Boom furls

[niel12]

Has anyone any experience with boom furls?

It seems to have a whole lot of advantages.

[Pete7]

The old ones had a less than perfect solution to the problem of what to do about a vang or kicker. They ended up with a big wish bone contraption with rollers that ran on the sail cloth.

In boom reefing would be better, however, the purists then complain about the lack of roach etc.

Biggest downside is likely to be the cost of converting both boom and mail sail. Yacht next to us has just changed from inboom to slab reefing with a new boom. They seem please with the change. The old boom was passed on to another yachtie who suffered a broken goose neck.

Pete

[carstenb]

Reefing can be a pain. They are also generally heavy to hoist the sail. And there is a good possibility of chafing on the sail.

The Dutchman system is reliable and makes flaking the mainsail easy. I'm having my sail resewn this winter to use Dutchman.
MVBinfo · Dutchman Sail Hardware

There are also a couple of threads here on cruisers forum discussing the system

[delmarrey]

Lets say for a 40' boat a good boom furler cost around US$14K.
Their minuses are:
They are heavy.
One needs a rigid vang, IAW no up or down with the boom.
Their performance is like a junk rig.
It takes a special sail, custom made.

Their pluses are:
EZ to raise
EZ to stow.
EZ to reef to what ever suits you.
Full battened but with little roach.

IMO they are great on motorsailers.

[Lagoon4us]

We have PROFURL it is extremely easy for my wife to furl, winches are electric and that's a plus. I reef anywhere between 1 and 99% the only downside is the boom is heavy.

The vang is critical it keeps the angle of boom to mast at 89deg. Wouldn't do it any other way as far as cruising goes....

Cheers

[bstreep]

What Lagoon2us said. We have a Profurl system. We've gotten used to it (it was on the boat), and unlike an in-mast system, you can always dump it on the deck. That being said, I'd never pay to put one in.

Current estimates are $20-25K: Furler, boom, rigid vang, custom mainsail (the luff has to be cut to go back and forth like a fishing line, or else it all bunches up), electric winch (a must have - you have to keep tension on the furler, and hand cranking it up is a BEAST).

[Lagoon4us]

Agree re cost we would never be able to option as expensive, our's was on board when we purchased.

The foot is cut at 89deg other than that we keep positive hand tension on the reefing/furling line or halyard when reefing BUT the mainsheet must not be tensioned or it's impossible to furl nicely.

We have a foil on luff that provides the bolt rope track and cants to align with airflow off mast. We have great light air ability and main set's beautifully with full battens and yes if it all goes wrong you can hoist and lower like a normal mainsail.

Inmast systems are a disaster waiting to happen, in my opinion you'd get more shape out of setting your doona aloft!!!!

[DRS]

Profurl came with our Lagoon 380 when we purchased it. Love it ! We have electric winches and raising and lowering is a snap. Its a large boom with a solid / dampened vang and a boom brake. The brake is a great piece of equipment with the heavy boom if it were to ever get out of control it could get ugly.

[Lagoon4us]

Agree with your comments, our biggest problem was some idiot cut the furling line to be 6inches past the sheeting winch, friggin hard to get a wrap. Today we are replacing it with 10mm Spectra it will wrap on the drum in the boom much better whereas the 12mm rope if you wrapped loose would jam.
And we will cut it long!!!!!!! What really annoys is the off-cut is in the rope locker all 6metres of it aaahhhgggGGGGGG!!!!

Can you detail your boom brake as it's the one thing we don't have and a gybe worries me, pictures even???

Cheers Frank

[DRS]

I have attached a couple pictures of the boom brake. Triangle unit attached to the boom has 3 wheels in it that the line snakes through. The center wheel has a tensioner that regulates how fast the unit and boom can move over the line. Line is tied off on the stb froward corner of the cabin top runs through the brake and back to the port forward corner then back to a cam lock by the helm. There is extra line that can be released to move the boom further out when running down wind.

Hope that makes sense
Derick

[Lagoon4us]

Good thanks, good explanation, is it a Wichard or.......?

About the only difference between ours is our furling lines are internal in the boom.

Cheers. Frank

[delmarrey]

It's the same as what I have, a Dutchman.>> MVBinfo · Dutchman Sail Hardware

They come in different sizes it relation to load.>> http://www.mvbinfo.com/boom-brakes-techinfo.php
Mine has saved my ass several times. I don't raise my mainsail w/o it!

[niel12]

Wow, it certainly seems if lot can be said for a boom mast, perhaps a debate on advantages and disadvantages on a mast furl as opposed to a boom furl, should be very interesting.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by niel12

Wow, it certainly seems if lot can be said for a boom mast, perhaps a debate on advantages and disadvantages on a mast furl as opposed to a boom furl, should be very interesting.

Boom Furl
Pros: Less weight aloft + the ability to use full horizontal battens to shape sails
Cons: Requires electric halyard winch on larger boats; temperamental about boom angle when sheeting; requires rigid vang; requires full battens

Mast Furl
Pros: Easier furling, especially in high winds; loose footed main; works better as storm sail
Cons: requires vertical battens or hollow roach; more weight aloft; promotes irrational fears about jamming, especially among neophytes

[Lagoon4us]

Mast furls give you a fairly poor sail shape and if they jam you have REAL problems.

Really they are akin to setting a flat piece of sail cloth rather than a sail with drive etc........

They are very common here amongst the charter fleet but from speaking to operators they are causing many a headache.