. So you need to enough spare furling line to cope with that.

Absolutely! And, almost more importantly, the affects how much you can bring the sail in if you don't put a few extra wraps on the furler to account for the added line needed when the sail wraps tighter due to stronger winds when furling.

[thinwater]

If the line is too fat, strip the core out of the first ~ 15 feet. This will make the line smaller and lay flat on the drum like webbing. It will still be plenty strong for a 30-footer.

[dfelsent]

Originally Posted by thinwater

If the line is too fat, strip the core out of the first ~ 15 feet. This will make the line smaller and lay flat on the drum like webbing. It will still be plenty strong for a 30-footer.

Thinwater is correct. Our new furler came with 10mm line that was tough on the hands. I replaced the line with 12mm New England ropes viper line. That has a high strength uv resistant core. I stripped the cover off for about 3/4 of a boat length. The line fits on the drum and is far easier to handle.
Just use an appropriate stopper for the dyneema core at the drum. I used the estar stopper.
The viper line has taken a while to soften up but I am pleased with it.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by oztayls

OK, do I just load up the furler with as many turns as it will take? I have the old furler line so I could just put as many turns on as it will take, leaving about a foot of line as it leaves the clutch?

We leave enough to make it to a winch.

Look around at other comparable boats and count the wraps on the solar cover. That will get you close.

Make sure you wrap the correct direction or the cover is on the inside. Done it!

[OneBoatman]

For a large jib 130-150% overlap, it will likely be somewhere 2 1/2 times the length of the boat. You will want enough furling line to have at least three raps remaining on the drum when it is fully furled and three over raps of sheets securing the sail in the furled position. Many sailors also allow enough or a working tail, that is with the sail fully deployed to be able to reach their winch with the furling line in the case where they get caught having too much sail in too much wind. Keep in mind the tightness of the furl varies varies a bit with wind strength.

[Calif.Ted]

It's almost foolproof, but it's good for a laugh when someone manages it completely backwards.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

We leave enough to make it to a winch.

Look around at other comparable boats and count the wraps on the solar cover. That will get you close.

Make sure you wrap the correct direction or the cover is on the inside. Done it!

+100. we are set up so we have 15+feet to take to a winch etc. Plus I have a block that allows me to put hands on it and control it from anywhere in the cockpit if needed.