Inmast Furler Or Standard Mast???

Don S/V ILLusion · Feb 8, 2013

I'm sure there are some but I never met a person with an in-mast furler that never had problems with it/them, the most prevalent one being it getting stuck. If that possibility is worth the convenience to you and you don't mind the less-than-optimum sail shape, go for it and be careful how you roll it up. I'd suggest you consider a boom furler as a better option.

JoyRide28 · Feb 8, 2013

In mast is VERY convenient. Downsides are 1) another hidden spooling mechanism that could perhaps jam (but I've never had this happen), 2) Some performance is sacrificed in most systems because there are no battens in the the sail (some have vertical battens, which I have no direct experience with)...

Blindnavigator · Feb 8, 2013

Just came off a nine day charter in the BVI on a Juneau 43 that had one- total piece of crap. Nice when it works- previous charter had torn the sail by yanking too hard on the out haul when the sail has been unevenly creased on a previous furl- hard to get a good sail shape, ( lack of battens) and if it gets stuck out in a good blow, you're in difficulty. Easy to just crank out a little bit for balance in heavy winds, but I know I'd never want to own one.

Bill Roosa · Feb 8, 2013

bendy luft makes the sail hard to shape, compromised mast due to a slot going all the way up, no battens (horizontal battens cause a step like shape to be created instead of a smooth curve), another gadget to go bad at the worst time IMHO

alexco38 · Feb 8, 2013

Get a traditional mast n u will be happy.
In-mast furling sail IMHO is bad idea.
Once learned, you can reef in gale force wind safely.
The few minutes you spare at the end of a day sail to put the cover on is lost because you arrive hours late. BTW about 2 beers time!!

E.g. same boat , you'll loose 20-30% in speed.

BTW just my opinion.

Patrick S/V Shangra-La · Feb 8, 2013

I beg to differ

I absolutely love my in mast curler. A the sail gets older and gets a belly in it the curler can jam. As long as you keep your sail in good shape. Rinse the bearings after each sail you'll have many years of good use.

I especially like the advantage of complete flexibility with reeding. To be able to select the exact size of my main based on the conditions allows me to easily balance the rig.

MrBill_FLL · Feb 8, 2013

half the time I've seen them, they were trouble.

Bob 04 H260 · Feb 8, 2013

Like many things in sailing, those that have them love them, those don't have them hate them........

Bob

Don S/V ILLusion · Feb 8, 2013

Bob 04 H260 said:
Like many things in sailing, those that have them love them, those don't have them hate them........

Bob

Bob
I have one...

seadaddler · Feb 8, 2013

Bull ssssssssssssssssssssssssss

I have had my in-mast since 2007 and never had any problems and would not change any thing,2 Hunters in our sailing club have in mast and win many races in a cruisers class.
I will be racing in my very first race this month and will see how I do,I go crusing with a large club group and have no problem sailing with them at all and when in a tight area and all the other sailboats are all using just their jib I use my main in-mast because it's so easy to use it aand furl it in just as easy as the roller jib.
Usually the only problem is not furling in ggood and tight and allowing the sail to bunch up and causing the sail to jam up inside,in-mast is so easy and every day I see more and more in-mast and not just on Hunters.
I will never own a boat with out in-mast and might even get the vertical battens too and that is the only thing I would change is to add the verticals which I see more of.
Nick

Bill Roosa · Feb 9, 2013

I would note that the pro racing boats don't seem to use them.
Wonder why that is.

Bill Roosa · Feb 9, 2013

Hey knot smart
You will also want to research in-boom furling while you are at it. Also the sail catcher, Dutchman system and lazy jacks. All have their supporters and naysayers. If you are trying to "reef late" then I'd go with a proven design that has had all the bugs engineered out of it over the decades. If you "reef early" then just about anything will do fine. Course putting in that second reef may prove to be problematical and that one is always "late" from a wind strength view.
If you are looking for ease at stowing the sail then in-mast, in-boom, and the sail catcher/sailpack are good options.

tommays · Feb 9, 2013

I own a first generation hood stoboom rumored by others to be the worst thing every made

I guess having the ability to follow instructions helps BUT it is a simple device that allows me to have total control over the mainsail in complete saftey while standing in my companion way area

And we also seem to get places at pretty much the same speed as most folks

seadaddler · Feb 9, 2013

Crusing

I guess I forgot to say I don't really race but am giving it shot after seeing a few guys in our club doing very well.
I don't see that many racers using in-mast but I do see many more cruisers with in-mast and see many of the 40 ish very pricey sailboats with in-mast.
No in-mast is not for everyone for sure but many a cruiser has said that they like what I see when they see how easy in-mast is,many sailors don't think Hunters are good sailboats but look how many Hunters are sailing the open ocean,the problems with charters are i don't think most who charter don't know the trick of making sure they are rolled back in properly and that is just holding tension on the sail while rolling the sail in.
I do the sails myself so how hard could it be and I have never had a jam and don't wash the sail down after sailing and need to grease the rollers one of these days.
Yes the sail is smaller and yes the shaping not the best but my boat sails pretty good with the rest of the fleet,one fact is that with the small 110 jib and in-mast Hunters are very easy to sail for singlehandling.
When out cruising with my wife in any weather conditions I can keep my boat under ccontrol and very safe and easy to sail compared to many other sailboats,when most sailboats are using just their jib I can have my jib out and still roll out small part of my main as much as I want easier than regular batten sails,just saying reefing is easy.
I would guess a 10 + year old sail might stretch out and might be tuff to roll in tight and may cause bunching up which is why the sail will jam,I use the wind with slight port tack to help roll in my sail tight by myself.
Nick

Maine Sail · Feb 9, 2013

Always the scare tactics...:neutral: These SAME scare tactics were employed back when roller furling head sails first hit the market. Today there are folks like John Harries who sails his vessel in high latitudes with over 100k nm on his roller furlers. If you had listened to the same rhetoric back in the 70's these would have failed him the minute he left the dock.

