sails

[RexDee]

New owners of a Macwester Rowan Crown, we are starting to get to grips with her and enjoying ourselves; we are new to sailing, we have both obtained RYA Day Skipper Theory and practical bit are short on experience.

She sails well in a lightr breeze but we find her very hard to handle in anything stronger than a 3.

We have Tab In-mast furling which we find very useful and have almost mastered the dark arts of in-mast reefing.

Our only foresail is a large Genoa which whilst giving lots of power gives us a few problems.

We think the sail is too big for us at our level of experience, main problem is furling it to reef or put it away, the in-haul line overfills the drum and often tangles.

Our idea is to have the Genoa made smaller, this way we would need less turns to put it away therefore less line to snag- smaller sail = less hassle.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

I am a newcomer to sailing at 65 so don't want to set any records, just want to sail within my limits..

 

[onesea]

New owners of a Macwester Rowan Crown, we are starting to get to grips with her and enjoying ourselves; we are new to sailing, we have both obtained RYA Day Skipper Theory and practical bit are short on experience.

She sails well in a lightr breeze but we find her very hard to handle in anything stronger than a 3.

We have Tab In-mast furling which we find very useful and have almost mastered the dark arts of in-mast reefing.

Our only foresail is a large Genoa which whilst giving lots of power gives us a few problems.

We think the sail is too big for us at our level of experience, main problem is furling it to reef or put it away, the in-haul line overfills the drum and often tangles.

Our idea is to have the Genoa made smaller, this way we would need less turns to put it away therefore less line to snag- smaller sail = less hassle.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

I am a newcomer to sailing at 65 so don't want to set any records, just want to sail within my limits..

When you say hard to handle? Symptoms? allot of it comes to balancing the sails, reefing the right one at the right time... I am sure a Rowan Owner will be along shortly but...

The way I explain it to beginners: If you go back to your school days and balancing things on a ruler...

A pivot in the middle = the keels, A weight each end = a Sail at the front Genoa a sail at the back (Main).

If you are having to fight the tiller lots and lots one way or another, consider the balance. If the Decks go in the water you are probably pushing her a bit hard and need to reef.

As for headsail furling line, do you need it all? When sail is rolled in how many turns left on the drum? (should be around 2-3?). When letting the sail out are you keeping SMALL amount of tension on furling line to help it stow tight?

Just my 2 pence worth. Cheaper than changing sails...

 

[Tranona]

You need to sort out the furling line. When the sail is fully out there should be no more than 2 turns on the drum, and when fully in there should still be a bit of space. If not, then maybe the sail is too big for the drum capacity, or you could reduce the diameter of the furling line. Tangles are usualy caused by poor leads to the drum or not keeping some tension on the line when unfurling.

If the sail is in good nick it may be worth having pads put in the luff to improve the reefed shape. Best to talk to a sailmaker.

 

[VicS]

As said

The furling line should leave only a couple of turns on the drum when the sail is furled.

When you unfurl the sail don't let the furling line fly, unfurl the sail in a controlled manner so that the line winds neatly on the drum..

If the drum then over full use a thinner furling line.


Dont use a 3 strand rope as the furling line. That will lock itself on the drum... I discovered.

Ive only sailed an ordinary Rowan, not the Crown. A very unremarkable experience but I do believe they heel quite a bit if over canvassed.

I'd aim to furl the genoa to match the main but with experience you will find which to reef first/most.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Welcome to the forum and how nice to see that you have purchased a Macwester; I have one.

As the others have said; you need to look at your furler; its easy, perhaps the furling line is too thick or very likely the drum has too many turns of rope in it. DONT change the Genoa, you need a good size genoa to drive your Macwester; make sure you reduce your main very early to balance the boat. If you reduce/furl in the genoa before you reduce / reef your main sail, you will end up with a lot of weather helm ie the tiller will be too heavy. Try to sail the boat as level as possible. Once you find how to best balance the sails, you will have a light tiller and an easy ride even at force 5 and 6.

