INMAST FURLER OR STANDARD MAST???

[knot smart]

hey guys...just bought first boat its a bene 352 that was beat up bad from the storm...great price..the down side is there is no mast..lost/ broke in the storm..so.. im shopping for a replacement..im reading about the inmast furler...nice concept and from what i see the benefit of reefing in strong winds is nice ..but i havnt heard any downside...

is there any downside to this system , problems, kinks..ect...that you are better off sticking with a traditional style mast??

thanks

[Cheechako]

It's been discussed alot on here and you will find staunch supporters on both sides of the fence. Personally I disliked mine alot.. especially when the SH*% hit the fan. Daysailing around the bay would have been fine.
In mast Pros: no sail cover to deal with, infinite furling, quick to put away at the dock.
In mast Cons: You lose the most powerful part of the main...the roach. Jams and problems seem to get worse when the boat is overpowered, lacks the simplicity of slab reefing. Requires a well thought out system with stopper and or winches on the cabintop etc.

[Sailor Doug]

I have a Selden in mast on my 36 and love it. Yes it is a bit slower until you have 12 knots and then it makes no difference. As the wind changes you can adjust sail area to keep heel on the sweet spot. Sail flatter and faster is more enjoyable and keeps crew happy.

[Cotemar]

We had in mast furling main sail on our Catalina 380.
It was the best. In or out in seconds.

[ohdrinkboy]

When it works, it is amazing. I've chartered 2 boats with it. One it worked perfectly and the other was out of adjustment and didn't work for beans. Yes you give up some shape and efficiency. If I was buying a boat I would consider it, but I would test it out before purchase.

[HappyMdRSailor]

I've had in mast furling jam at just the wrong time... It is a bugger to free... This was on a 50' bene though.... High loads.... If you you want the ease of a furler, look into a furling boom...

[Kenomac]

We have a Hood furling mast on our Oyster 53 that works great, no downside. Had a Profurl furling boom on our 45 ft Hunter which worked pretty good but not as good as the Hood mast. That said, I've seen many less expensive furling mast systems on Hunters and Catalinas around the Long Beach marina with sail jamming problems. Owners and/or a hired hand going up the mast to pull out the jams by hand at dockside. I understand this problem is usually caused by furling the sail into the mast with the boom at the wrong angle, so it might not be the fault of the manufacturer, more likely operator error.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Sailor Doug

Yes it is a bit slower until you have 12 knots and then it makes no difference.

That is true for downwind sailing; however for upwind sailing the difference is that in-mast gets a speed penalty and heels more, for a much less comfortable ride.

[Tar34]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

That is true for downwind sailing; however for upwind sailing the difference is that in-mast gets a speed penalty and heels more, for a much less comfortable ride.

Why would an in mast furling main heel more upwind? In mast furling requires a flatter sail, generally higher clew and generally less roach than a traditional main, which generally translates to less sail area.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

We have a Hood furling mast on our Oyster 53 that works great, no downside. Had a Profurl furling boom on our 45 ft Hunter which worked pretty good but not as good as the Hood mast. That said, I've seen many less expensive furling mast systems on Hunters and Catalinas around the Long Beach marina with sail jamming problems. Owners and/or a hired hand going up the mast to pull out the jams by hand at dockside. I understand this problem is usually caused by furling the sail into the mast with the boom at the wrong angle, so it might not be the fault of the manufacturer, more likely operator error.

It seems that the boom has to be raised a little for furling.

I've tried to work it out using the protractor, subtractor AND the extractor but still don't know why that should be.

[boatman61]

I'll take slab reefing everytime...

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Tar34

Why would an in mast furling main heel more upwind? In mast furling requires a flatter sail, generally higher clew and generally less roach than a traditional main, which generally translates to less sail area.

With higher winds the problem is not with sail area because you can reef to match wind conditions with both options. No, the problem is drag, which is converted into heel. Whenever a sailshape starts to differ from the perfect ellips, you get drag. Some vertical battens can make that better for in-mast but they come with a whole other load of problems of their own. They even tried inflatable battens

[Tar34]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

With higher winds the problem is not with sail area because you can reef to match wind conditions with both options. No, the problem is drag, which is converted into heel. Whenever a sailshape starts to differ from the perfect ellips, you get drag. Some vertical battens can make that better for in-mast but they come with a whole other load of problems of their own. They even tried inflatable battens

Yes, less lift and drive because of the flatter sections.

[Sailor Doug]

Wow I have sailed with in mast sailing and had 2 jams in the last 9 years and they where in the first year. (never went up the mast) You have to learn to use it. I have experienced more roller jib jams than main jams. I all ways furl and unfurl by by hand, always have wind ahead of the beam but never flapping and on my rig port tack.
I adjust reefing based on heel this does keep speed up. The big reason for in mast is you will sail more often. I am a old guy and getting older. In mast avoids having to pull main up the mast. After 12 k I can race with slab reefers with lower PHRF numbers, usually because I am sailing flatter. Having said all this my rig is a Selden they are well engineered likely complaints are for older poorly engineered systems.

[Lancerbye]

I have aft mast furling, which I love. My biggest complaint against in mast furling is the whistling noise they make at the marina when the wind hits the slot at a specific angle. I have seen owners fighting with them alot especially when putting the sail on at the dock.