2008 Beneteau in mast furling ?

[SycloneDriver]

A few things have changed in the last week.
1. The previous owner paid for a new head sail.
2. I found the stop botton on the engine panel and it works. In my defense the label is missing and the previous owner forgot about it.
3. There is some bend in the mast. According to Niel Pryde there should be less than an inch, preferably none.
4. I own the boat now!

 

[BigEasy]

Congratulations!

That was an easy fix on the motor kill switch button. Use it to stop the engine,
then turn key to off position.

After making halyard adjustments, tuning rig, lubricating the furler, turning blocks, & boom track/car, the in mast furler should work somewhat better.
If you remove the mainsail, be sure to take the additional steps in removing and servicing the furler drum as well as replacing the furler line. It really makes a big difference in the ease of operation. If all is working properly, you should be able to furl/unfurl without the winch or with minimal effort using the winch.

Good luck; enjoy your new boat.

 

[sail sfbay]

................Now the question. How much effort is normally required to deploy an in mast furled main?................

Congratulation on your new boat purchase. Now to answer your original question: Deploying a mast furled main should be relatively low effort, especially furling out IF the sail was furled into the mast tightly to begin with. The trick to the latter is to pull or winch the "furl-in" line while maintaining tension on the outhaul and while on a slight "starboard" tack (assuming you have a counter-clockwise furling drum [sail furls in counterclockwise] like my Selden mast as shown in the diagram below). Now with a tightly wound sail in the mast to unfurl you can either pull or winch the "furl-out "line or outhaul while maintaining tension on the furl-in line to keep the sail tight in the mast and while on a slight "starboard" tack. Once you get the hang of it you can pull the sail out quickly with the furl out line and visa versa with the furl line with little effort. You might refer to the modern sailing article on in-mast furling mainsails in the link below.

The Ins and Outs of In-Mast Furling Mainsails | Modern Sailing

What is an in-mast furling mainsail?Unlike a traditional mainsail that is hoisted and doused vertically with a halyard, an in-mast furling mainsail wraps around a tube inside a hollow mast.

www.modernsailing.com

 

[Roadking Larry]

Does this one have a name or are you going to take your chances with the evil boat spirits again.

 

[sail sfbay]

......Does this one have a name or are you going to take your chances......

We are not sure what your post is referring to.

 

[SycloneDriver]

Does this one have a name or are you going to take your chances with the evil boat spirits again.

This boat came to me named "TIME OUT". Think I'll keep it.

 

[SycloneDriver]

I only had a little time at the boat today. I cleaned a few things and used some spray silicone on the lines controlling the in mast furler. It seems to be working better but due to high winds in the marina I only pulled the sail out a few feet.

 

[sail sfbay]

Good to hear. In my experience there is no need to spray your lines. Simply furl the main sail in and out tight.

 

[SycloneDriver]

Good to hear. In my experience there is no need to spray your lines. Simply furl the main sail in and out tight.

I sprayed the blocks/bearings. Sorry I wasn't clear.

 

[DayDreamer41]

The is the lubricant you want to have on your boat for lubricating blocks and tracks

https://www.mclubemarine.com/sailkote/

 

[kappykaplan]

The is the lubricant you want to have on your boat for lubricating blocks and tracks
https://www.mclubemarine.com/sailkote/

 

[Barnacle Bill]

The more cylinders in a diesel engine, the quieter it will run.
Always kill a diesel engine before turning off the key. You can blow out diodes in the electrical system if you don't then you'll have other problems to deal with. Killing a diesel engine means shutting off the fuel supply whether it is pulling the throttle all the way down, pulling a knobbed cable or pushing a kill button.
There are better in mast furling systems than others. I have worked with many and I think Selden makes the best. I have used many and have installed them to replace conventional masts. Any piece of equipment on a boat requires cleaning and lubrication, but the components on Selden rigs have great quality control and work easily as long as the luff tension is not too loose, etc. I have seen great mainsails built for in mast systems that work really well and are functional even for windward performance.
Call a local air conditioner repair guy to deal with the loss of coolant. He/she can find the leak, repair it and make it right with little fuss for you except for writing the check.
You mentioned furler problems, of which you aren't very specific, but again, Selden's Furlex is, in my opinion the best out there. They are also very helpful with trouble shooting, My experience is it rarely is the system itself (as long as required maintenance is completed - and it doesn't require much), but rather the operator.
It's all a learning curve, but learn and enjoy your boat

 

[Roadking Larry]

We are not sure what your post is referring to.

The OP and I are friends in the real world. He introduced me to sailing. I just like to give him a hard time about his last boat not having a name.

 

[tfox2069]

One thing I'd recommend on the in-mast furling - especially since the previous owner seemed to know very little about it and was a bit afraid of it (e.g. y our comment about not pulling the main out all the way): Get the Selden manual (its online), pull your main all the way out and take it off. Then walk through servicing and properly adjusting your in-mast furler tension in the mast. Then put your main back on and work with halyard tension, boom angle and outhaul tension to get a smooth furl/unfurl at the dock. As others have said, if you do all that and its still an S show, your main may be blown out and there's only two solutions as other have mentioned - get it recut or get a new one. If you can't make it work at the dock, then get a rigger to come help you set it up correctly - you'll learn a lot.

Once you spend a few hours doing that you'll know the in-mast furling system inside and out and be able to make it work well out on the water. Its a system, and any time spent learning a system is WELL worth it. Its just like your auxiliary engine (the diesel one) - fail to learn it well and it will eventually cause you all sorts of frustrating problems. I personally wouldn't go back to a traditional main - largely because I single hand a lot and leaving the cockpit carries risk with it. I admit I've spent a fair amount of time getting to know mine, and had the continuous furling line replaced by a rigger. The more I learn about it, the fewer "problems" I have with it. Mine is a Selden on a 2009 Hunter 36, if that's any help.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Too much prebend? 1-2 % max prebend for IMF

 

[SycloneDriver]

I can easily see the prebend in the mast. I have not attempted to measure it, but it looks like too much me. I have been busy fixing other thing. 1. Failed gear selector. 2. Failed start battery. 3. Lighting, of course the anchor light still doesn't work. 4. The air conditioning! I might have that fixed. I'll start another thread on the AC.

I have so many things taken apart inside the boat that it looks like we had a propane explosion. If I could only get the AC going then I could make some real progress. I'll hopefully be reinstalling the AC unit today, it's seems to be working properly on the tailgate of my truck with a garden hose attached. Wish me luck!

 

[NYSail]

If it’s a US spar the mast was built with a bend in it.... don’t bend any further or you will have issues.

Good luck!

 

[SycloneDriver]

If it’s a US spar the mast was built with a bend in it.... don’t bend any further or you will have issues.

Good luck!

That's good info.
Thanks.

Yesterday I reinstalled the AC. It's working for now.
The furling main also worked better.

 

[BlindCat]

I have IMF on my 2002 393. It did take a little getting used to, but its great never having to leave the cockpit to reef or douse the main.
This is especially important for those of us that are longer in the tooth.