Main furling ????

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Feb 10, 2004
204
Hunter 426 Rock Hall, MD
I am looking for input regarding difficulty with a Selden main furling system on my Hunter 426/44 aft that is causing me some problems. I just purchased the boat a year and a half ago from a PO who did very little sailing and was not so diligent in maintaining the vessel, and this is my first experience with a main furling system. In my limited time working with this system I found that quite often the sail would jam when being deployed. The sail unrolls for a few turns and then jams in the sail track. By jamming I mean that the entire sail roll would seemingly move aft and try to pull through the mast slot as if it were furled very loosely. I have taken care to furl as tightly as possible with outhaul tension and while close hauled on the starboard tack, but the problem persists. I do notice that there are two creases that are “set” in the aft ¼ of the sail that I have not been able to flatten, but do not know if this would contribute to the problem. In my forum search I was not able to find any posts specific to this issue. Any suggestions offered would be appreciated.
 
Mar 28, 2010
19
Hunter 39 Pasadena, MD
I've had this issue a few times. When you're unfurling the sail the outhaul not only pulls the clew out it also pulls it down as well. If it jams coming out, Ill just roll it back in then go pull the clew out by hand for a few feet. Another idea is to use the spare main halyard as a topping lift and lift the boom up a foot. This tends to eliminate the downward pull the outhaul is doing.
 
Nov 8, 2009
537
Hunter 386LE San Fancisco
On a previous forum it was noted that you furl the main sail into the mast you should do this on a slight "port tack" with tension on the outhaul. This ensures the sail is tight going in otherwise it can fluff in the mast. Unfurl the main sail on a slight starboard tack with tension on the furl in line.

Also be sure to grease the furler at the base and top of the mast. Finally, check the furler tension per Selden's recommendations. You can download the mast manual from Selden for tensioning recommendations.
 
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