Inmast furling system. (yes/no ?)

Based on my experience with a previous boat, I advise you to run, not just walk, away from this option.  First, the main for in mast furling is cut very flat, with minimum roach in the leach.  Shaping the main is next to impossible.  If you have battens, they will be vertical, and they will frequently jamb in the slot when furling, either in or out.  Installing or removing the main from the in mast furler rod is rather complicated and can be quite a hassle.  Once the main is removed for winter storage, the furler rod will rattle around inside the mast with every breeze.  There are a couple of positives, however:  the main is always hoisted, and to reef the main it is simply a matter of rolling it in to achieve whatever size you desire.  That said, on more than one occasion I was not able to roll in the main because the vertical battens hung up at the slot.  After two years of owning previous boat I came to dread, hate and despise in mast furling.

Hi,
I absolutely agree with Doug. Run away from it. Also for another reason: The Hanse full-batten main/main-sail pocket/lazy-jacks/slab-reefing system works very good and most of the time it is possible for one person to hoist or drop the main alone even in our 120sqm main. A powered winch makes life much easier. Also the classic system is muuuuuuch safer since the main can always be dropped. In a in-mast furling systems you can run in big difficulties if something goes wrong. In the later case in heavy winds one has to climb up the mast and sacrifice the main (with a sharp knife). Even charter boats in Greece are not using in-mast furling mains because of the many accidents.


Edited by panos - 21 November 2010 at 19:19