We owned a boat with in-mast furler. We NEVER, EVER had even a hint of a jam and NEVER EVER had a single problem. We LOVED it. We also SAILED MORE !!!!!!!!!!!

WE SAILED MORE...

Think about that......

In little to no wind we could deploy the main at the hint of a puff and be sailing in about 12 seconds. If the wind again died we'd put it away in about 12 seconds... With our full batten main we just opt to keep the iron genny going until we have enough wind to keep the main up.

When single handing, as I do multiple times per week, the furling main was a god send. As it is now I often sail under the 150% genny only because of the extra time involved in depolying the main and putting it away. I can be on the boat and off the mooring sailing in under 3 minutes by sailing with just the head sail. If I add the full batten main to that equation I lose an extra 20-25 minutes of actual SAILING time... With the furling main that was never an issue and my time spent for hour or two "sneak off sails" was maximized..

We had a wing keel Catalina 310, with in-mast, and a fixed three blade prop. We regularly used to dust our sister ship who had a fin, full batten main and a folding prop. If you focus on how YOU sail, not the loss of roach or other "excuses" you will become a better sailor.... If you consistently blame your speed under sail on things like props, sails, in-mast furling or other things you'll never become a better sailor.

Even Dodge Morgan had an in-mast furler on his private sailboat, a 54' Little Harbor. This is a guy who set the solo round the world record and who then chose in-mast furling for his personal sailboat...

On our current boat we now have a full batten main (actually a 2+2) but I would go back to a furling main in 2 seconds. Personally I would prefer a boom furler, due to the ability to have battens, but would not be opposed to another boat with an in-mast main. It was one of the best features of our Catalina 310....

Like anything when used PROPERLY they are highly reliable. I have one customer with a 30 year old Hood system that has never had a single hiccup. He loves it.

All I am saying is that if you find a mast with the right section and length for your boat don't not buy it if it is in-mast. They work well and have many benefits except of course to those who've never used them....

jsalley · Feb 9, 2013

Maine Sail said:
Always the scare tactics...:neutral: These SAME scare tactics were employed back when roller furling head sails first hit the market. Today there are folks like John Harries who sails his vessel in high latitudes with over 100k nm on his roller furlers. If you had listened to the same rhetoric back in the 70's these would have failed him the minute he left the dock.

We owned a boat with in-mast furler. We NEVER, EVER had even a hint of a jam and NEVER EVER had a single problem. We LOVED it. We also SAILED MORE !!!!!!!!!!!

WE SAILED MORE...

Think about that...... In little to no wind we could deploy the main at the hint of a puff and be sailing in about 12 seconds. If the wind again died we'd put it away in about 12 seconds... With our full batten main we just opt to keep the iron genny going until we have enough wind to keep the main up.

When single handing, as I do multiple times per week, the furling main was a god send. As it is now I often sail under the 150% genny only because of the extra time involved in depolying the main and putting it away. I can be on the boat and off the mooring sailing in under 3 minutes by sailing with just the head sail. If I add the full batten main to that equation I lose an extra 20-25 minutes of actual SAILING time... With the furling main that was never an issue and my time spent for hour or two "sneak off sails" was maximized..

We had a wing keel Catalina 310, with in-mast, and a fixed three blade prop. We regularly used to dust our sister ship who had a fin, full batten main and a folding prop. If you focus on how YOU sail, not the loss of roach or other "excuses" you will become a better sailor.... If you consistently blame your speed under sail on things like props, sails, in-mast furling or other things you'll never become a better sailor.

Even Dodge Morgan had an in-mast furler on his private sailboat, a 54' Little Harbor. This is a guy who set the solo round the world record and who then chose in-mast furling for his personal sailboat...

On our current boat we now have a full batten main (actually a 2+2) but I would go back to a furling main in 2 seconds. Personally I would prefer a boom furler, due to the ability to have battens, but would not be opposed to another boat with an in-mast main. It was one of the best features of our Catalina 310....

Like anything when used PROPERLY they are highly reliable. I have one customer with a 30 year old Hood system that has never had a single hiccup. He loves it.

All I am saying is that if you find a mast with the right section and length for your boat don't not buy it if it is in-mast. They work well and have many benefits except of course to those who've never used them....

What he said.....In mast furling for 7 seasons without a single problem!

Sailm8 · Feb 9, 2013

I like mine. The only problem was the furling line jumped the drum once. That was operator error.

wflowe2 · Feb 9, 2013

I've had in-mast for over 12 years on my last 2 boats- a Beneteau 281 and now a Catalina 320 and have never had any major or life threatening issues. The system allows me to single hand in much more wind than I would attempt with slab reefing. Most folks who spread the gloom and doom have never had one. There must be some reason that they are now standard on most newer Catalinas, Hunters and Beneteaus. The folks are right, you don't see them on Americas cup boats so if you plan to race your Bene in the Americas Cup, don't get one. I have vertical battens and sure don't have any trouble keeping up with other similar sized boats (except J's).