Before reading on, please take a moment to fill out our weekly survey so we can share your thoughts and experiences with the Cruising Compass family. Thanks.
Do you have a self-steering wind vane n your boat?
Many thanks to the many readers who took the time last week to fill in our survey on in-mast mainsail furling systems. Of those who replied, 46% have in-mast furling and they rated their systems at 8.3 stars out of a possible 10. Of those with in-mast systems, 64% say they have had problems from time to time. We asked readers to comment on the problems they have had and here are several typical responses:
The old mainsail would jam when attempting to unfurl it. This has not been a problem since a new sail with vertical battens was purchased.
Unfurling jammed after I furled it too loosely with too little tension on the outhaul.
If not furled in just right it can pinch and then be difficult to unfurl. I do love the ability to reef at any point of sail at any wind condition.
If you furl it without keeping tension on the outhaul, it can wrinkle and jam. But I’ve never had it so bad that a little back and forth with winch assist couldn’t free it.
On one occasion the sail was not furled correctly due to very high wind. That created a fold that temporarily jammed the main when it was unfurled. Being patient and letting the wind and wave action gradually pull it out solved the problem. Paying closer attention to boom height for the next 25000 miles of offshore sailing prevented any further furling problems.
As sails age, their draft increases. The excess fabric causes furling problems in wrinkles and binding in the slot. Changes to a briradial cut main and the sail / furling performs flawlessly.
