The wife rightly points out we are getting on in age and that there will come a time when hoisting and lowering the main will become a task. She wonders about the feasibility of converting our current set up to a furler unit. Probably gonna cost 3/4 the value of the boat, right? Current unit is Isomat set up.
Mainsail furling
- Thread starter odaydokay
- Start date
Let's see.
New mast.
New sail.
New standing rigging.
Loss of sailing performance due to sail design and smaller main sail.
Get one of these, expensive, far less expensive than a new mast etc.
www.ewincher.com
[Santa may deposit one under my tree this year.]
Or for about the same money one of these:
www.tidesmarine.com
New mast.
New sail.
New standing rigging.
Loss of sailing performance due to sail design and smaller main sail.
Get one of these, expensive, far less expensive than a new mast etc.
EWINCHER | Electric Winch & Winch Handle for Sailing Boats
Smart Electric Sailing: we design electric winches and electric winch handles packed with advanced technology for sailing boats.
[Santa may deposit one under my tree this year.]
Or for about the same money one of these:
Track & Slide Systems | Tides Marine
Tides Marine, providing essential marine components to the marine industry since 1991
I love our RF main sail. When I was searching for a boat to buy my research led me to believe it would cost about 60k to convert a 50 odd foot boat to internal RF. There are external RF systems for boomed sails, but their efficiency if far below that of the internal systems.
look nto a behind the mast rroller furler. Although me in my late seventies still has no problem reefing
Inmast Furler is actually Latin for headache.
There are also roller boom solutions. Maybe since you are replacing less spar, that might be cheaper, I know they aren't cheap, but I mean relatively. Also sailing performance is allegedly better as battens can still be used.
theriggingco.com
Which Boom Furler is the Best? - The Rigging Company
When it comes to mainsail management systems, in-mast furlers appear to be losing popularity with cruisers while boom furlers keep popping up on more boats. We are noticing a huge increase in customers upgrading their conventional or even their in-mast units (yes, you read that right, read more...
theriggingco.com
They're are only a problem for those that are less experienced.
I've posted many times about the problems with my in mast roller furling. In the end I think my main was too stretched for the system to work right. But I can testify that at age 50, I was at my limit in exhaustion trying to furl that sail in 15 to 18 knots. In one instance the flailing of the clew exploded a block that could have killed me had it hit on my head. In my case the sail was a problem and I had some pre-bend in the mast. That didn't work. If you convert to have to get a main that is FLAT and a mast that is straight. A retro fit looks expensive and problematic to me.
I’ve found that the more experience I get with it, the more problems it causes.
I always liked the idea of the SailTrack system and thought that coupling it with a stack pack would be sweet setup. When I've checked prices I think I could do both for around $2k.
For now I spray the sail lugs with McLube SailKote a couple of times a season as I raise the sail. Only need the winch for the last foot or so.
We just installed a Tides Sailtrack this spring. I forget the exact cost (never good to remember these things, it could get depressing
), however it was about $1300 for 40+ foot track including the labor to install it and change the sail slides. I've only used it a few times and it does make raising the sail easier.
The Tides marine system is a good and the least expensive upgrade compared to say Harken or others. I did it on one boat and yes for sure raising and lowering the main got easier. Also upgrade to a hitech main those are lighter than dacron sails, or consider a 2:1 halyard system more rope to pull but not as hard to pull it.
I'm a big fan of Tides Tracks. They are engineered to take the loads on boats up to about 45' monohulls. It's half the price of other systems and it works awesome. (I have it on my own boat). Keep in mind the following limitations please: a) The track needs to be inspected for UV damage annually, starting at 5 years old in the tropics, later in temperate climates. b) limited to use on monohulls up to about 40-45 feet, smaller on multihulls. c) you need a high load head carriage for the bigger boats.
For boats over 45', you have to choose a different mainsail system that can handle a bigger load. There are many really good, proven reliable systems. A lot of my customers over the years have had Antal HS fiber lined systems that have no ball bearings. I've never, ever heard of a failure with them.
Electric winches take all the work out of hoisting a sail. A bit pricey but they make hoisting effortless.
2:1 haryards give you more mechanical advantage for hoisting stength and reduce strain on rope clutches, etc.
But.... Even with low friction mainsail systems, you still have to maintain the components faithfully to reduce friction. Owners need to clean and lube the mast groove, slides, halyard sheaves, halyard turning blocks, etc, at least once or twice a season. And rinse all the deck components every time they put the boat away. If you're on a mooring, you need to figure out a way to rinse the deck hardware periodically.
For boats over 45', you have to choose a different mainsail system that can handle a bigger load. There are many really good, proven reliable systems. A lot of my customers over the years have had Antal HS fiber lined systems that have no ball bearings. I've never, ever heard of a failure with them.
Electric winches take all the work out of hoisting a sail. A bit pricey but they make hoisting effortless.
2:1 haryards give you more mechanical advantage for hoisting stength and reduce strain on rope clutches, etc.
But.... Even with low friction mainsail systems, you still have to maintain the components faithfully to reduce friction. Owners need to clean and lube the mast groove, slides, halyard sheaves, halyard turning blocks, etc, at least once or twice a season. And rinse all the deck components every time they put the boat away. If you're on a mooring, you need to figure out a way to rinse the deck hardware periodically.
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I have to say for me the worst part of this sailing thing is dropping the main. It goes up & comes down easy enough but trying to wrestle it in on the boom so you can tie it off, at my age will become a deal breaker for me. I sail a small boat compared to many of you. Yes, I've looked into lazy jacks, seems like a PIA.
I remember going out for a sail on a new Hunter 38 many years ago that had in mast furling. They ended up taking a knife to the main, couldn't get it to furl. Guess the trick for in mast furling is like a head sail. Gotta keep tension on it as you furl.
I remember going out for a sail on a new Hunter 38 many years ago that had in mast furling. They ended up taking a knife to the main, couldn't get it to furl. Guess the trick for in mast furling is like a head sail. Gotta keep tension on it as you furl.
I've only sailed on one boat with in-mast furling. The owner knew less than I did about it and we had difficulty with the furler. Turns out, the boom has to be level and at a right angle to the mast, then it works better.
For the Sabre 28 a well designed set of lazy jacks will make sail handling much easier. The sail comes down inside the lazy jacks and sits there until the sail ties are on. Much easier than wrestling the sail back onto the boom and then securing it. There are a couple of extra steps in the process, but these are simple and don't require much effort, certainly less effort than trying to secure the main without them.
Sailing can sometimes be a bit or work. Maybe you need an autopilot to hold the boat into the wind while you drop the main. You can stand at the mast with your foot on the halyard and drop enough for each flake as you push the sail flakes in alternating sides of the mast. Once they are all in line at the mast it is an easier task to flop the leech flakes over the boom and tie them up. They will be close enough for a tidy flake that will fit under the sail cover.
Not to be unkind but there is a time that if you enjoy being on the water and sailing isn't working for you it may be time for the dark side. It happens and isn't shaming.
Not to be unkind but there is a time that if you enjoy being on the water and sailing isn't working for you it may be time for the dark side. It happens and isn't shaming.