In mast furling

[JC on Bainbridge]

I see not everyone is happy with this

What I am reading here is exactly my concern. I don't ever want the main to get stuck, especially while getting it down. The worst problem I have now is sometimes the cars may stick, and that's all.Also, it is not the same as the headsail furler. With the headsail, if it gets stuck, I can always unwrap it by hand, or drop it, even if it may be a little tough to do. With a in-mast main, hey, you can't unwrap it, no way. There is a big metal tube around the outside of it. If the wind is blowing hard, you get to watch it beat itself to death.

 

[kristin boyce]

Thanks for the trim tips

Thanks for the trim tips. I should mention that this is the second boat that we have had with in mast furling. On the first boat the only time we have had a problem with the furling of the sail was when we first tried to use the boat. We had quite a problem trying to get the sail out. As it turned out we had too much tension on the halyard. Once it was slightly loosen it came right out. On our new boat the furling system is even easier to use. About the only time that I have to use the winch is to set the final sail depth. The suggestion of mirroring the head sail is a good idea as right now it's the only sail that has telltales on it. The difference that I'm finding between the two boats maybe getting used to the difference in the sail area and mast height. The first boat had a mast height of 54 feet, our new one is 63 feet.(we went from an H340 to a H41 DS) The hull design on the new one is different, as the weight has been lowered somewhat below the waterline. However we do have a deck salon so that has raised our freeboard somewhat. I am finding that while this boat is very solid in it's motion in a variety of sea states, it seems a bit more challenging to keep on it's feet. It initally will heel over and then pretty much seems to find it's shoulder and stays there. The thing that makes me think I am perhaps not trimming to the boat's best advantage is that we are having a challenge trying to keep the boat 15 degrees of heel or less. (This was recommended to us by our dealer.) I should mention that this situation can occur in 12+ knots of wind. Of course easing the mainsheet helps however it seems to effect the performance quite a lot. I am sure that my sail trimming is probably my boat's biggest handicap ;-) which is why I am constantly trying to improve my knowledge. She is a great boat and I would like to do right by her! Thank you for all your input.P.S. I have found that some tension on the outhaul as you are furling in the sail is necessary but too much will dramatically increase the time it takes to accomplish the task. What is happening is with too much is virtually a tug of war.

 

[Larry Long]

No Problems

I read all of these posts and can't believe how many people are having problems with in-mast furling mainsails. Our H33 has the Selden furler and it works like a dream. The furling main was the single biggest inducement to us in buying this boat and it has easily proven itself to be a worthy piece of equipment. It takes less than 10 seconds to unfurl the main and probably 15 seconds to roll it up. It works perfectly every time. Period!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I have a friend who had a furling main on his Catalina and it was nothing but problems. It appeared that inferior hardware was the culprit. He bought the boat new and had sold it within 6 months.Hunter is using top quality hardware on their furling mains and I suspect that if they are set up correctly they will be as reliable as any other system. It is certainly a HUGE improvement over having to haul a heavy main up and down the mast with a traditional system.Bottom Line: I will never own another boat without in-mast furling main.Below the bottom line: Can you say "10 second reef without leaving the cockpit?"

 

[w0nko]

coefficient of friction

Franklin wrote: "it's because as I pull on the outhaul, instead of the sail unfurling, it pulls the whole roll back to the openning."That sounds like it could be really important. The difference in tension between two ends of a flexible item being pulled around a smooth curve depends GREATLY on the angle of curve it's being dragged around and the coefficient of friction. If I remember right, T1/T2 is proportional to [e raised to the power of (theta * cf)], where theta is the angle of bend and cf is the coefficient of friction.Thus, with one turn around a good stanchion, you can safely lower a person on a rope. With two, you can handle a piano. With 10, you could snub the Queen Elizabeth , given a really good rope and stanchion.I wonder what the difference of friction between the mast and the rolled sail is from one boat to another? Silicon spray on the sail should help a lot.Being on the appropriate tack should be quite a factor, as it should reduce that angle of bend significantly.I'm theorizing here. I'll accept criticism from anyone who (a) understands the theory better than I do or (b) has actually tried what I suggest. And yes, I'm an engineer.