Kemp furling mainsail - still advice needed !!!!

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guja

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Is there anybody using the Kemp drum furling mainsail system like in the pic below?

As soon as I pull the outhaul line, the spar with the furled mainsail bends back and jammes itself. Playing with the tension of the main halyard shows no improvement.
I am rather shure that I don't have a tensioned luff spar.

Selden recommends an upgrade which is not really cheap, the costs for a rigger will be an extra charge.

What I can hardly believe is that this older drum system was junk from the beginning and never worked well so that the replacement of some worn parts will not bring a well working system and the only way to get one is that upgrade.

All hints from sailors with experiances with that system will be appreciated!

Thak you in advance

Jakob
 
I have a BAMAR system on my mizzen which is almost identical.
When the sail is removed, the spar clanks about inside the mast indicating that there is no great tension on it. I think the bearings at the top and bottom need to be carefully checked. If for example the upper one is worn, the spar would move off centre and the fabric of the sail might become the bearing surface and cause a jam.
 
Early mainsail furling systems like the Kemp in-mast and the Bamar add-on didn't have a tensioned furling spar - they used the halyard tension. If the Kemp system isn't working properly, increasing the halyard tension would seem to be a possible solution. Remember that increasing halyard tension will put extra friction on the bearings, so if they haven't been properly lubricated the whole thing could get difficult to operate.
 
saltwater_gypsy said:
I have a BAMAR system on my mizzen which is almost identical. When the sail is removed, the spar clanks about inside the mast indicating that there is no great tension on it. I think the bearings at the top and bottom need to be carefully checked. If for example the upper one is worn, the spar would move off centre and the fabric of the sail might become the bearing surface and cause a jam.
Click to expand...

I don't think you have a bearing at the top of the Bamar system - it's just the halyard swivel. The spar will clank when the sail's removed because there's no tension on it.
 
Have you tried adjusting the height of the boom? I would expect the foot to be angled upwards towards the clew (to stop the foot 'seam' rolling on top of itself when furled) so the boom probably needs to be raised to quite an angle to pull the sail out evenly. This was probably the most critical adjustment on the TAB system on our old 22' (!) boat.

Andy
 
guja said:
Is there anybody using the Kemp drum furling mainsail system like in the pic below?

As soon as I pull the outhaul line, the spar with the furled mainsail bends back and jammes itself. Playing with the tension of the main halyard shows no improvement.
I am rather shure that I don't have a tensioned luff spar.

Selden recommends an upgrade which is not really cheap, the costs for a rigger will be an extra charge.

What I can hardly believe is that this older drum system was junk from the beginning and never worked well so that the replacement of some worn parts will not bring a well working system and the only way to get one is that upgrade.

All hints from sailors with experiances with that system will be appreciated!

Thak you in advance

Jakob
Click to expand...

I have this exact system on my boat..the mainsail does tend to jam against the inside of the mast if you try to use the outhaul to pull it out.This is partly because the foot of the sail is bulky when wound in and fills the space inside the mast so the it will jam as soon as any tension is put on the outhaul. My method is to pull out the first couple of feet by hand,rather than using the outhaul and then unfurl the rest with the outhaul.
Sounds more difficult than it actually is ,but it becomes easy with practice.
You also have to be particular how you wind the sail in...experiment a bit with the boom angle,and keep some tension in the outhaul when you are doing it. I had hell's own problems with it at first,but now it's no bother.
I agree that the Kemp system is a bit antiquated by modern standards,but with a little patience it still gives good service.
 
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forgive my cynical reply but are you not better with it inside the mast , nice and safe with the motor on. if it gets stuck out in a blow you are in danger.
I cannot believe how bad in mast sails are, as well as dangerous, they are the worst shaped sailes in existence , determined to luff you up with almost zero forward drive.
I have sailed them on a broad reach in force 9 and they are rubbish , I had to wind it in and go on a genoa furled. The alternative fully battened main with lazyjacks and boom bag is another world in sailing, and i can handle it single handed if necessary!
 
doctormilner said:
forgive my cynical reply but are you not better with it inside the mast , nice and safe with the motor on. if it gets stuck out in a blow you are in danger.
I cannot believe how bad in mast sails are, as well as dangerous, they are the worst shaped sailes in existence , determined to luff you up with almost zero forward drive.
I have sailed them on a broad reach in force 9 and they are rubbish , I had to wind it in and go on a genoa furled. The alternative fully battened main with lazyjacks and boom bag is another world in sailing, and i can handle it single handed if necessary!
Click to expand...

I'd imagine most Oyster owners might disagree with you! :)
 
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