Furling not Reefing

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mikeinkwazi

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Any one know a company that sells Furling gear? (NOT Reefing gear!) I looked up Profurl but cannot find where to buy. Web sites like Force4 show furling but mean reefing!!!
 
Barton do furling gear with 2 drum sizes. You'd have to decide if the larger one was big enough. I had it on my last boat and it was very good.
 
ProDave said:
And I have it on my present boat, the larger drum size which is only just large enough (I can't imagine how small your jib would need to be to use the smaller drum)
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something like this ?

picture.php
 
OK apart from a lack of pole in the middle can someone please explain to me the difference? Never realised there were two things!
 
lustyd said:
OK apart from a lack of pole in the middle can someone please explain to me the difference?
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That pretty much is the difference.

The result is that you can't use the sail part-rolled, because any load on it will unroll the middle part. The sail is either all the way in or all the way out.

The original gear of this type is the Wykeham Martin from the 1890s, for use at the end of the bowsprit on pilot cutters etc. They're still made, more or less unchanged, and I have one at the end of the bowsprit on my plastic gaffer. Mine is bronze, the more modern ones are plastic and stainless, otherwise the principle is much the same.

Pete
 
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lustyd said:
OK apart from a lack of pole in the middle can someone please explain to me the difference? Never realised there were two things!
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A reefing setup can be used for furling but a furler can't be used for reefing. Furlers are designed for sails set flying whereas reefing gear requires a forestay.

I have three, one of which is in use at present. Click To start with it was a disaster, failing to furl or stay furled in a breeze. Now I have had a new luff cord fitted it works just fine. I also have an original Wykeham Martin and a dinghy version, obviously suitable for smaller sails.
 
The essential thing is the length of the foot, because that much line needs to go on the drum when the sail is out.
Luckily on a boat of that length you could use 4 or 5mm line from the drum for the length of the sail foot (so it fits the drum) and splice it to a slightly thicker line for handling back in the cockpit.
Sounds complex, but when you start fitting it, it all makes sense.

Profurl's system uses an endless line so overfilling the drum isn't an issue. However I bet it's not that cheap.

Their web site gives the GB dealer as
I M P
JARMAN WAY
ROYSTON
SG85H HERTFORDSHIRE

Phone : (44)1763 241 300
Fax : (44) 1763 241 770

http://www.improducts.co.uk/products/furling/

(But the link they offer on Profurl's site is recursive and leads back to Profurl.)
 
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Thanks for the explanation - now I feel even thicker though. If the difference is that the furling one can't reef then what advantage does it have that the OP wants over a reefing system? In the grand scheme of things the weight surely can't be the issue?
 
lustyd said:
Thanks for the explanation - now I feel even thicker though. If the difference is that the furling one can't reef then what advantage does it have that the OP wants over a reefing system? In the grand scheme of things the weight surely can't be the issue?
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FAR FAR cheaper.

For a little boat like mine, it would simply be a disproportionately high cost to fit a roller reefing system. The simple roller furler was much much cheaper.

Also personally I am not happy with a roller reefing system that rolls around the forestay, hiding it so it's never seen and it's condition goes un noticed.

And lastly, stepping and unstepping the mast, I've seen the solid parts of roller reefing systems get damaged and bent, that can't happen with the simple furler.
 
Yep. the Barton system will cost about £80 and as long as you have a wire luff that's about it.
It doesn't suffer all the halyard wrap problems that reefing systems suffer and reefed headsails aren't exactly efficient are they?
On smaller boats or cutter rigs the headsails aren't normally that big anyway, so reefing isn't as big an issue.
 
Slightly cheaper then Bartels (bartels.eu) then... Nearly bought one for my h-boat, look fantastic quality, but not cheap...
 
Lakesailor said:
Yep. the Barton system will cost about £80 and as long as you have a wire luff that's about it.
It doesn't suffer all the halyard wrap problems that reefing systems suffer and reefed headsails aren't exactly efficient are they?
On smaller boats or cutter rigs the headsails aren't normally that big anyway, so reefing isn't as big an issue.
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Errrrm.... a little harsh on the reefing systems - if you put the thing together as per instructions you shouldn't have wrap - mine never has...

I also accept the comment about inefficient headsails, but I don't sail a performance boat - the ability to furl the headasail quickly and single handedly far outweighs the fact that it isn't the perfect foil....

...but I'll give you the £200 cheaper bit... :D:D
 
lustyd said:
If the difference is that the furling one can't reef then what advantage does it have that the OP wants over a reefing system?
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In my case, I have both a jib and a staysail, so both are fairly small. If I want less headsail area, I get rid of the jib completely - there's not much point having a halfway position, it would be like having a one-and-a-halfth reef on a mainsail.

As Snowleopard says, furling gears work on sails set flying, ie without a fixed stay. This means I could roll the jib up and then lower it on the halyard and stow it away. In theory, my kind of boat should do this in heavy weather, and bring in the bowsprit as well, although I've never bothered. What I do do is bring the bowsprit inboard for berthing, and that couldn't be done with a fixed tensioned stay to the end of it from the masthead.

Pete
 
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