MaxiRoach Easy reef Help

[pauly78]

I bought a Beneteau Oceanis 320 a few months back as a bit of a project, i'm just about finished it and have put the sails on, however, i have had a lot of trouble with the main. I hoisted it up yesterday, and put in the full length vertical battons then tried to furl it away, i got the sail about 2/3rd in and it jammed. I couldnt get it in or out, finally help arrived and we managed to get it out - apart from one turn, because of this i couldnt lower the sail. We took out the batons and furled it away - but again it was very difficult to get it into the mast, i fear i now wont be able to get it back out. So i have two questions, Are the batons actually required?? ive read they are the cause of many jams, and if they are required, how on earth are they kept in the mast, i have no idea how the velcro tabs work, so if anyone can explain please do, i was going to attach a couple of photos but not sure how to, basically there are velcro tab things hanging down, no idea how these work.
Thank you

 

[MoodySabre]

No pics showing.

Velcro tabs normally just push down inside the baton pocket to hold the baton in place. I do mine with an old wooden ruler but a mate with a Beneteau has a special plastic thing for the purpose.

I don't have in-mast reefing but from seeing it on friends boats the key is to have the boom raised to a point where the sail goes away with no creases in it. Creases cause jams. Find the exact point for your boom will be trial and error.

 

[pauly78]

No pics showing.

yeah i didnt know how to post the photos, seems you can only share them from an URL.
Thanks for the advise re the Boom.

 

[Tranona]

The battens are essential as the sail was made to have them as a means of holding up the leach which has some roach in it unlike an unbattened sail. Presumably the previous owner managed to get it to work. As already suggested one of the key things is to have the boom at the correct angle, usually at 90 degrees so that the sail rolls in square and does not cause wrinkles. You should have either an adjustable kicker or a topping lift to hold the boom at the correct angle. Having said that the sail may have been cut for a specific different angle so you may have to experiment.

Also worth checking the furling mechanism itself. You don't say what make it is so difficult to give specific advice. However, when you get the sail out, take it off and operate the furler to ensure everything runs smoothly and easily. When you do furl again, try to get the wind to one side - from starboard if the mandrel runs clockwise and keep some tension on the outhaul while you are furling.

 

[pauly78]

Hi Thanks for your advise, its the Easyreef Furler, its added onto the mast, aparently they went out of business a few years ago, the sail is the Maxi Roach with 3 vertical Batons. I did try the furler before putting the sail on and it seemed to be ok, but ive never used it before so cant compare, when i first put the sail on yesterday it seems to furl ok until i got it 2/3 in and it got tuck, then it just wouldnt come back out, the sail did look like it may have gone in ata slight angle as the the stitching at the bottom was closer to the mast than at the top.

 

[Tranona]

Suggest you contact Paul Trickett who made both Easyreef and Maxiroach 07854058242

 

[pauly78]

Thank you

 

[jac]

I had it on an oceanis 36cc and did suffer some sticking but got it to work fine in the end. My suggestion would be:
First - ensure that the furling spar rotates easily with no sail on it - that basically means that their should be no mast bend. You basically can't tension the back stay in any meaningful way as the mast MUST remain straight.
Assuming that the mast is straight then ensure the sail is fully hoisted but not too much tension - you don't want any creases of any sort - vertical or horizontal.
Battens are tricky. Within each pocket there is a small tube of sailcloth, not much larger than the battens themselves. you must ensure that the battens are fed through this and into the batten pocket. The long strip with Velcro then goes over the end of that so that the end of the batten can't move at all. If the batten is just in the batten pocket itself then it will slip and cause you no end of issues. If that is the case - you can only fix by removing the batten and re inserting. The tube of sailcloth is really hard to spot at first as it is flat and easily mistaken for strengthening of the sail.
As other have said - ensure the boom is perpendicular to the mast.
When furling - note that it is really hard if you're on port tack - the slot is biased so that it furls much more easily on starboard tack. You can do it on port in calm wind but I would personally only do that if bending on / removing sails at a berth in a virtual flat calm.
When on starboard - keep some tension on the outhaul - you don't want to fill the sail but also don't want it flogging around so let the mainsheet off - single turn of the outhaul round a convenient winch and REALLY light pressure just to ensure the sail is furled tightly - same principle as getting a nice tight furl on a genny.

When furling - keep an eye aloft for any folds starting to emerge that might get dragged into the slot. STOP immediately that you see one. WInfing it into the slot will make your day much worse - if you see one - unfurl the sail a little until it disappears, then re furl but with a little more tension. If it happens again then your boom may not be perpendicular - assuming that the leech is where the fold occurs, just tighten the boom vang / kicking strap and try again.

 

[knuterikt]

If you didn’t close the batten pockets the batten might have fallen down and blocked the furling mechanism.

