Question for the group-- if I want to change my main from a furling to a traditional, do I need to replace the mast and/or boom to do so? Boat is an H380. Thanks for your advice.
Mainsail, Furling to Traditional
- Thread starter rgtet
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I honestly don't know.
What I do know is that many of us older salty skippers with traditional setups would give their left nut to have what you have.
Can you explain why you want to do this?
Reason I ask is that my family has repeatedly said: "Skipper, the ONLY work you have left for us on this boat is the damned mainsail cover!"
What I do know is that many of us older salty skippers with traditional setups would give their left nut to have what you have.
Can you explain why you want to do this?
Reason I ask is that my family has repeatedly said: "Skipper, the ONLY work you have left for us on this boat is the damned mainsail cover!"
The furling main can be very finicky. The conditions for furling it have a somewhat narrow window of "opportunity" and can present some challenges. Having had both, I'd prefer a traditional main and some lazy jacks. On the Chesapeake Bay, it's not unusual to have a stuff wind materialize out of nowhere, which can make it a challenge to furl.
Since most folks don't go your way, and I appreciate your issues, I'd start with local riggers and ask away. I simply doubt most folks here would have had that experience.
Good luck.
Good luck.
You could get away with using the same mast and boom but it is not optimal as you are dealing with a larger mast section than required but I have seen it done. Some hardware changes required of course. Lots of details in "Important Upgrades for Your Cruising Boat." at https://www.smashwords.com/dashboard
Better performance though and less chance of trouble as I am sure you know.
Better performance though and less chance of trouble as I am sure you know.
I have to add my thoughts here although I suspect I'm not helping with your problem. However, I had a Hunter 380 for nine years with a furling main and had no problems whatsoever during the time we had it. We would furl the main upwind, downwind, or on a reach. It was so good as a mainsail that when we downsized to our present Hunter 27, we said we had to have a furling main. Now I furl my main with a WinchRite and it just doesn't get any easier. I'm not sure why you're having problems with your main. Baffles me.
Based on conversations I've had, some furling mains are great and others are a complete pain. I know a very experienced lifetime sailor who just purchased a gorgeous 46 foot blue-water boat with furling main. He has had nothing but problems.
Sounds like if you have a good one you should be thankful and if you're thinking of switching to one there's no guarantee it will be a good experience. As for me there is no way I would pay the money and risk the main being stuck in a big blow.
Sounds like if you have a good one you should be thankful and if you're thinking of switching to one there's no guarantee it will be a good experience. As for me there is no way I would pay the money and risk the main being stuck in a big blow.
rg, fortunately I have had two boats with furling mains and cannot envision going back to the "old" system. Maybe we have been fortunate. What I do know is it takes the proper setup to get the system to work right and once you have that no further problem. However to answer your question yes you certainly can use the furling main and boom on your boat. You will need to "lock" the foil inside the mast to insure it does not turn. Once you do that you can raise and lower the mainsail using the halyard. It may not drop as smartly as one with slugs since it is in a foil. Make sure that the foil is well lubricated with sailkote. As far as the boom goes you will just have a "loose footed" sail. I can put lazy jacks on it if you like.
My recommendation would be not to make any "major" changes to the furling system. The next owner may want to resurrect it and you could use it as a selling point.
Good luck!
I just replaced a furling mast on a Beneteau 393 for a traditional mast. My furling mast suffered a split in it's base due to an accumulation of water that expanded when frozen. A new mast costs 7K, plus shipping to Annapolis and another 7K to swap hardware,crane/yard fees,extras (the list goes on) plus I had to buy a new main and purchased a Fast Track slide system/Dutchman sail flaking, new wiring harness, LED lights,etc, etc.
Would I do it again? Yes.
dennis
At the least you would need to find if one of the plastic sail tracks would slide in the existing grove
You would need a new boom or some pretty big modifications to allow for standard reefing lines along with all the stuff that would make them work and a new mainsail
You would need a new boom or some pretty big modifications to allow for standard reefing lines along with all the stuff that would make them work and a new mainsail
I would guess that either your main is baggy, was built wrong or the sail was recut from a traditional main, might be your problem. I very much doubt that the fault lies with the system, unless you are seeking racing performance.
We absolutely love our in mast furling, but as we sail a lot of inter-island miles in 20 to 30 knots, hard on the wind every year, I am noticing that furling has become more difficult as the sail gets older and baggier. Happening gradually, we are adapting but we know in time, we will need a new sail. I think you should check out a new main, before throwing the whole rig away; it might be a bit cheaper and you could come to love "infinite reefing" as I call it, as much as most of us that have it do.
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