Winter with in mast furler

[jridge1]

I have a 1995 Hunter Legend 40.5, I am planning on living aboard this winter in Toronto. The boat has an in mast furler, I recently had the mainsail out for repair, during this time the noise from the furler banging on the inside of the mast was annoying. Normally the sail would be removed and the mast taken down and the boat put up on the hard. Two questions, Do I need to remove my mainsail from the mast for winter? If so how do I prevent the banging? I was thinking of removing the main and replacing it with a less valuable sail for the winter. Please let me know what you think.
Thank-You
John Ridge

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

John
I don't know from personal experience how well this workds but it certainly seem ingenious and saves stepping the mast unnecessarily.

If you do try it, I'm sure others here would benefit from your assessment of it's efficacy.
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?PHPSESSID=27dd16805ce4a22e3e30340ab28b9f39&topic=4552.0

 

[Mike B]

Removing furling main in Winter

John we use our boat through the winter as a condo and I always leave the mainsail inside the mast. I roll it in a far as I can get it and then wrap the tail end around the mast with either a line or bungy cord. This keeps it from collecting as much dirt or snow. I tried removing the sail but found the same thing you did, it's too noisy. I tried setting the upper bearing assy about half way up but without luck. I like your idea of putting and old sail on in it's place. Good luck with finding a workable solution.
Mike

 

[David10790]

Best Bet is to Leave the Sail On

Wow, wintering on the boat in Toronto! That's really extending the season!

I left the furling main on my Beneteau 373 one winter, and it didn't seem to be harmed by the experience. Very little water gets in as the sail pretty much fills up the slot. If you have had the sail off to inspect it, which is one reason to take it off in the fall, I don't think anything awful will happen over the winter.

As for the noise, we attach a messenger line to the top swivel where the head of the sail attaches and haul it half way up the mast. This cuts the noise somewhat, but the foil still moves around when it is windy. If I was going to winter on the boat i would leave the sail on.

 

[Deadline]

Two ideas

Putting the foam thing is tricky since it could get stuck. Then you have a new problem.

I would recommend tightening the mainhalyard and using a bungy cord at an easily accessible portal.

Alternately, if that proves noisy at night, simply slack the halyard and leave enough inside the mast that it can't rattle bang around in the first place.

Wish I lived on my boat, or better yet yours.

 

[Brian B321]

Use knots

Remove the main and take the free end of your main halyard and attach it where you would normally attach the head of the sail - start hoisting - and every four or five feet put a knot in the halyard (just a Quick loop and knot) and make sure the knot is inside the furling cavity and just large enough to provide gentle pressure inside the furling cavity to snug things up -

 

[ITMaster]

And still had to put up with the clatter. The thing that bothers me the most are the wire-made halyards of the other boats that are left there all winter clanging away on the masts. Geezz, what a racket.

I leave the mainsail in the mast during the winter. But, I need it in there so I can go out and have it to use when I go sailing, which I do all winter long. On a nice day in the middle of the winter here, it is as cold as I would think it would be up in New England during late March or early April. The cold doesn't bother me any more than it does if I am gliding down a slope on fresh powder, or on a snow mobile hitting 65 MPH in upstate New York or out in the midwest as long as I put the right gear on.

I would opt for putting the old sail in if you plan on being on board. Please, if you haven't done so, clean all your electrical connections and make sure all of them are tight and put some die-electric conductor on all of them, the wires also. You are more than likely going to be pulling some serious amp loads and don't want a fire.

 

[newly anonymous]

if you decide to remove the sail...

...tie a loop in the main halyard about ten feet up from the shackle. Now connect the shackle to the tack attachment point. Leave about five feet of slack in the halyard, and run the outhaul to the loop you've made. Tension the outhaul, and the noise problem is solved.

 

[Tsehum Pete]

Flopper Stopper

Several winters ago I removed my furling main at the end of the season on my Bene 390. The banging also drove me and marina neighbours crazy. My sailmaker made a flopper stopper and I never had another problem. A flopper stopper is about a 4 foot by 1 foot strip of sailcloth with a luff rope sewn into one end and two 10 foot lines on the other end. You raise this strip with the main halyard about half-way up the mast, then furl it into the mast. Then attach the two lines to the boom. Never bangs. :dance:

 

[Bill C320 Papillon]

Re: Flopper Stopper

I have left my main inside the mast for several winters now and it doesn't seem to hurt it at all. I've heard that the best way to store a sail is to roll it rather than fold it anyway.