In-Mast mainsail jammed - any ideas

[affinite]

Its all the wife's fault ...
She says to me " The in-mast furling system on this (new to us) boat is so much easier to furl and reef than the slab reefing on our previous boat."

1hr later and we've got the bloomin thing twisted and stuck in the mast.
The sail can be rolled away fully but I cant get more than half of it out before a big fold/knot appears and prevents any more sail coming out of the slot. We've pulled tugged (and probably made things much worse) and Ive been up the mast to tug at the fold directly but it wont budge.

Anyone got any pearls of wisdom ? (Please don't say go back to slab reefing)

 

[aquaholic]

Depending on how badly it was furled you could try firstly pulling on the outhaul as far as it goes then pulling on the furling line a little then vica versa bit by bit it should come out, a lesson i learnt with mine this year was that the top bearing needs cleaning each year, went to unfurl in february and it wouldnt budge, I was convinced the sail was jammed inside, after eventually getting it out I furled it as normal, ease mainsheet, vang, head into wind, put the outhaul round the winch once to add a little friction then pulled away on the furling line, great..... straight away tried to unfurl and it was jammed! went through all the above again except this time once it was out I dropped the sail, and could feel the top bearing was sticky, so flushed both and applied a dry lubricant and hey presto! furled in and out as easy as before. I think once you get to know it you will realise its a God send. Happy furling

 

[marina95]

I seem to remember (before he ditched the furling main and went back to slab ;-) ) that on a friends boat he had to release a little halyard tension to get it to come back out...

Also, he found that unless he put tension on the outhaul when furling that it would jam up every time...

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Sounds like the sail is loosely furled and that those loose furls are being picked up and pulled out the slot by the sail as it unfurls and then jamming the slot and the sail.

To rectify, furl all the sail into the mast, you may need to go up the mast and physically push the parts where the remaining furls have jammed in the slot back into the mast - easy or hard depending on how brutal the unfurl attempt was.

Once back in the mast for furlers that rotate anti-clockwise to furl (like Selden) put the boat on a starboard tack and carefully unfurl the sail so the sail coming out is blown tight across the slot and stops the furls still in the mast being picked up and pulled out. Once the sail is out, furl it away tightly under tension.

I suspect you need a new main as this problem is made worse by old worn sailcloth (very pliable) and stretch causing bagging in the belly of the sail. It won't furl tight and the loose furls of the baggy belly which are in the mast can then be more easily picked up and then pulled out the slot in folds along with the unfurling part of the main.

Hope I've described that so it can be understood.

 

[Digger F]

I have the Z Spars inmast and they suggest when furling ease the vang/topping lift so the leach has little or no tension. Maintaining a slight tension on the outhaul with the wind ahead as a slight pressure from the wind will help prevent creases ... often a cause of jamming.

 

[TeamSpirit]

Just echoing baggywinkle's response; furl the sail firmly into the mast, rolling up and tightening the sail will ensure that when it unfurls it does it smoothly. You might have to do this a few times in and out to be able to free it up depending on how stuck it is ? . The sail was probobly furled loosely which then when you extract it it wrinkles up when unfurled and jams up. The trick it to keep some tension on the outhaul when furling into the mast to avoid such a thing happening again, once you have the technique practiced you wont have any problems.

 

[reeac]

I had a Z-Spars system on my first boat and it jammed occasionally. I found it very effective to stand for'ard of the mast facing aft. and to press my hands together on either side of the sail at head height and to use my hands to pull [push?] the sail out. You have a far greater mechanical advantage that way than you do by hauling on ropes in the conventional way - never failed to work. The solution, as has been said, is to keep some tension in the unfurling line when furling so that the sail rolls up tightly.

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

In addition to the suggestions above I have noticed that my sail has. on occasion, jammed because I left leechline tension on before furling. This tends to pucker the leech which then doubles over. Also there needs to be a stopper on the outhaul rope so that the block is not pulled down as well as out when you unfurl thus providing an incentive for the leech to twist.
In my experience you need to set the system up so that when you furl away the foot of the sail it enters the mast parallel to the boom. On our boat this means topping lift off, kicker off are the first "commands".

 

[SAWDOC]

We encountered a problem on a boat with insufficient halyard tension resulting in the sail fouling close to the boom. Put that together with the previous replies - you are trying to roll something neatly into a fairly tight space in as neat a manner as possible. This requires just enough tension on the sail to allow it to be furled without losing its "flat" shape. Work at it calmly and you will get there!

 

[affinite]

Thanks for all replies. I have just spent another hour up the mast and I think Im nearly there. Will take more care with furling in future !

 

[TonyS]

I would try jamming the outhaul and then winding the sail in with the winch handle on the mast, if it is a Selden type. This winds the sail tighter on itself in the mast and it should then come out without problem. Always wind it in with some tension.