Installing my CDI genoa furler got me thinking about mainsail furling.
All the websites about this talk about having to leave the cockpit to
reef with a conventional system but on my S2, all furling lines lead
back to the cockpit (all lines come to the cockpit) so this isnt a
real reason for such a system. I can only think of two valid reasons
for a furling main:

Ease of bringing it down and storage

Ability to reef to any size instead of just two or three


Well, Lazy jacks take care of the first reason and the second reason
isnt really a big one unless you really like gadgets but ppl buy such
things. SO, here is USELESS IDEA #3725


Fergit the complicated rolling furling thing for a main. Just let it
flake on the boom like normal and use lazy jacks. Instead, use a
conventional main but have 3' wide strips of leather (or other tough
material ) sewn all along the luff and leech. The leech would also
have a largish bolt rope sewn in. At the luff and leech, there would
be a clamp with large surface area designed to grab the leather strip
and not slip, sorta like a large area vise grips. To raise the main
normally, the clamps are wide open. To raise it partially, the clamps
are partially closed to allow sail to slide betwen the jaws. When it
is at correct height, they are completely closed by a single line.
The one on the leech can be pulled out by the outhaul to tension the
foot. I have not figgered out how to deal with reefing lines along
the sail but I have a couple ideas that might work if needed (I
suspect these reefing ties are not really needed).

Already been done .... take a look at two-line or single-line jiffy
reefing systems.

Parallax wrote:
Installing my CDI genoa furler got me thinking about mainsail furling.
All the websites about this talk about having to leave the cockpit to
reef with a conventional system but on my S2, all furling lines lead
back to the cockpit (all lines come to the cockpit) so this isnt a
real reason for such a system. I can only think of two valid reasons
for a furling main:

Ease of bringing it down and storage

Ability to reef to any size instead of just two or three


Well, Lazy jacks take care of the first reason and the second reason
isnt really a big one unless you really like gadgets but ppl buy such
things. SO, here is USELESS IDEA #3725


Fergit the complicated rolling furling thing for a main. Just let it
flake on the boom like normal and use lazy jacks. Instead, use a
conventional main but have 3' wide strips of leather (or other tough
material ) sewn all along the luff and leech. The leech would also
have a largish bolt rope sewn in. At the luff and leech, there would
be a clamp with large surface area designed to grab the leather strip
and not slip, sorta like a large area vise grips. To raise the main
normally, the clamps are wide open. To raise it partially, the clamps
are partially closed to allow sail to slide betwen the jaws. When it
is at correct height, they are completely closed by a single line.
The one on the leech can be pulled out by the outhaul to tension the
foot. I have not figgered out how to deal with reefing lines along
the sail but I have a couple ideas that might work if needed (I
suspect these reefing ties are not really needed).

SO, here is USELESS IDEA #3725

After this many useless ideas, what was USEFUL IDEA #1?

Doug
s/v Callista

"Parallax" wrote in message
om...
Installing my CDI genoa furler got me thinking about mainsail furling.
All the websites about this talk about having to leave the cockpit to
reef with a conventional system but on my S2, all furling lines lead
back to the cockpit (all lines come to the cockpit) so this isnt a
real reason for such a system. I can only think of two valid reasons
for a furling main:

Ease of bringing it down and storage

Ability to reef to any size instead of just two or three


Well, Lazy jacks take care of the first reason and the second reason
isnt really a big one unless you really like gadgets but ppl buy such
things. SO, here is USELESS IDEA #3725


Fergit the complicated rolling furling thing for a main. Just let it
flake on the boom like normal and use lazy jacks. Instead, use a
conventional main but have 3' wide strips of leather (or other tough
material ) sewn all along the luff and leech. The leech would also
have a largish bolt rope sewn in. At the luff and leech, there would
be a clamp with large surface area designed to grab the leather strip
and not slip, sorta like a large area vise grips. To raise the main
normally, the clamps are wide open. To raise it partially, the clamps
are partially closed to allow sail to slide betwen the jaws. When it
is at correct height, they are completely closed by a single line.
The one on the leech can be pulled out by the outhaul to tension the
foot. I have not figgered out how to deal with reefing lines along
the sail but I have a couple ideas that might work if needed (I
suspect these reefing ties are not really needed).

RichH wrote in message ...
Already been done .... take a look at two-line or single-line jiffy
reefing systems.

Parallax wrote:
Installing my CDI genoa furler got me thinking about mainsail furling.
All the websites about this talk about having to leave the cockpit to
reef with a conventional system but on my S2, all furling lines lead
back to the cockpit (all lines come to the cockpit) so this isnt a
real reason for such a system. I can only think of two valid reasons
for a furling main:

Ease of bringing it down and storage

Ability to reef to any size instead of just two or three


Well, Lazy jacks take care of the first reason and the second reason
isnt really a big one unless you really like gadgets but ppl buy such
things. SO, here is USELESS IDEA #3725


Fergit the complicated rolling furling thing for a main. Just let it
flake on the boom like normal and use lazy jacks. Instead, use a
conventional main but have 3' wide strips of leather (or other tough
material ) sewn all along the luff and leech. The leech would also
have a largish bolt rope sewn in. At the luff and leech, there would
be a clamp with large surface area designed to grab the leather strip
and not slip, sorta like a large area vise grips. To raise the main
normally, the clamps are wide open. To raise it partially, the clamps
are partially closed to allow sail to slide betwen the jaws. When it
is at correct height, they are completely closed by a single line.
The one on the leech can be pulled out by the outhaul to tension the
foot. I have not figgered out how to deal with reefing lines along
the sail but I have a couple ideas that might work if needed (I
suspect these reefing ties are not really needed).

