Electric powered furling

[[2574]]

I'd appreciate some views on powered furling of sails. We've been looking at a yacht that we are pretty keen on but I am concerned that she has powered mainsail and genoa furling. It seems to me that putting an electric motor on the bow of a yacht where it gets soaked in saltwater every minute and expecting it to last beyond five minutes is a bit optimistic. Likewise on mainsail, albeit slightly less exposed where the motor is mounted on the mast.

Firstly - has anyone any experience of this type of kit and is it any good?

Secondly - does anyone know if it is a big/expensive job to convert back to manual and do away with the motors?

TIA

Rob

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[Talbot]

I would certainly be happier if it was hydraulic. It has presumably been powered because it is considered to be too much for human power.

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[[2574]]

Yes, it's a 13m yacht (17 tonnes), and the present owner who is now 67 has I think found it a bit too much

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[bruce]

best place to start is with the people that make the equipment, then ask specific questions here. several LONG discussions on main furling in last 2 weeks . pers. haven't seen electric jib furlers anywhere.

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[Alex_Blackwood]

Hi, A couple of points. You say it is a bit optimistic to expect the electrics to last more than five minutes where they get soaked every minute. I take your point and tend to agree but have you asked how long they have been there? They must have been installed for some time, no reason why a well designed bit of kit shouldn't last. Good idea to check with the manufacturer though.
The other thing I would be interested in is, can you disengage the beast and furl by hand if it all goes wrong.
A question of my own. I know a bit about electrics, electronics and general things about boats, ships and sealing wax. However what is the difference, if any, between roller reefing and roller furling?

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[[2574]]

Alex,

Yes if the genoa drive was to fail it is possible to put a winch handle in gearbox/motor unit and wind manually. The access is on the bow side of the unit and I just imagined standing there trying to furl in a F7 being submerged below a wave every 30 seconds. Not much fun.

The boat is French and they use the expression "furling gearbox" so I'd rather followed on. It amounts to the same thing.

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[tugboat]

Hi Alex. Roller furling gear allows only that the sail is fully deployed or completely rolled away - an example being the Wickham Martin furling gear where the sail was rolled around a wire luff. Roller reefing uses a foil (usually alloy) and allows the sail to be rolled away in stages so that it can be used in a reduced size as the wind increases. Hope that helps.

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