Roller furler question
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craiglaforce
- Captain
- Posts: 831
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 8:30 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Houston, Tx
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Steve K
- Captain
- Posts: 703
- Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2004 7:35 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26D
- Location: So. Cal. desert
Craig,
I find that spraying the luff tape on the sail with McLube helps a lot. Spray it liberally. I had the same problem (hard to hoist) until I did this. I also sprayed the foil and halyard. I was standing on the dock, with the messenger line tied around my waist, trying to hoist the sail once. Now the sail hoists easily and drops without pulling anything.
McLube is also known as SailKote.
It doesn't build up or attract dirt, btw
SK
I find that spraying the luff tape on the sail with McLube helps a lot. Spray it liberally. I had the same problem (hard to hoist) until I did this. I also sprayed the foil and halyard. I was standing on the dock, with the messenger line tied around my waist, trying to hoist the sail once. Now the sail hoists easily and drops without pulling anything.
McLube is also known as SailKote.
It doesn't build up or attract dirt, btw
SK
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HERNDON
- Engineer
- Posts: 188
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 5:15 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Clovis, Ca.
Gentleman help me out here....
1. A roller furler is not good for reefing the head sail..
better to drop it it than reef
2. A roller furler is difficult to attach.
Does it replace the fore stay or rotate on it?
3. Changing to different sails is not as easy as a hanked on sail.
( I only have the standard jib but thought a 150 % Genoa adjustable
to what ever size you need was great!!!!)
4. If I day sail...Occasionally over night but never leave it at a slip....
Drop the jib by just by releasing the line.....
I cant understand the benefit.
Rob
1. A roller furler is not good for reefing the head sail..
better to drop it it than reef
2. A roller furler is difficult to attach.
Does it replace the fore stay or rotate on it?
3. Changing to different sails is not as easy as a hanked on sail.
( I only have the standard jib but thought a 150 % Genoa adjustable
to what ever size you need was great!!!!)
4. If I day sail...Occasionally over night but never leave it at a slip....
Drop the jib by just by releasing the line.....
I cant understand the benefit.
Rob
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Jack O'Brien
- Captain
- Posts: 564
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 6:28 pm
- Location: West Palm Beach, Florida, 2000X, Gostosa III
Roller Furling
Different strokes for different folks. Evidently, a great many sailors think roller furling has enough benefit to justify the cost. Perhaps the hard-core racers and performance fans prefer hanked on while some of us less fervent prefer the convenience.
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Dimitri-2000X-Tampa
- Admiral
- Posts: 2043
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 5:36 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Tampa, Florida 2000 Mercury BigFoot 50HP 4-Stroke on 26X hull# 3575.B000
Rob,
It's easy to lose the big picture in these discussions. When people talk about the shape being lost when roller reefing a furled headsail, it is really more in the context of racing. In the context of short-handed cruising (which most of us are usually in), the roller furling is one of the most useful sailboat inventions there is. Just the mere fact of not having to go forward to deploy and douse the headsail is a major advantage in itself.
If you always sail in higher winds, a jib is better than a genoa, or if you are trying to point higher. But for the average sailor which I think I represent, I just leave the genoa on the furler virtually all the time. If the wind is up enough to reef and I want to beat upwind, I'll just roll up the genoa and sail with a flattened mainsail only. If I'm heading away from the wind, I'll let out more of the genoa. Some people say a reefed main and full genoa is a good combination but I expect that works better further off the wind. The further downwind you sail, the less important good sail shape is too.
It's easy to lose the big picture in these discussions. When people talk about the shape being lost when roller reefing a furled headsail, it is really more in the context of racing. In the context of short-handed cruising (which most of us are usually in), the roller furling is one of the most useful sailboat inventions there is. Just the mere fact of not having to go forward to deploy and douse the headsail is a major advantage in itself.
If you always sail in higher winds, a jib is better than a genoa, or if you are trying to point higher. But for the average sailor which I think I represent, I just leave the genoa on the furler virtually all the time. If the wind is up enough to reef and I want to beat upwind, I'll just roll up the genoa and sail with a flattened mainsail only. If I'm heading away from the wind, I'll let out more of the genoa. Some people say a reefed main and full genoa is a good combination but I expect that works better further off the wind. The further downwind you sail, the less important good sail shape is too.