furling gear

[30boat]

I have to say that I hate these things.When I bought my Fulmar earlier this year I took the gear that came with it and gave it to the chap that bought my previous boat.The fore triangle was almost the same and I got to keep all my nice genoas.
However with a 4 year old and a wife that absolutely refuses to learn anything whatsoever about sailing as crew I should limit my trips to the bows as much as possible.So I'm considering buying a furling genoa but it would have to work in such a way that the sail would not loose its shape when rolled.I have heard of things like foam luffs or foils that start rolling in the middle first etc but I don't have first hand experience with any af these systems.What I don't want is a sail that's shaped like a bag in anything of a breeze .That would ruin sailing for me.
What do you all think?
Thanks

 

[robp]

Have a look at the furling Genoa that MaxiRoach make. It has vertical battens and is still high when partially rolled.

www.maxiroach.com

 

[bedouin]

IMHO any attempt to produce a No 1 Genoa that will work in light airs, and work successfully when furled, will be a compromise; doing neither job well.

Flatter cut No 2 Genoas can work much better as a furling headsail, but can leave you underpowered in light winds.

My current solution is to keep the No 2 on the furler most of the time, and to augment that with Spinnaker/Gennaker in light airs.

However mine is a fairly heavy cruising boat that needs a lot of power to get moving. It is possible that on a lighter boat a furling No1 might be more successful.

 

[kgi]

The best furling genoa available comes from North sails its one of there 3dl derivatives......but there not cheap!!!!!!!

 

[dickhicks]

My genoa has a foam luff which works well - certainly better than my friends genoa which does not have one - another suggestion to improve the set when rolled is to do away with the UV strip and protect the rolled sail with a pull up zipped sock on the spinnaker halliard. Don't know what a sailmaker would say about this but would reduce the thickness at the luff and foot when partly rolled and therefore improve the set. Has anyone else tried this?

 

[LeonF]

I bought a Sigma 33 that has been set up for cruising. It has a superb Tri-Radial Genoa with a foam luff and I'm always surprised at how well it sets even when furled. I was out in 23 knots apparent wind this week and it was furled to half its size and set perfectly. It was made by Parker and Kay some 5years ago and I shudder to think what it would cost to replace. Fortunately it is still in terrific condition.

L.A.R.Ferguson

 

[vyv_cox]

Fully agree with others' comments on foam luffs. Any good sailmaker can put these in a new genoa, or even add them to an old one.

There is your second point, though. Modern furling gear doesn't just wind the sail around the foil fixed to the drum. When the furling line is pulled, the first thing that happens is that the foil starts to rotate but the sail tack remains where it is. This takes in the slack at the forward end of the sail.

I find that with the combination of these two, the sail holds its shape well through quite large reductions in area. I still carry a No.3 though, for when I know that I shall be beating in winds over F5. This is fitted with luff bolt rope and relaces the genoa. No doubt that this is better in such conditions.

 

[extravert]

My previous boat had roller furling and that had no UV strips but a sock as you suggest. It had one almighty long zip up its side and was easy to put on and take off. It was pulled up using the spi halyard. It was the sailmaker who wanted it, not me (he used to race with me). Wasn't there are article a while ago in one of the mags on how to make one? They are very simple. The biggest problem is how to stop them flapping in a wind when they are up.

 

[Guest]

seen a number of these in the last year with a zig zag set of lacing down the side to prevent flapping.

even then, they are apparently not the thing to have up when a gale is blowing.

 

[extravert]

...but then leaving your furled sail up when a winter hoolie is blowing is not too good either. We must all have seen the remains of shredded genoas fluttering in the wind after a windy winter weekend.

 

[tome]

Agree with Extravert. We shredded our 470 sq ft furling genoa (even though it was rolled) in the strong blow on 9th in Solent. Replacement cost 1200 quid.

Granted we furled in a hurry when we realised we were about to be clobbered so it wasn't the best stow, but once the wind (up to 58 knots across our decks) got behind it we watched the sailcloth fly away in pieces towards the Witterings. Moral is to spend extra time getting it really tight or drop it completely.

And I was hoping to coax another season out of it...

Good news is that the replacement with foam luff from Arun sets very well. I also carry No3 (and storm jib) for stronger winds, and can set these on Furlex in place of 150% furling genoa.

 

[Guest]

Dual purpose ....

Keep all your gennys and convert them to luff groove - suited to the groove on the furling gear.

Install a furling system that the furling drum is split and removable ... many racing / cruising boats have this.

So when with family etc. you have the luxury of furling gear, to be honest when with family a little out of shape is not going to hurt .... but when sailing 'seriously' you have option to detach the drum and use the existing sails you have AND have your 'perfect' shape .....

NBote also that shape of foresails also depends on sheet lead as much as the cut and design ..... using barber haulers can do much to sort out sail shape when furling ..... I set my sheets as far back as possible with a small block and line forward that can bring the sheet lead down / up etc. as required to attain ideal line of pull.

 

[Guest]

Shredded genny\'s

Look around the yards and you see many boats with furled genny's ..... the furling line made off and sheets not tightened up.

If owners would try : 3 turns more than furled, making the sheets pass around the sail 3 times, make off furling line securely, then tighten sheets and make fast also securely. This would then save a good %age of those sails that you see flogged to death ! Another idea is to have a small length of line to actually wrap around the sail ... extra to the above to lash the sail ...... one 12mtr boat I use in Tallinn actually has a braided FLAT line about 1 mtr long specially for this.....

I leave my genny up all the time furled ... this year is first time its down - to replace the UV strip .... its been up for years and never flogged ....