331 furling main

[Jerry Hause]

I have not cracked the code on getting performance from my furling main. I would appreciate hearing from those of you that have figured out how to trim it.

 

[Stephen Hinkle]

Here's a couple of ideas

Not everyone will agree, but as I fall off the wind on my 361, I loosen the outhaul, keeping the shape of the main similar to the shape of the genoa. I keep the leech tight, either with the vang in lighter winds or with the mainsheet/traveler in heavier winds. It works very well out to about 80 degrees apparant. Neal Pride has a tuning guide for the RF main on their website that has further tips.

 

[Pat Campbell]

331 Roller Furl Performance

I look at few basic things to see if the main is trimmed properly on my 331 RF. First, I look behind the main and the genoa. The leeches of both sails should almost match in curvature. The second thing I look at is the feel of the helm. On my 331 I leave the genoa alone and start reefing the main to counteract the excessive weather helm. Don't be dissapointed that you may have to reef in only 12-15 kts. The 331 has plenty of sail area and infinite reef points. As the weather helm increases to the point where the rudder is acting like a brake, reef the main just enough to straighten out the rudder. Straighten it out to the point where you still keep a little weather helm. What you lose in sail area you'll make up in less drag from the rudder.  I like to think of proper trim on my main in three steps: The proper draft for the wind conditions. The leeches are almost identical. Get rid of the excessive weather helm.  I hope this helps.