furling main

[Marshall15355]

I have owned my 1993 Benteau 400 for 2years and have had trouble with the Spar furling main system off and on. The 5 year old main is sized properly and not too old to keep its shape according to Neil Pryde. I always keep some wind in the sail on a 45 degree tack and release the boom vang and tension the outhaul while furling. Still, I frequently cannot get the main to unfurl all the way. I wrinkles and folds as it rolls in and gets too fat to roll out easily.Any suggetions?

 

[Dragonfly]

Have you checked the drum?

I had a problem with the in mast furling on by B331. I finally took the drum out and it was locked tight. I sent it to US Spar, they replaced it and the line. I think they may have installed the wrong line and as it wore, it just bound in the drum.Mark

 

[bill]

You sound like you're following all the common recommendations. On Mine (different model), keeping the boom to port (starboard tack) gives a better entry into the mast and if you are getting too many wrinkles and you have good tension on the outhaul as you furl, try some tension on the vang. You might also check your halyard tension. If it is too slack, you may get more bagging/wrinkling. You might also want to check to make sure that your outhaul and furling lines are the proper size. When I got my boat the lines were too large and the kept jumping the grooves on the spool and getting jammed up. New lines solved that problem.I think each furling system has its own set of criteria to make it work the best, so I messed around with several different things before I got the bugs pretty much out. Some followed conventional wisdom, others didn't.Good Luck

 

[MasonMcD]

Boom furling?

Anyone have any experience with boom furling mains? They appear, at least superficially, to be much less complicated, though I've not heard about the sailing characteristics.