Furling line control

[fred1diver]

Hello all, last season we move the furler line from
Starboard to port to ease with working with the line.
Now the boat is almost in the water and we still have to figure out how to secure the working end of the rope, originally there was a cleat on the outside of the coaming, but it wasn’t really practical.

so I was thinking about installing a spinlock PRX, I was thinking about a swivel model so we could work it from different locations in the cockpit, what are your thoughts

 

[dlochner]

That is not the route I would go. A ratchet block with a cam cleat will work and allow for a quick release of the line if necessary. The ratchet block makes furling easier as it will grip the line and prevent backsliding when the ratchet is on. The cam cleat is easy to set and easy to release with a simple pull on the line.

https://www.harken.com/en/shop/carbo-air-blocks/57-mm-ratchet-block-swivel-cam-cleat/

 

[fred1diver]

Ok, very interesting, I just cannot figure how or where that would be located for our application at the moment

 

[Davidasailor26]

Ours came with a Spinlock XAS clutch. Works fine for us. I can’t think of anytime I’ve wanted to release faster than I could open the clutch. It has the same advantage as the ratchet block that with the clutch closed you can furl without the line sliding back out. I think the only tricky time is if you want to partially unfurl - you need to close the clutch quickly when the furling line is playing out.

 

[BigEasy]

My Beneteau has a deck mounted clutch that isn’t the greatest nor is it conveniently located. I chartered a Beneteau 331 that had a cam cleat with swivel that worked fairly well. I took a photo with the intention of adding a similar setup; however, it is not a high priority & never accomplished.

 

[Indysailor]

The previous owner of my boat installed a swiveling mainsheet brace with a cam. It works well enough, though maybe a bit overkill. The nice thing is it allows me to furl/reef/unfurl from multiple positions. And I like the block and cam because it allows me to maintain a lot of control over the line. Additionally, I can flake the line and hang it on in the arm..

This is not the swivel base used but it is representative. Mainsheet swivel base with cam

 

[dlochner]

Ok, very interesting, I just cannot figure how or where that would be located for our application at the moment

It can be mounted to a stanchion base or directly to the side deck with a backing plate.

 

[thinwater]

I like a clutch. I have known several boats where the line came out of the cam cleat while the boat was unattended and the sail was completely shredded. Once I climbed on a stranger's boat and furled a jib that had just opened (cam cleat). I took the tail to a horn cleat.

I like that I can either leave the clutch 50% open and use it as a one-way ratchet, or full open for release. I like that I can pre-pull the line through it to a mark for pre-set deployment, and then lock it down.

I like being able to take the tail around a winch (single wrap) for control. This is vital if you are using a cam cleat. A ratchet block is good too. A winch gives you the option of winching; 98% of the time, you can pull by hand if you turn off the wind, but it's nice to have the option. Be carefull when winching; you can break something.

 

[colemj]

We've had no problem with our two furlers being on cam cleats.

But your desire to have it swivel isn't going to work much because the lead into it will quickly be unfair to the point of damage. To use it in multiple positions, you would need a turning block or snubber winch after the clutch.

Mark

 

[Dalliance]

My furler line runs through a ratchet block at the toe rail and to a cam cleat on the outside of the coaming with a G10 backing plate and an angle wedge. It used to go a jam cleat on the outside of the coaming, but I now just use that to hang the coiled furler line on because I sometimes lost control of the furler line if I uncleated the line under too much load. In addition to being quicker to cleat, what I really like about the cam cleat is that if the line is under more load than I can control in my hands, it‘s more difficult release and that tells me to reduce the load on the line before uncleating to reef or furl in my genoa. I never ever winch my furler line. Too much chance of doing damage.

With the line cleated and hung on the old jamb cleat in addition to the cam cleat, there is zero chance of accidental release that would shred the genoa during a dockside storm.

Exact cam cleat location may depend on whether you‘re handling the line from the helm (I’m a frequent solo sailor.) or a crew member is handling it forward of the helm. Mine happens to be at a location that can work either way, but is probably a bit better for helmsman control.