Any problems, post them here, there are lots of people who will be able to provide advice.

 

[ditchcrawler]

You can indeed have a smaller diameter furling line.What I have on my boat is a line that is easy to handle-8mm braidline but the inside core has been taken out for about 6 metres of the length so that the thinner outside casing (which is still strong) wraps around the drum and the thicker piece is available to handle and pull in.Your rigger/rope man can do this for you.You just need to measure the existing length to get the proportions right for your boat so that you always have the full diameter available to pull even when the line is fully unwound.

 

[RexDee]

Thanks for your advice-this I think will answer our needs. All the other stuff very important, but the root of the problem is that the drum is just not big enough to hold all the line..........will see if we can get a 'special' line made up as you suggest.

Will let you know how we get on.

Cheers Rex and Dee

 

[VicS]

Thanks for your advice-this I think will answer our needs. All the other stuff very important, but the root of the problem is that the drum is just not big enough to hold all the line..........will see if we can get a 'special' line made up as you suggest.

Will let you know how we get on.

Cheers Rex and Dee

Unusual for the drum to be not big enough.

What make and type of furling gear is it?

What diameter furling line are you using?

Not trying to use a drum that's intended for a continuous line system are you?

 

[MrCramp]

Our idea is to have the Genoa made smaller, this way we would need less turns to put it away therefore less line to snag- smaller sail = less hassle.

You definately don't want to get the sail cut down until you are certain it is too big, which I doubt. Altering a sail is very expensive, and might be totally unnecessary.

It sounds like the problem is very simple to sort out....if you know what you are doing. You don't say where you are based and you might find that someone from the forum is near (next to??) you and they could have a quick look at it and explain what needs to be done to sort the problem. I sail at Woodbridge and if you are nearby would be happy to have a look at the reefing system.

Paul

 

[William_H]

Reefing

Welcome to the forum and how nice to see that you have purchased a Macwester; I have one.

As the others have said; you need to look at your furler; its easy, perhaps the furling line is too thick or very likely the drum has too many turns of rope in it. DONT change the Genoa, you need a good size genoa to drive your Macwester; make sure you reduce your main very early to balance the boat. If you reduce/furl in the genoa before you reduce / reef your main sail, you will end up with a lot of weather helm ie the tiller will be too heavy. Try to sail the boat as level as possible. Once you find how to best balance the sails, you will have a light tiller and an easy ride even at force 5 and 6.

Any problems, post them here, there are lots of people who will be able to provide advice.

While I am sure you know your own boat and its peculiarities, for most boats it is the overpowering that causes weather helm. Not the balance jib to main. As such the usual best advice is to reduce jib first even though this will be counter intuitive to balance. You can then reduce pressure on the main monetarily for any gusts by easing the main sheet. The picture of a lovely boat plowing along with rails in the water is not good as the weather helm becomes horrible. Just a bit of heeling is good not lots. If for no other reason than the rudder trying to keep the boat going straight causes drag.
To the OP. certainly a jib partially furled will never sail as well especially to windward as a smaller jib not furled. So if you find that you are sailing more often in stiff breeze then a smaller jib may be better for you. However as said this will reduce your light wind performance. You might ultimately want to buy a smaller jib for a stronger wind season. It would be a shame to cut down a big one though. good luck olewill

 

[Rivers & creeks]

We had a Macwester and enjoyed our time with her immensely. They behave in a very predictable fashion, a quick and big heel over in F4 upwards and then they pretty much stick at that point, hardly heeling much more. What can unsettle is the speed and relative severity of that first 'tip'. There was moderate weather helm, but manageable, don't forget there are ways of depowering the main without reefing it. A good choice for a first boat in my opinion.

 

[BAtoo]

My 2p.

