34 MKII; Furling Mainsail- is there a penalty?

[Tim Bush]

I have a new Catalina 34 MKII on order, for delivery in late August (I hope). I have ordered her with the furling mainsail, as I had used these years ago on larger boats (Hood systems). I would appreciate any advice or comments people might have on the following:1) How much of a penalty I will pay in terms of efficiency under sail with this format ? The furling mainsail has no battens and the shape may not be as ideal as the standaed sail. 2) Anyonbe with such a system; have you been happy with the system ? Any regrets in getting the furling mainsail ?I can probably still specify the standard mainsail as they are just starting the build. I have seen very few boats "out there" with furling mainsails.- If they are such a great invention, why are they not so popular ? I will be grateful for any advice. Thanks for your comments.

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Planet Catalina]

Anxiety level

I've always been a little nervous about furling systems (mains & heads). First, they're expensive. Second, they're expensive to repair when the system breaks. Third, if in bad weather, I would be concerned that they could unfurl partially or all the way & become dangerous. I'm sure this is very rare but...I have heard that furling mains have a worse shape than standards but I really don't have personal experience. Tough decision - good luck!

 

[R. Palaia]

Get a Dutchman with slides

Can't comment on a furling mainsail, never had one or sailed with one. LaDonna makes some good points about the possibility of failure (any added gizmo is another thing that could break). I would suggest that you look into a Dutchman sail handling system in addition to the more high tech batt slide systems (i.e. Harken tracks, Strong track). With this combination your sail can be handled easier, and the end batten slides will make raising and lowering the main simpler. I think Catalinas come standard with the Dutchman sail flaking system.Regards,Roc

 

[Sam Sevier]

Furling Mains

I have the furling main option on my 400. I couldn't be happier. I can't tell you how much performance you give up because I don't have a 400 with the standard sail to compare. But I am very pleased and surprised at how well it performs. I am extremely lazy so this sail suits me to a tee. It is a pleasure to "hoist" the main. Takes me about 30 seconds and one hand to deploy it. My 125 pound wife can do it equally as easy. Same thing to furl it back in. No going on deck, no sail ties, no sail cover. I love it. If your a serious racer, go for the extra 1/2 knot of the conventional sail. If your a cruiser, simplify your life, go with the furler. You'll be glad you did.

 

[GERRY HULL]

A GREAT FURLING MAIN

For a super performing roller furling main you should talk with the folks at Doyle Sails heasquartered in Marblehead Mass. For a customer of mine they just made a new roller furling main with way more area than the existing main. [Hinckley Southwester 42]We sailed the boat with the old main and then again with the new one. Incredible difference. Performance virtually indistinguishable from a fully battened main.Here's what they did. First, the clew and its block are fabricated into the sail itself, not just tacked on. This allows the sail to fit right down close to the boom without that big wind- wasting gap of a typical roller furler.Then the second and amazing thing was the spring -steel stainless battens which held the roach way out giving lots of added sail area. The battens just roll up into the mast much like a steel tape measure does.I have had the opportunity to sail 3 of those boats, one with a full battened main, one with a typical Hood furling main and lastly the Doyle battened furling main. The regular furler is very inferior to the other two. If you are going to have a furler this is the one !

 

[Charlie Pearsall]

Furling Main

At a past Sail Expo I had a discussion with a factory rep (Beneteau, shudder) on their roller furling main. The sail is loose-footed with no battens, so you will be going back a hundred years in aerodynamic engineering, not to mention adding the potential for breaks and jams, (granted, any system can break or jam). I was (finally) told that there is about a 15% loss of efficiency suffered. But it is admittedly easier. Then again, you can get pretty good videos on sailing that can be watched at home. Much easier (and cheaper) than owning a sailboat.