FURLING MAIN CLEW HIEGHT HOW TO
FURLING MAIN CLEW HIEGHT FULL

FURLING MAIN CLEW HIEGHT HOW TO

Whether youвЂ™ve got a furling main on your own boat, or if youвЂ™ll be using one when you charter, itвЂ™s worth knowing how to avoid the pitfalls of furling mainsails. So has the reputation of furling mainsails been unfairly tainted, and are they more prone to user error, or have the systems ironed out the glitches?

Hallberg Rassy reports that almost all new owners buying boats over 40ft opt for furling mainsail systems, with Discovery reporting a similar trend. In 2018, 38% of boats sailing round the world in the World ARC had furling mainsail. Increasing numbers of boats are circumnavigating with them, and most boatbuilders now offer them as an option.Get mainsail furling wrong and it can lead to costly and potentially dangerous problems. In-mast furling has got a bad rap in the past but used properly and with a little care, thereвЂ™s no reason why such a system shouldnвЂ™t give you trouble-free sailing for years to come. If you are commissioning new sails, consider getting them silicone-coated as this will help the sail slide over itself, making the furl inside the mast tighter. Shorter vertical battens, on the other hand, can leave the sail unsupported, causing вЂњhingingвЂќ at their base when furling.ДЇor those without the budget or desire for a battened sail using modern materials, a Dacron sail with a hollow leech still offers many advantages over a slab-reefing system-primary among them ease of reefing and being able to have exactly the right amount of sail area out for any given conditions.

FURLING MAIN CLEW HIEGHT FULL

They will also support the sail over its full height, providing extra rigidity while itвЂ™s being furled. These support the leech and permit a good full roach. If you want maximum sail area and sail support, full-length vertical battens are the way to go. That excess sailcloth has to roll up in the same space as when it was new. The luff of a laminate sail on a 45ft yacht, for example, might only stretch Вѕin over its life, whereas a Dacron sail might stretch as much as 6in. ItвЂ™s a false economy to buy cheaper sailcloth, as it will stretch and youвЂ™ll be left with a baggy sail after a few seasons. Whichever sailmaker you choose, get the best quality material you can afford. DonвЂ™t keep too much tension on the outhaul, as this will drag the foil aft in the mast and bend it, causing the sail to rub against the inside of the mast, again causing friction. If your sail has full-length vertical battens, make sure the first batten is parallel with the mast when it enters, and if youвЂ™re reefing, leave the batten just outside the mast groove. Always look at the sail as youвЂ™re furling, so youвЂ™ll be able to notice issues as they happen, and not after youвЂ™ve, say, wound an inch-thick clump of sail through a half-inch gap. Next, ease the mainsheet and then ease the outhaul a little and start to roll the sail away. That way, the sail will feed in and around the furler on a port tack the full height of the sail would be dragged over the sail groove in the mast, adding friction. Put the boat on a starboard tack, with the wind slightly forward of the beam. Looking down from the top of the mast, the foil usually (or always on SeldГ©n masts) revolves anti-clockwise. HereвЂ™s how to get a successful, tight furl every time. The difference is that there is not a lot of room inside the mast for a rolled sail, and most issues are caused by the sail not furling properly so that the furl becomes too bulky, or the sail rubs on the inside of the mast.

Inside the mast is a grooved aluminum extrusion into which the luff of the mainsail slides, in much the same way as a furling genoa. Before explaining how to furl the sail, letвЂ™s look at how the system works.

Furling main clew hieght