In-mast furling

[eric gritzmacher]

This is the first boat I've had with an in-mast furling system (neil pryde). Without an outhaul, how do i tighten/flatten or loosen the foot without "reefing" the main?

 

[Rick I]

No Outhaul?

Without an outhaul how do you get the sail out of the mast? I may be wrong but Neil Pryde only makes sails. What furling system have you got?

 

[eric gritzmacher]

in- mast furling; sail trim

Sorry for the confusion; the sails are neil pryde and the furling system is not identified. My confusion comes from the fact that when i "raise" the sail, i am in effect pulling a car along the track in the boom. when the main is fully raised (and the head is all the way to the black line at the top of the mast), i have a very flat foot and it seems the only way to loosen it and give it more belly is to partially furl the sail in which of course reduces the sail area. i assume someone else has had to deal with this and can tell me the secret. i hope this makes sense.

 

[Bill C320 Papillon]

I may be a little confused but here is how mine works. To unfurl, I open the clutch for the furling drum line and pull the outhaul through its closed clutch until the sail is completely out of the mast, then I close/cleat the the clutch for the furling drum line. To get sail shape, simply open the clutch for the outhaul and let out as much slack as you feel is necessary to create the sail shape you want. One of the beauties of a loose footed main is the unlimited sail shapes you can play with.Have fun w/ your new aquisition, I sure wouldn't trade mine.

 

[Jack]

Loosen the Outhaul to change shape

all you have to do is loosen the outhaul line a bit to give a curve to the foot of the sail. Do not "furl" the unit back in.We have had the same system on our last 2 boats. We love it and would never think about going back to a traditional sail again.Fair Winds,Jack

 

[eric gritzmacher]

Thanks

Thanks to Jack and Bill for your response. As I continued to ponder the problem, the solution (or a solution) started to come to me. Both of your suggestions helped make things clearer. I am heading down to the boat tomorrow and will see how well it works. glad to hear that both of you are so happy with the system. Makes me feel that I too will never want to go back. Best sailing to the both of you.