 

[pauly78]

Well I’ve tried everything, I think there is something wrong with the whole furling system. We have had it in and out of the mast twice this evening and it just jams up and is very difficult to roll in or out. At one point I thought it was well and truly stuck. We’ve noticed while trying to get the sail out the whole furler with the sail wrapped around it is just pulling right into the slot so it’s not unrolling, it’s just pulling on the whole thing, even though there seems to be plenty of room inside, this feels like it gets worse when the sail is very nearly out. I think it may be a bearing issue.... can’t find any info online for maintaining them. Guess I’ll have to try ringing the number above tomorrow.

 

[Tranona]

Sounds like the mandrel that the sail rolls onto is bending and this could be worn bearings, particularly at the top.

 

[pauly78]

There are 2 slots on the port side of the easyreef furling system opening, which I assume are to slide a sail up. Can I just dump the whole furling system and go with a regular slab reefed main? I don’t think I mentioned, this is the system that is attached at the back of the mast, it doesn’t actually furl into the mast. I really don’t think I want a main furling system now, I hate to think what would happen at sea in blustery weather and it got jammed.

 

[Tranona]

The extra track is for a storm trysail. Yes, you can remove the whole lot from the mast, but you will need a new mainsail plus some more hardware if you want to take the controls back to the cockpit. worth persevering a bit with the current gear as when they are working they are generally trouble free. Not the sort of thing that one might fit through choice now, but potentially expensive to change.

 

[merlin3688]

From memory the extra track was for a storm sail but this means nothing holds one side of the track where the sail goes in and out so not very strong, Paul as your man so just give him a ring. If it was me I would take the complete system of and use the old track. A couple of things will need checking, you may have the old Gooseneck however if not check the one on the Easy Reef will work, also the sail entry on the original track may not be there. Good luck..........

 

[pauly78]

Thanks for your help everyone, I’ve decided I’m going to remove the easy reef system, from what I’ve read it’s more trouble than it’s worth, and now gone out of business so spare parts will probably be an issue. I also have zero confidence in using it at sea, all that messing round just to hoist the sail from the cockpit.... I’d rather do it the traditional way.
Thanks again

 

[davidmh]

I removed my add-on behind mast furler, a Selden one, a few years ago and it was really quite easy, I put blind rivets in the old holes on the mast. You may need to source the original goose neck fitting for the boom and you need to remove the track from the top of the boom. It is well worth it.

Regards

David MH

 

[Steve The Seagull]

Thanks for your help everyone, I’ve decided I’m going to remove the easy reef system, from what I’ve read it’s more trouble than it’s worth, and now gone out of business so spare parts will probably be an issue. I also have zero confidence in using it at sea, all that messing round just to hoist the sail from the cockpit.... I’d rather do it the traditional way.
Thanks again

Good choice. The Maxi Roach systems have never worked well. I have had several customers go through the same process as you, one we made work slightly better by removing the battens and re-cutting the leech of the sail but only a small improvement. Most have followed the same course as you and removed it, riveted up the old holes and gone for a traditional slab reefing mainsail.

The add on mast furling systems are not great as the require you to have a very small and flat sail, meaning greatly reduced enjoyment from your sailing.

Have fun enjoying your new found performance from your boat!

 

[Ray_G]

I have had this set up on my 44ft Beneteau for 15 years without problem. Firstly you should never try to use the sail without battens as this will certainly result in a jam. Others have also pointed out the need for a straight mast - no pre bend. Paul Trickett installed mine and came on board to explain the set up with some excellent advice on its use. I can give you the gist of that advice.
1. Hoist the sail with adequate tension as slackness will result in a fullness when furling detrimental to the furl.
2. Adjust the boom height so that both foot and leach tension feel equal and then keep it that way using a combination of kicker and topping lift.
3. When furling the sail, always do it into the wind and keep tension on the outhaul to ensure a tight furl. Always check that the battens are parallel to the mast as they enter during furling. Never furl the sail on a run and never try furling with the sail flying free.
4. Before unfurling the sail, tighten it first. Wind the sail in until you see the sail move (tighten) and then slowly unfirl the sail.

Using this guidence from Paul I have had no problems, sailing many thousands of miles including the Med.

I hope you find this of use but should you want anything further I would be happy to help.

Ray

 

[Dan Tribe]

There are 2 slots on the port side of the easyreef furling system opening, which I assume are to slide a sail up. Can I just dump the whole furling system and go with a regular slab reefed main? I don’t think I mentioned, this is the system that is attached at the back of the mast, it doesn’t actually furl into the mast. I really don’t think I want a main furling system now, I hate to think what would happen at sea in blustery weather and it got jammed.

I had a few problems with my Easyreef system, but only when trying to reef in breezy conditions.
After giving it a fair trial I removed it and left it on the last rack where it hasn't given any more trouble.

 

[WightMistress]

Sorry, a bit late to this. I hope the problem was solved. I helped a guy in Oahu who had the same problem on an Island Packet 37. Once he had slackened the kicker and the mains sheet to let the boom loose, the sail went in and out easily.
Hope this is useful
Steve