Anyone have opinions on In-boom Mainsail Furling vs. In-mast Mainsail Furling. Is the extra money for the in boom worth it?
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Yes!
If you should have a malfunction such as a jam with in-boom furling and a thunderstorm is aproaching, you could lower and secure the mainsail. If if you should experience a jam with in mast furling and a thunderstorm aproaching you would very possibly lose the whole rig or at at least have a very bad ride and probable severe damage. Also the weight reduction aloft when motoring in waves would be quite noticable with in-boom. I know problems don't occur often with either system but all problems have a habit of ocurring at the worst time. Fair winds, Jack
If you should have a malfunction such as a jam with in-boom furling and a thunderstorm is aproaching, you could lower and secure the mainsail. If if you should experience a jam with in mast furling and a thunderstorm aproaching you would very possibly lose the whole rig or at at least have a very bad ride and probable severe damage. Also the weight reduction aloft when motoring in waves would be quite noticable with in-boom. I know problems don't occur often with either system but all problems have a habit of ocurring at the worst time. Fair winds, Jack
No problems with in mast..
As long as it's designed for the boat. The Catalina's with in mast were designed around an in mast system being used in fact all the newer Catalina hulls like the 309, 310, 320, 380, 400 etc. were all drawn & designed FOR in mast. This was explained to me straight from the source, & designer, Jerry Douglass himself. Weight, boom length etc. were designed for maximum performance with an in mast unit. I was told by Catalina that the 310, with in mast, has a longer boom to compensate for loss of roach. I regularly sail against a fin keel 310 with full batten, a 135 genny & a two blade prop. I have a wing with a 150 genny, a fixed three blade and in mast furling & I have yet to loose to this guy. The sailor makes more of a difference than the furling main does. Now I suppose if I were sailing his boat against him sailing mine then he be ever further behind but we're talking seconds per mile. Are you cruising or racing? Does the ability to reef in 15 seconds from the cockpit matter? Does the chore of raising/opening the main sail in 30 seconds appeal to you? Does putting the sails (both) away in under 50 seconds sound appealing to you? Does the idea of never handling a wet sail cover appeal to you? Never handling a halyard except for minor tension adjustments? Never using sail ties again? Flaking a main? The benefits for cruising certainly out weigh the negatives, unless of course you are racing, but if you were you would have never asked in the first place. The benefits of a furling main are so great that once you have one, and know how to use one, you'll never go back. Even seasoned world record holders such as Dodge Morgan, "American Promise", have in mast furling on their personal yachts. In this case it's a 60+ foot Ted Hood designed Little Harbor but still it's an ocean going BLUE WATER vessel and Dodge chose in mast for it. Of course the nay sayers will spout their drivel about reliability etc. but if you remember they did this when jib furlers came out as well. I have over 3500nm on mine without so much as a hiccup. It works perfectly! While boom furlers are also nice they are very expensive and bulky on a boat under forty feet. Either way you'd be fine but it's much less money to find a good used boat with in mast already installed. My neighbor just did in boom on a Sabre and it cost him close to 14k by the time he was done! The difference in price between a used Catalina with in mast and a full batten is NOT 14k option for option....
As long as it's designed for the boat. The Catalina's with in mast were designed around an in mast system being used in fact all the newer Catalina hulls like the 309, 310, 320, 380, 400 etc. were all drawn & designed FOR in mast. This was explained to me straight from the source, & designer, Jerry Douglass himself. Weight, boom length etc. were designed for maximum performance with an in mast unit. I was told by Catalina that the 310, with in mast, has a longer boom to compensate for loss of roach. I regularly sail against a fin keel 310 with full batten, a 135 genny & a two blade prop. I have a wing with a 150 genny, a fixed three blade and in mast furling & I have yet to loose to this guy. The sailor makes more of a difference than the furling main does. Now I suppose if I were sailing his boat against him sailing mine then he be ever further behind but we're talking seconds per mile. Are you cruising or racing? Does the ability to reef in 15 seconds from the cockpit matter? Does the chore of raising/opening the main sail in 30 seconds appeal to you? Does putting the sails (both) away in under 50 seconds sound appealing to you? Does the idea of never handling a wet sail cover appeal to you? Never handling a halyard except for minor tension adjustments? Never using sail ties again? Flaking a main? The benefits for cruising certainly out weigh the negatives, unless of course you are racing, but if you were you would have never asked in the first place. The benefits of a furling main are so great that once you have one, and know how to use one, you'll never go back. Even seasoned world record holders such as Dodge Morgan, "American Promise", have in mast furling on their personal yachts. In this case it's a 60+ foot Ted Hood designed Little Harbor but still it's an ocean going BLUE WATER vessel and Dodge chose in mast for it. Of course the nay sayers will spout their drivel about reliability etc. but if you remember they did this when jib furlers came out as well. I have over 3500nm on mine without so much as a hiccup. It works perfectly! While boom furlers are also nice they are very expensive and bulky on a boat under forty feet. Either way you'd be fine but it's much less money to find a good used boat with in mast already installed. My neighbor just did in boom on a Sabre and it cost him close to 14k by the time he was done! The difference in price between a used Catalina with in mast and a full batten is NOT 14k option for option....
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