Our boat has a full cockpit hood, with a small section over each genoa winch that can be unzipped to allow sailing with the hood on. Great, but the only problem is that you can't fully turn a winch handle 360 degrees as turning circle is too big. Pop the Winchrite on to the winch. Just press the button - problem solved.
My sailing instructor said to NEVER winch a furling line. A rule I have tried to stick to over the years. The reason (I know now) is because if you've got the halyard wrapped you can pull down the forestay. Surely it must be EVEN WORSE to put the furling line on an electric winch?
With bigger boats there is a fair amount of effort to furling. Mine is 50 feet and the Genoa reflects her size. We do use the power winch, and I have had one case where the crew didnt stop, well after he should. Some furlers are designed so the rope will put out of the drum and / or break the drum in this event (which is what happened to mine). Not ideal of course, but sensible. I guess it is possible with a runaway winch and a smaller forestay enough load could be applied to break the foresay. I suspect on larger boats the short answer is to make sure the crew know the dangers, are ready to slip the rope on the winch and winch in at very low speed as they reach the final turns of the sheets round the sail - oh and make sure there is plenty of rope on the furler, and the rope is marked when it should not be winched in any further.
Same is true with in mast mainsail furling.
It is indeed frightening just how much power a large electric winch can apply.
