We are new owners of 2010 Beneteau 31. Prior to that, we owned a 1978 23 O'Day. So this is new for us. We may have made a mistake by choosing in mast furling rather than a traditioinal mainsail with lazy jacks. We are looking for a good explanation of how to use the system, e.g. pull out and furl in the main, maintenance, avoiding bunching of the sail in the main. We understand that the mainsheet should be relaxed. We have been told that before letting the main out or furling it in the bow should be in the wind and we have read that the bow should be 60 degrees off the wind. We are confused. Thanx in advance for any responses.
In mast furling
- Thread starter la Bise
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Bow into the wind or slightly off wind. Keep a little tension on the furl line when pulling the main out, i.e. don't let if free-wheel. Furling in, same bow into the wind, keep some tension on the outhaul while furling to keep the sail from bunching. I usually hold the outhaul in the palm of my right hand and pull the furl in with my fingers. That way I can hold some tension while furling.
I've had mine three seasons and am out most weekends and a couple of week-long trips with no issues. I find it easy to use, easy to reef and like having the furling.
Many others will tell you they don't like the system. To each his own. If you search the archives you'll find some good discussion on the pros and cons.
I've had mine three seasons and am out most weekends and a couple of week-long trips with no issues. I find it easy to use, easy to reef and like having the furling.
Many others will tell you they don't like the system. To each his own. If you search the archives you'll find some good discussion on the pros and cons.
Not a mistake
Accually I do not believe that you made a mistake by getting the in-mast furling. I have had in-mast for the last 6 years and have logged almost 8,000 miles in that time sailing the California Coast between San Francisco Bay and San Diego in all conditions. I really like the system and have only noticed lack of performance on the very lightest days when I was too lazy to set the "A" sail. You could probably get more increase in performance by switching to a folding prop than by having a traditional mainsail.
Besides being really easy to use, having infinite reefing size options that the furling main avails is a real plus.
Using the halyard, traveler, and outhaul is a must to shape the sail. Play with these controls. Especially the outhaul. Once you get it down you will be stoked. You can make a really fine wing shape that provides pleanty of power and lift.
Furl as per Scott's recomendation. The only thing that I will add is that it is a good idea to liberally spray the track on the boom with McLube once a month or so.
Congrats on the new boat.
Accually I do not believe that you made a mistake by getting the in-mast furling. I have had in-mast for the last 6 years and have logged almost 8,000 miles in that time sailing the California Coast between San Francisco Bay and San Diego in all conditions. I really like the system and have only noticed lack of performance on the very lightest days when I was too lazy to set the "A" sail. You could probably get more increase in performance by switching to a folding prop than by having a traditional mainsail.
Besides being really easy to use, having infinite reefing size options that the furling main avails is a real plus.
Using the halyard, traveler, and outhaul is a must to shape the sail. Play with these controls. Especially the outhaul. Once you get it down you will be stoked. You can make a really fine wing shape that provides pleanty of power and lift.
Furl as per Scott's recomendation. The only thing that I will add is that it is a good idea to liberally spray the track on the boom with McLube once a month or so.
Congrats on the new boat.
PS:
After you reef and begin to sail again the outhaul will appear to get a little slack and the sail will belly out. What is happening is that the load on the sail causes it to get more snug aroung the furling foil.
Standard procerure it to reef, sail for a half mile or so and then depower the sail by slacking the main sheet and snugging up the outhaul a second time to flatten the sail. You want the outhaul good and tight when reefed to flatten the sail which reduce heel when sailing to windward.
After you reef and begin to sail again the outhaul will appear to get a little slack and the sail will belly out. What is happening is that the load on the sail causes it to get more snug aroung the furling foil.
Standard procerure it to reef, sail for a half mile or so and then depower the sail by slacking the main sheet and snugging up the outhaul a second time to flatten the sail. You want the outhaul good and tight when reefed to flatten the sail which reduce heel when sailing to windward.
Another option that you may want to consider is coating the sail with the new McLube Sailcoat spray. This may help it furler easier and also protects the sail too.
http://www.mclubemarine.com/sailkoteplus/
http://www.mclubemarine.com/sailkoteplus/
The bunching problem you talk about happens when you furl the sail with out enough tension in the sail as you bring it in. If your sail goes in on the rt side pf your mast as you face it keep the wind on the stbd side of the boat with just enough tension to keep the sail tight. Do not release the out haul too fast as you will give the sail too much slack.
You will find (as I have) that once you furl it tight it will come out easy. You will soon find out that you have not made a mistake getting this system. I do not race, so ultra performance is not my thing. I single hand frequently, and the convenience of choosing exactly what size main sail I want is wonderful.
Practice with it some till you get it down pat. Good luck
You will find (as I have) that once you furl it tight it will come out easy. You will soon find out that you have not made a mistake getting this system. I do not race, so ultra performance is not my thing. I single hand frequently, and the convenience of choosing exactly what size main sail I want is wonderful.
Practice with it some till you get it down pat. Good luck
Love it
You will love it once you start sailing it,most or all in-mast owners will never go back.
It's like anything new you need to learn to use it and the more you use it the more you love it.
Two big things to do is don't let it free wheel too much furling out and most important keep some tension on the outhaul when furling in,when first furling in keep a look see that it is going in tight and not bunching up if so stop and pull it back out,its not hard to learn to do and yes a little off wind or into wind go easy when at first and than once you see how it works you will see how easy it is.
