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No I do not agree with what you are saying.
I have rarely had to reef in the trade winds zone, predictable 15 knots from the SE, so that is not a good example. Try crossing the Tasman Sea or sail anywhere near New Zealand where the weather changes frequently and quickly. The ideal time to reef is usually ten minutes ago, so the boat is then usually overpowering. My experience is that in-boom furling is much more effort, needs more hands and is much slower than slab reefing in any seaway. Get the topping lift tension wrong and the sail will roll unevenly and simply jam in a partially reefed position. You cannot drop it further so the only solution is to raise it (always in strong and freshening winds), adjust the topping lift tension and start again. This risk outways the minimal risks of a tethered crew going on deck to reef or secure a sailcover zip. Sailing on a friends yacht I recently had the experience of having the bolt rope pull out of the mast track resulting in the largish mainsail of a Farr 38 being attached only at the head, tack and clew in 30 knots gusting 40. With three aboard, no autopilot, it was a real handful to get that sail down and stowed on the boat. In my opinion bolt ropes are dangerous on a cruising yacht and I much prefer batcars, slugs and old style sail slides that keep the mainsail firmly attached to the mast at all times, even when dropped. Maybe we will agree to disagree on this. Fair winds Graeme |
Ed Thomas wrote:
We've started the process of buying a newer and larger boat. One of the major choices is the method of handling the mainsail. I have no experience with either furling, lazyjack or "dutchman" systems. I'd appreciate any comments or experiences with any or all these options. I'm leaning right now to a "stackpack" type system. Thanks. Ed I have the Dutchman sytem, only because new main sail I purchased from a sail broker, already had it included. I had no previous experience with this system and went ahead with the installation. I have used it for 2 seasons and I'm really not impressed with it or the support from The Dutchman. My main complaint is with the upper full battens catching at the junction of the vertical reef line and the topping lift. Mostly the problem is with the upper most full battens and the forward guide line. When I talked to "The Dutchman" he basically blew me off, with and attitude, that I'm not a sail maker or a potential 'new' customer at a boat show. I expect my complaints and problems could have been worked out if a sail maker were talking to "The Dutchman". When I contacted him about about the prospect of changing main over to loose-foot, basically was told to ask my sailmaker to look for the information in the Dutchman manual. The sailmaker I contacted had installed several systems but had no such manual. Sorry, I didn't mean to make this a tyraid. I'm getting use to the system and finding my own solutions, but I would never spend new sail money on the system and would go with a well thought out lazy jack system. Steve s/v Good Intentions |
A lot depends on how big a boat you're looking for. I drive a 36 footer
with inmast furler and it's very easy to use, singlehanded or with two. Have used the system in anything up to 45 knots and sail furls easily, thugh you do require the proper timing if a strong gust makes the sail flap heavily. I've also used the normal slab-reefing method and still prefer it for a well manned boat, though I think above 36 feet you do need at least three crew to make sure it works fine in all circumstances. One thing to consider (as I've just experienced) is when you want to take down the mast, the inmast furler is a lot heavier than a normal one, so this is something to be aware of. If anything ever happens to the mast, there's just one thing to do: get a good wire cutter to get rid of it, as it is very heavy and will definitely damage the hull. Other than that, inmast reefing lacks battens so this will be negative on performance. But as always, it's a trade-off. Victor |
Thank you all for your experiences and opinions. At this point if two boats
were close I'd go with the stackpack option over in-mast furling. If a boat is clearly superior, in-mast furling will not disqualify it from selection. In-mast furling seems to be more susceptible to "operator error". What did not appear here, and what I was nervous about, was a litany of horror stories of furling disasters. thanks again. Ed |
I have in-mast furling. What would you consider "operator error"?
What is this litany of horor stories about furling disasters. In my experience I have come across a few folks that have had occational furling problems, but nothing I would consider a litany of disasters. Doug s/v Callista "Ed Thomas" wrote in message news:dpFdd.5171$WN5.3753@trndny08... Thank you all for your experiences and opinions. At this point if two boats were close I'd go with the stackpack option over in-mast furling. If a boat is clearly superior, in-mast furling will not disqualify it from selection. In-mast furling seems to be more susceptible to "operator error". What did not appear here, and what I was nervous about, was a litany of horror stories of furling disasters. thanks again. Ed |
Steve wrote:
[...] I have the Dutchman sytem, only because new main sail I purchased from a sail broker, already had it included. I had no previous experience with this system and went ahead with the installation. I have used it for 2 seasons and I'm really not impressed with it or the support from The Dutchman. Beg your pardon please, but what or who is the dutchman? -- With Kind regards, Jelle Boomstra |
Other than sasles folk, I'd heard only negatives concerning in-mast furling
systems. I had expected to hear the same sort of thing from this newsgroup. The almost universally positive responses concerning the different sail handling technologies is very reassuring. Ed "Doug Dotson" wrote in message ... I have in-mast furling. What would you consider "operator error"? What is this litany of horor stories about furling disasters. In my experience I have come across a few folks that have had occational furling problems, but nothing I would consider a litany of disasters. Doug s/v Callista "Ed Thomas" wrote in message news:dpFdd.5171$WN5.3753@trndny08... Thank you all for your experiences and opinions. At this point if two boats were close I'd go with the stackpack option over in-mast furling. If a boat is clearly superior, in-mast furling will not disqualify it from selection. In-mast furling seems to be more susceptible to "operator error". What did not appear here, and what I was nervous about, was a litany of horror stories of furling disasters. thanks again. Ed |
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 05:27:24 GMT, "Ed Thomas"
wrote: Other than sasles folk, I'd heard only negatives concerning in-mast furling systems. I had expected to hear the same sort of thing from this newsgroup. The almost universally positive responses concerning the different sail handling technologies is very reassuring. ============================================== OK, here's a few negatives. Weight aloft (increased healing and pitching forces); Battenless main (loss of sail area and pointing ability); Repair difficulty (key components are hidden inside the mast and may require unstepping for repair/maintenance); Potential for jamming at inopportune moments (like in the middle of a line squall). Should I go on? |
I have in-mast furling and would perfer the "stackpack." I have never owned
a boat or been on one with a stackpack. So is this a case of the grass is greener on the other side? "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 05:27:24 GMT, "Ed Thomas" wrote: Other than sasles folk, I'd heard only negatives concerning in-mast furling systems. I had expected to hear the same sort of thing from this newsgroup. The almost universally positive responses concerning the different sail handling technologies is very reassuring. ============================================== OK, here's a few negatives. Weight aloft (increased healing and pitching forces); Battenless main (loss of sail area and pointing ability); Repair difficulty (key components are hidden inside the mast and may require unstepping for repair/maintenance); Potential for jamming at inopportune moments (like in the middle of a line squall). Should I go on? |
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