I have 2 line reefing and it isnt continuous and allows only 2 sets of
reef points. Maybe you could explain to me, I hate to re-invent
something (not true, I love to)

On 15 Oct 2003 06:44:48 -0700, (Parallax)
wrote:


Ease of bringing it down and storage

Ability to reef to any size instead of just two or three


Well, Lazy jacks take care of the first reason and the second reason
isnt really a big one unless you really like gadgets but ppl buy such
things. SO, here is USELESS IDEA #3725

Lionheart, an Amel Sharki 41 ketch has in-mast massive roller furling
of main and mizzen in her large aluminum masts. A right-angle gear
drive to the forward side where a winch handle fits into the furler
turns a huge stainless top to bottom shaft inside its large cavity.

Your lazy jacks are nice, but you have to be in a full gale trying to
use them to appreciate how wonderful in-mast furling is to understand
why your concept is wrong. The Amel furler makes sail handling in any
weather such a pleasure, compared to trying to douse a sail blowing
all over the place as you try to strap it to the boom. You don't even
have to turn the Amel into the wind because the slot in the mast is
tapered to each side just so you can furl it from against the shrouds,
unlike the tiny slot on a Beneteau that catches every fold to foul it
all up. The Amel's slot is about 3" wide!

Fergit the complicated rolling furling thing for a main. Just let it
flake on the boom like normal and use lazy jacks. Instead, use a
conventional main but have 3' wide strips of leather (or other tough
material ) sewn all along the luff and leech. The leech would also
have a largish bolt rope sewn in. At the luff and leech, there would
be a clamp with large surface area designed to grab the leather strip
and not slip, sorta like a large area vise grips. To raise the main
normally, the clamps are wide open. To raise it partially, the clamps
are partially closed to allow sail to slide betwen the jaws. When it
is at correct height, they are completely closed by a single line.
The one on the leech can be pulled out by the outhaul to tension the
foot. I have not figgered out how to deal with reefing lines along
the sail but I have a couple ideas that might work if needed (I
suspect these reefing ties are not really needed).

There's nothing "complicated" about the Amel's furling system. The
sail is mounted on the furler which takes the whole load under sail
and you simply wind it up to any size you like. The outhaul car
simply goes over a pulley and inside the big boom back to the mast to
pull it out with one of the winches on the mast. I don't see how much
simpler it could get....

Spoils the hell out of you for fighting to get the main flaked onto
the boom while it's trying to throw you overboard in the storm. I'd
like to electrify the point where the winch handle goes in, then run
the outhaul back through a block into the cockpit, myself, making
furling the main from under the hard dodger a no-wet situation. The
mizzen furling and outhaul are conveniently located under the
mizzenmast right in the cockpit, itself.

Works great.....(c;



Larry W4CSC

US Supports Apartheid! Vetoes UN resolution
condemning Apartheid Wall.
http://www.antiwar.com/hacohen/h052103.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...917478560.html
Can apartheid at home be far away?....
Apartheid NOW! Wall off Mississippi!

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message ...
SO, here is USELESS IDEA #3725

After this many useless ideas, what was USEFUL IDEA #1?

Doug
s/v Callista

"Parallax" wrote in message
om...
Installing my CDI genoa furler got me thinking about mainsail furling.
All the websites about this talk about having to leave the cockpit to
reef with a conventional system but on my S2, all furling lines lead
back to the cockpit (all lines come to the cockpit) so this isnt a
real reason for such a system. I can only think of two valid reasons
for a furling main:

Ease of bringing it down and storage

Ability to reef to any size instead of just two or three


Well, Lazy jacks take care of the first reason and the second reason
isnt really a big one unless you really like gadgets but ppl buy such
things. SO, here is USELESS IDEA #3725


Fergit the complicated rolling furling thing for a main. Just let it
flake on the boom like normal and use lazy jacks. Instead, use a
conventional main but have 3' wide strips of leather (or other tough
material ) sewn all along the luff and leech. The leech would also
have a largish bolt rope sewn in. At the luff and leech, there would
be a clamp with large surface area designed to grab the leather strip
and not slip, sorta like a large area vise grips. To raise the main
normally, the clamps are wide open. To raise it partially, the clamps
are partially closed to allow sail to slide betwen the jaws. When it
is at correct height, they are completely closed by a single line.
The one on the leech can be pulled out by the outhaul to tension the
foot. I have not figgered out how to deal with reefing lines along
the sail but I have a couple ideas that might work if needed (I
suspect these reefing ties are not really needed).


I think USELESS IDEA #1 (for boating) was when I was 18 and somewhere
in a swamp along the Ochlocknee River 10 miles below one landing and
15 miles above another with a 3' long gash in our canvas canoe from a
snag wonderin what to do when I remembered we had a jumbo bag of
bubble gum......... it worked and held for two more days. Later, on
the Aucilla River in a rented canoe, the canoe wrapped around a rock
like a bent beer can. Used a fence post to bash it back into shape
and pine sap to patch it.