Liston to advice and it is soooooo easy to use and I don't spray any thing on my selden in mast but it does have grease fittings to lube and have not yet but will soon.
Your beneatua might be different than Hunter using Seldon but call the dealer or factory for more info on your unit or manual,I swear it's the best thing you ever did and will fall in love with it:dance:
Nick
You will love it once you start sailing it,most or all in-mast owners will never go back.
It's like anything new you need to learn to use it and the more you use it the more you love it.
Two big things to do is don't let it free wheel too much furling out and most important keep some tension on the outhaul when furling in,when first furling in keep a look see that it is going in tight and not bunching up if so stop and pull it back out,its not hard to learn to do and yes a little off wind or into wind go easy when at first and than once you see how it works you will see how easy it is.
Liston to advice and it is soooooo easy to use and I don't spray any thing on my selden in mast but it does have grease fittings to lube and have not yet but will soon.
Your beneatua might be different than Hunter using Seldon but call the dealer or factory for more info on your unit or manual,I swear it's the best thing you ever did and will fall in love with it:dance:
Nick
All the answers are good advice.
Hi la Bise! Glad to hear you are putting you new boat to use. You've gotten a lot of good answers already. The two most important in my mind are; (1) tension on the outhaul as you furl in is important and (2) slightly off the wind as you furl. In my case the main furls around its roller counter clockwise so I try to be just a little off the wind to port as I furl so that the sail is going easily through/across the slot, not wrapping around it's edge. Happy sailing! Bruce
Hi la Bise! Glad to hear you are putting you new boat to use. You've gotten a lot of good answers already. The two most important in my mind are; (1) tension on the outhaul as you furl in is important and (2) slightly off the wind as you furl. In my case the main furls around its roller counter clockwise so I try to be just a little off the wind to port as I furl so that the sail is going easily through/across the slot, not wrapping around it's edge. Happy sailing! Bruce
Count me as another "never go back" person. Most of the people who complain about in-mast furlers have not actually owned a boat with one. For a new sailer, it's a great safety factor because you will be more likely to reef early. Carrying too much sail is the quickest way I know to make sailing hard and scary. Most modern boats are faster when sailed with 15 degrees or less of heal. Beyond that you get a lot of weather helm and leeway increases. Reduce sail early to keep the boat on her feet.
The one worry about in-mast furling is that it will somehow jam. There are plenty of horror stories but those usually involve older masts. The new ones are much less likely to jam. Two things to know:
Since it's a new boat, have a good rigger tune the rigging. This can substantially improve your speed and pointing ability. I've seen many new boats delivered completely out of tune. The rigger will also check the prebend in the mast. This is a fore-aft curve in the mast that puts the middle of the mast a little forward. It helps in a seaway to keep the mast from "pumping" back and forth - but too much prebend causes an inmast furler to bind inside the mast. Most Hunters have some prebend because of the B&R rig. It's a balancing act that riggers know how to strike.
Never, never, never try to use the furler to PUSH the sail out. Always PULL it out with the outhaul. Unrolling the sail inside the mast can cause it to fold over itself inside the mast and jam. As mentioned it's also a good idea to keep some tension on the furling line when pulling the sail out keep the sail tightly wrapped on the furler. Think of an art poster inside a mailing tube.
Carl
The one worry about in-mast furling is that it will somehow jam. There are plenty of horror stories but those usually involve older masts. The new ones are much less likely to jam. Two things to know:
Since it's a new boat, have a good rigger tune the rigging. This can substantially improve your speed and pointing ability. I've seen many new boats delivered completely out of tune. The rigger will also check the prebend in the mast. This is a fore-aft curve in the mast that puts the middle of the mast a little forward. It helps in a seaway to keep the mast from "pumping" back and forth - but too much prebend causes an inmast furler to bind inside the mast. Most Hunters have some prebend because of the B&R rig. It's a balancing act that riggers know how to strike.
Never, never, never try to use the furler to PUSH the sail out. Always PULL it out with the outhaul. Unrolling the sail inside the mast can cause it to fold over itself inside the mast and jam. As mentioned it's also a good idea to keep some tension on the furling line when pulling the sail out keep the sail tightly wrapped on the furler. Think of an art poster inside a mailing tube.
Carl
In Mast
I haven't got in mast furling but I've chartered a lot of different boats that have had!
No one has mentioned this yet, so I'll jump in.
When setting, striking or furling the sail it may (...may!) make it easier and prevent the bunching if you make sure the boom is at right angles to the mast (ie: not up or down)
Different systems are sensitive to this to a greater or lesser degree.
sam
I haven't got in mast furling but I've chartered a lot of different boats that have had!
No one has mentioned this yet, so I'll jump in.
When setting, striking or furling the sail it may (...may!) make it easier and prevent the bunching if you make sure the boom is at right angles to the mast (ie: not up or down)
Different systems are sensitive to this to a greater or lesser degree.
sam
Thanx for all the good advice. One question, when you say make sure the boom is 90 degrees to the mast, wouldn't that mean tightening the vang to keep it at that angle, whereas I thought that I needed to relax the vang when furling and unfurling.
You made the right decision. I had in mast on my'96 Beneteau and now have it on my '08 Catalina, I wouldn't buy a new boat without it.
One other consideration is halyard tension. Play with it until the furler works best and then forget it. On my older Bene, I had the halyard as tight as I could get it without the winch and that seemed to work well.
One other consideration is halyard tension. Play with it until the furler works best and then forget it. On my older Bene, I had the halyard as tight as I could get it without the winch and that seemed to work well.
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