In-Boom Furling

[AlastairLC]

Has anybody had experience with in-boom mainsail furling? I've heard that in-mast furling can cause problems if not done right. I’m wondering if in-boom would be easier. I assume you can also have full battens. (?)
I’m considering the purchase of a 1986 Scanmar 33 which has it.
Also, anybody familiar with Scanmars? Rare here but the Finns and Swedes evidently like them.

 

[rgranger]

I was curious so I went to sailboat data... you probably already seen this but if not....

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/scanmar-33

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

We have a Hood boom furler and prefer it over the in-mast type for a few reasons:
1. Can’t get stuck in the mast (or boom) and isn’t temperamental with a non-conforming sail shape
2. Can lower it with one finger (and raise it similarly with electric winch)
3. Full sail shape with full battens
4. Reef or stow at any point of sail
5. Moving parts easy to get at if anything breaks
6. Lower weight aloft (a big consideration to some)

 

[shemandr]

So did I. I think a dock neighbor where I used to evacuate to had one. Very distinctive looking. He was European and very proud of that boat.
I wouldn't assume you can use full battens. If you do, when furling they should enter the boom in unison along their length. That might be hard to accomplish. Remember the sail is probably flogging, the battens will be bent to lee and the angle of the boom will have to be perfect.

Looks like that is not such a problem!

 

[AlastairLC]

Thank you all. Sounds like this might be a good possibility. So many Finns and Swedes can’t be wrong.

 

[Rich Stidger]

@AlastairLC _ I have a Schaefer Furling boom for the last 5 years. Absolutely great. Wish I had put it on 20 years ago. As @Don S/V ILLusion said above, You can't get it stuck in the mast, if it somehow jams in the boom (never happened with me) you can drop it like a regular sail and deal with it later. You can use full battens (I have them) and you can reef at any batten position. The battens roll up parallel with the boom. And all moving parts are in the boom. I don't know which boom furler is on the boat you in which you are interested, but I also have opinions on Schaefer vs Leisure Furl should you be interested.

 

[AlastairLC]

Thanks Rich. It’s by Hallett. Probably Scandinavian.

 

[CarlN]

I have had Schaefers on two boats and love them - before that a boat with Seldon mast furling. I never had a problem with the mast furling sticking but I very much disliked the underpowered mainsail it had because it has little to no roach (either no battens or ineffective vertical battens) A boom furler mainsail's full battens allow a very powerful full roach sail.

All boom furling systems share one characteristic. The angle of the boom and the mast must be exactly right for the sail to furl. Otherwise the sail "walks" along the furling mandrel like a roller window shade not rolling straight. Many systems have a permanently fixed boom vang to keep the angle correct - but some don't and you have to be sure to set the angle before furling. If your system uses a permanently set boom vang then you also can't set the leach tension (since the boom can't be pulled down). This works fine as long as the sail was built with a well shaped leach and it hasn't stretched much. Sailmakers who know how to cut a sail for boom furlers usually design the first wrap of the furler to tighten the leach. Should you decide to get a new mainsail, look long and hard for a sailmaker with experience cutting a sail for the Hallett.

 

[AlastairLC]

Thanks CarlN for your excellent advice.