I'm considering the purchase of a new Beneteau which has in mast furling as a standard item. I've heard some stories about jamming of this device especially on Beneteaus. Any thoughts on this matter? Thanks
- Status
That's a Good Item of Concern
As is typical with a new technology there can be some growing pains and jambing furlers is an item that has been talked about. The question is, are the new furler designs sufficiently trouble free? I can't answer that, but, here are a couple items on other furler related subjects: 1. Wiring: In the boatyard was a new mast with a Seldon furler, or it may have been a Seldon mast, I don't know. It was for a relatively large boat, say 48 ft or so. The motor drive for the furler was midway up the mast and the conductors were a large gauge (#2 or #1?) and un-tinned. Untinned wire does not meet marine grade standards because it will corrode, become brittle, and have increased resistance. If you go with a furling main I'd highly recommend the use of tinned conductors on this important item. 2. A furling main, talking about in mast furling main, is not very fast because it has no battens or roach. Additionally, when reefed the center of gravity does not lower like a slab-reefed system or in boom reefing system. My boat has slab reefing and the boom is close enough to the deck that it is a good handhold when trying to flake the main in rough water. Hope this helps and maybe it will spark some discussion.
As is typical with a new technology there can be some growing pains and jambing furlers is an item that has been talked about. The question is, are the new furler designs sufficiently trouble free? I can't answer that, but, here are a couple items on other furler related subjects: 1. Wiring: In the boatyard was a new mast with a Seldon furler, or it may have been a Seldon mast, I don't know. It was for a relatively large boat, say 48 ft or so. The motor drive for the furler was midway up the mast and the conductors were a large gauge (#2 or #1?) and un-tinned. Untinned wire does not meet marine grade standards because it will corrode, become brittle, and have increased resistance. If you go with a furling main I'd highly recommend the use of tinned conductors on this important item. 2. A furling main, talking about in mast furling main, is not very fast because it has no battens or roach. Additionally, when reefed the center of gravity does not lower like a slab-reefed system or in boom reefing system. My boat has slab reefing and the boom is close enough to the deck that it is a good handhold when trying to flake the main in rough water. Hope this helps and maybe it will spark some discussion.
Trade Offs
We have a 411 with in mast furling. Andrea and I sail most of the time alone. On our previous boats, raising and lowering the main was the task we disliked the most. The worse the weather, the more we disliked it. With the main furling you can easily furl the main and the genoa to maintain sail balance without leaving the cockpit. In lower wind conditions you give up a bit of speed but in reefing conditions you can reef in smaller increments and maintain balance so you can get back some of disadvantage. Once we had sailed a boat with in mast furling, Andrea kept saying our next boat had to have it. Keep the mast straight so things don't bind and have a plan for dealing with a stuck furler. George Irish Wake
We have a 411 with in mast furling. Andrea and I sail most of the time alone. On our previous boats, raising and lowering the main was the task we disliked the most. The worse the weather, the more we disliked it. With the main furling you can easily furl the main and the genoa to maintain sail balance without leaving the cockpit. In lower wind conditions you give up a bit of speed but in reefing conditions you can reef in smaller increments and maintain balance so you can get back some of disadvantage. Once we had sailed a boat with in mast furling, Andrea kept saying our next boat had to have it. Keep the mast straight so things don't bind and have a plan for dealing with a stuck furler. George Irish Wake
UV Protection
Another item to look for with in-mast furling is UV protection. The standard main furler has a portion of the tack sticking out of the slot. This part of the sail should be provided complete UV protection: both sides of sail, leach, foot, and even the part where the metal ring is attached. Many sails I've seen are have inadequate UV protection in this area. The headsail should also be similarly protected but many are not, especially at the head. These are details that are often overlooked by even some sailmakers that consider themselves to be the best. Carol Hasse sails in Port Townsend, Washington is one sailmaker that takes care of these details. Another area for UV exposure is from the slot of the mast where light can get in, especially if the boat is docked with the stern facing south. Hope the above ideas help.
Another item to look for with in-mast furling is UV protection. The standard main furler has a portion of the tack sticking out of the slot. This part of the sail should be provided complete UV protection: both sides of sail, leach, foot, and even the part where the metal ring is attached. Many sails I've seen are have inadequate UV protection in this area. The headsail should also be similarly protected but many are not, especially at the head. These are details that are often overlooked by even some sailmakers that consider themselves to be the best. Carol Hasse sails in Port Townsend, Washington is one sailmaker that takes care of these details. Another area for UV exposure is from the slot of the mast where light can get in, especially if the boat is docked with the stern facing south. Hope the above ideas help.
Never go back!
Having had in-mast furling for a year on a new OC 381. I would never go back to a traditional main sail. It takes a little while to get used to trimming your sail. On a cruising boat the loss in boat speed in immaterial and the easy of handling the sail is wonderful. Everyone I have talked to with in-mast furling will not go back once they get used to trimming the sail.
Having had in-mast furling for a year on a new OC 381. I would never go back to a traditional main sail. It takes a little while to get used to trimming your sail. On a cruising boat the loss in boat speed in immaterial and the easy of handling the sail is wonderful. Everyone I have talked to with in-mast furling will not go back once they get used to trimming the sail.
In-mast furling
People with the furling main tend to sail more because the effort to set the mainsail is so much less than with the conventional sail. There is no sail cover to mess with at the begining or end of the trip and you can dial in the right amount of sail area to match the wind conditions in seconds. Many cruising boats never take the sail cover off of the main when they think the wind may be high enough to need a reef.
People with the furling main tend to sail more because the effort to set the mainsail is so much less than with the conventional sail. There is no sail cover to mess with at the begining or end of the trip and you can dial in the right amount of sail area to match the wind conditions in seconds. Many cruising boats never take the sail cover off of the main when they think the wind may be high enough to need a reef.
- Status