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Inmast furling

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Topic: Inmast furling

Posted By: Lash315
Subject: Inmast furling
Date Posted: 08 September 2021 at 12:01

Any thoughts please.

We are considering ordering a new 315 with inmast furling. The idea is mainly because we are a couple in our 60s wanting to sail as a couple into our 70s see ease of handling is a big thing us.

It would be nice to know if anyone has inmast furling on a 315, any issue ,ease of use, effect on performance etc.

Many thanks

Replies:

Posted By: grumpydatagit
Date Posted: 08 September 2021 at 12:21

If it was me, I would go for in-boom reefing as it is easier to sort out problems at deck level rather than up the mast.

Posted By: High Time
Date Posted: 08 September 2021 at 16:08

The one thing I regret about my 415 is the in-mast furling. I was in my late 60s when I purchased the boat and chose in-mast furling for the same reason as you. However, I now use a Winchrite for all my halyards and sheets so manual effort is no longer a problem.

If I had my time again I would go for fully (horizontal) battened main as per my previous boat.

The problem with in-mast is not so much when it's all out but when reefed (rolled a bit) is sets like a sack and consequently replaces drive with heeling moment.

Maybe the Z Spars rig (which bends) on High Time is partly to blame?

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Roger

High Time (415 #038)

Posted By: Matt1
Date Posted: 08 September 2021 at 16:45

The crossover where the majority seem to opt for in mast seems to be around 40-45 feet. To that extent you may also want to factor potential resale. I must admit I would be reluctant to buy that size boat if an owner had opted for in mast. An electric halliard which on the other hand would not put me off

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Hanse 418 #64 EmBer. Hamble, UK

Posted By: Lash315
Date Posted: 13 September 2021 at 11:33

All, many thanks for your comments, all useful and food for thought.

We are at Southampton this week and will be looking at all the alternatives

A bit of back of envelope (note non-smoker) calculation after internet research shows the sale area of the 315 with conventional main at about 46 sqm and 41.8 with in-mast furling. the Oceanis 30.1 comparison is 39.5 and 34.5. The average sail area for a 30 ft cruising yacht seems around the 40 mark give or take. I appreciate it is not just about sail area effectiveness and displacement are serious factors

Posted By: Matt1
Date Posted: 13 September 2021 at 12:05

Wow - quite a difference, I hadn't thought about that but I suppose the % loss of area will be less the bigger you go. Of course it's also about the shape and set.

Probably even more relevant on a Hanse where from the outset it was designed with a mainsail oreintated rig. If it's the weight of the hoist you are concerned with then maybe avoid laminate sails (which in my experience seem to be heavier unless you go very ££££)

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Hanse 418 #64 EmBer. Hamble, UK

Posted By: Pieterman
Date Posted: 13 September 2021 at 12:14

There certainly is a gain in comfort with the in-mast-furling of the main sail. On the other hand there is a loss in sailing characteristics (as stated in a previous comment) and in safety (when the system blocks).

For a 315 a 'normal' main sail is not that heavy to set and is easy to reef. If necessary you can use an electric winch or a winchrite. In the latter you have both of best worlds: comfort in setting / sailing the sail and safety.

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Pieterman
Hanse 315 (2007)
BEL7000

Posted By: 415 Singapore
Date Posted: 13 September 2021 at 13:05

Hi, my two penny worth! I agree with the previous comments, we sail two up most of the time and find that with electric winches there is no problem hoisting or reefing the mainsail. Plus we have the advantage of a fully battened main that performs well.

Our other major consideration when buying Night Train was safety, with lazy jacks you can just let the main halyard go and it will come down very quickly, albeit that you have to flake it nicely later. We were scared about what we would do if a roller main jammed just at the wrong time.

Good luck and enjoy specifying your new boat

All the best

Paul

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Paul - Night Train - 415 #136

Posted By: Samtutuki
Date Posted: 14 September 2021 at 08:14

Well as you can see everyone has their opinion!! So I may as well pile in.

We have had a 315 with in-mast furling since mid 2017 when we purchased the vessel new.

We went with the 315 after accepting that our 445 (also with in-mast furling {IMF}) was getting too big for us as we had just ticked over 3 score years and 10!!.

We sail up and down the east coast of Australia never more than 10 to 20 nm offshore. Our experience with IMF has been excellent. No issues in either deploying or recovering the main. One needs to pay attention to the furling and unfurling process but Selden have some clear and simple instructions that have worked for us every time. The great advantage for us is that you can manage the main from within the cockpit and never have to worry about sailing bags or lazy jacks (a classic misnomer if ever there was one - nothing lazy about stowing a wet main on a windy day stumbling around on the coach roof!).

We also noticed that when day sailing and moving from bay today we would often raise and lower the main ( sorry old habit) several times in a trip. The process is really effortless. We have observed so many yacht sailing the harbour on jib only (on a furler of course) and apparently not bothering to deploy the conventionally rigged main because ...?? is it too much bother?

On our 445 we had electric winches which was big help but these are not available on the 315 - neither incidentally is boom reefing at least at an affordable price.

Our solution on the 315 is to us a Makita cordless drill fitted with a winch bit

http://www.winchbit.com/id2.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.winchbit.com/id2.html

This set up works fine and at a fraction of the cost of "marine" versions.

In terms of performance I have nothing to compare with but the 315 is very agile and we often get over 7 knots of boat speed. Since we are not racing it is of no concern if a conventional main on a 315 passes us by - the voyage is the destination!

Posted By: Lash315
Date Posted: 14 September 2021 at 12:47

Once again thanks to all.

Samtutuki that is particularly helpful as you have the exact boat and your sailing sounds rather like ours. We will be away for weekends and longer trips but day sails on the tide from Bembridge and anchorage hopping will be a big part of what we do. The boat will be just 5 minutes from our house so we want to make the most of opportunities for a few hours sailing.

Once again thanks to all of you and happy sailing. It’s our day at the Southampton boat show tomorrow and we are jabbed, tested, registered and recorded and ready to go.