I don't think it makes sense cutting down a sail - the cost will be a large chunk of the price of a new one & a decent sailmaker probably won't want to do it as he knows the cut-down sail won't be good.
Look at places like Seateach for 2nd-hand sails instead, or do the job properly & get a new one made.

Sounds also like you need to replace the furling line; I've used quite small lines in the past with no problems; 8mm is fine for this job; probably even 6mm. Might be a little hard on the hands but how often do you use it?? You can always wear gloves....

 

[VicS]

Thanks for your advice-this I think will answer our needs. All the other stuff very important, but the root of the problem is that the drum is just not big enough to hold all the line..........will see if we can get a 'special' line made up as you suggest.

Will let you know how we get on.

Cheers Rex and Dee

How about a picture or two showing the problem with the drum and furling line

 

[Appledore]

I have a Rowan, and, hopefully the picture of my (empty) furler will show here.

My line is 6mm, and I never have any problems with it, even though my genoa is actually a bit oversize for the boat. This isn't a problem as you can, obviously, shorten the sail, but even though it's oversize, the furling line doesn't spill out of the drum. Personally I think a larger headsail is a benefit to Rowans.

Where are you based BTW?

Geoff


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IQ8azaSqD2k/T8CMACFQdEI/AAAAAAAAB54/MdSur323i_U/s640/DSCF3816.JPG


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XIYvR3BrbI0/T8COu3IYhvI/AAAAAAAAB6E/LqUVugW5zzk/s640/DSCF4210.JPG

 

[RexDee]

Unusual for the drum to be not big enough.

What make and type of furling gear is it?

What diameter furling line are you using?

Not trying to use a drum that's intended for a continuous line system are you?

Thanks for the advice..........using a drum intended for continous line system ??? Don't think we are; but that's given us a possible solution..If we could fit or adapt the gear for continous line thats going to make life easier. Will investigate later........too much wind to get out to our mooring at present: Blowing hard in Plymouth this morning !

 

[VicS]

Thanks for the advice..........using a drum intended for continous line system ??? Don't think we are; but that's given us a possible solution..If we could fit or adapt the gear for continous line thats going to make life easier. Will investigate later........too much wind to get out to our mooring at present: Blowing hard in Plymouth this morning !

It's either drum for a continuous line or its not. Its very unlikely as you'd get very little rope wound onto one but it was something that passed through my mind.
I dont think you'd adapt an ordinary drum for a continuous line at least not easily.

just for interest I looked up the specs of Plastimo furling gear

Their smallest, which is suitable for boats to 20ft., has drum with a capacity of 7m by 5mm.

The next size in the range , which is suitable for boats up to 26ft., has drum with capacity of 13m by 6mm.

 

[onesea]

As such the usual best advice is to reduce jib first even though this will be counter intuitive to balance. You can then reduce pressure on the main monetarily for any gusts by easing the main sheet.

Sorry I am going to disagree with you there, my last boat a Trident 24. You ALWAYS reefed the main first, if not she turned into an absolute dog to sail.

Macwester are a similar age and may well have similar characteristics.

Although as always you cannot generalise I would suggest on newer boats I would probably reef head-sail first, older style boats mainsail.

Although having said that given the loss of shape with roller reefing headsails, I would probably reef the main first anyhow.

Allot comes how to how the boat "feels", the best way to find out and learn you boat is to experiment. Get your furler sorted and then go and play

 

[VicS]

Like I said earlier in the thread " with experience you will find which to reef first/most"

.

 

[yodave]

Hello,

You're doing the right thing by asking for help before making changes. Keep in mind that your Rowan has been sailing for decades. As you're the new ingredient in the mix, you have to ensure that it's not your knowledge or technique that's the issue. Post some photos or ask a knowledgeable friend for firsthand advice.

We had our first season last year, and so I know that you have a steep learning curve to go through. Don't be afraid to ask for opinion and advice on here; it's a fantastic resource for new sailors.

Good luck!