Southerly 110?

[Tranona]

Thank you again, it's good to hear from owners both past and present and to hear that you have positive views about the 110.

We have seen a very nice 110 for sale which would be ideal but it has in mast furling. Will this hinder it's performance? Should I look for one with slab reefing?

The original owner probably prioritised ease of handling and simplicity over ultimate boat speed. If you get your pleasure from pulling sails into fine shapes to squeeze the last little bit of speed then you may be disappointed with in mast furling. However, if you value easy relaxed sailing and the ability to fine tune your sail area to suit conditions rather than be limited to fixed mainsail areas then you should be OK with in mast. The important thing in a cruising boat is passage times and doubt there will be big differences between the two rigs.

 

[mrplastic]

I personally prefer slab reefing but IMF does have its merits. I really enjoy tuning and tweaking the sails which proper slab reefing allows you to do to the nth, but I wouldn't walk away from a boat if it fitted my needs in all other respects as you can still get a good deal from a well setup IMF rig, I guess it's really down to the kind of sailing you want to do. A test sail should help you make your mind up! Let us know what you decide!