Rolling furler on Seaward 26RK

[SeawardBill]

My brother and I purchased a Seaward 26RK, which had been fitted with an aftermarket rolling furler mainsail. It has the original sail with the battens removed so it can roll in. Performance is terrible, to say the least. She barely turns. It could be partly our lack of sailing expertise, but I am convinced that the sail system is partly (largely?) to blame. I intend to either:

Have a new mainsail made with vertical battens and keep the roller.

Remove the roller and buy a new sail with horizontal battens (original design).

Our primary concern is sailing performance, but that roller is sure convenient. Do you experienced sailors have any thoughts on which way to go?

Thanks!

Bill

 

[Bosman]

It may be my personal opinion, but a furling main on a 26ft boat is an excellent example of form over substance. If this was my boat, I would go with modern full battened main and proper lazybag/stackpack system. But again, this is my opinion only and others may not share my views.

 

[SeawardBill]

Thank you for your thoughts. We bought the boat with the roller and thought it would be great, but the boat just won't perform with the old sail. We are leaning in the direction you recommend. Thanks again! Bill

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Hate to say it, but Seawards aren't what one would call super performing sailboats to start with, especially to weather. They have their attributes, but performance - depending on what you are used to - isn't high on that list. Old sails don't help either. And, I don't know what system your boat has, but I have sailed larger boats with in mast furling mainsails and if the sail is designed for that purpose, for cruising, performance was very good. You can flatten out a newer sail even if it is designed for in mast furling and get pretty good windward performance. Any boat can reach or run, but sailing into the wind close hauled has a lot to do with boat design, rig design and most importantly the keel design and then trimming properly helps too.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I would never have recommended a roller furling mainsail on any of the smaller boats. I am not sure if this boat comes with a trailer or not or even if the intent of that boat is to remain in the water only given the boat is in Florida assuming that. One big issue is the ease of handling that mainsail for example when lowering/flaking/covering.

 

[SeawardBill]

Thanks to you experienced sailors for your input! We have ordered a new, full battened main with bag and stackpack system. Now - if I can just learn how to trim it correctly - and all the right terminology............ BR