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Old 03-10-2010, 14:40   #1
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Furling Mainsail

Am looking at a Catalina 250 with furling mainsail which is outside the mast and on a system just like the jib furler. When under load the mainsail luff bellies some. Is this a safety issue, or mainly a performance issue? It sure is easy to handle and the speed is pretty good, I think. Thanks for any advice. caroljean
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Old 03-10-2010, 14:48   #2
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Presumably the sailmaker took the luff sag into account. Headsails work just fine with the inherent luff sag. The whole mast furling system causes a loss of sailing performance, yes. But does that matter for you?

In boom furling, or stack packs, or the like, are better for performance. Proper battens, less mast compression, better luff control, and such. Probably more cruiser-reliable too, but I have no experience in that regard.
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Old 03-10-2010, 15:06   #3
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Its a performance issue. Could be the sail is old and stretched? Can you adjust it out with the kicker?

We have an inmast main, its cut fairly flat and obviously has less sail area than a slab reefing main. However the boat was rigged for it so we can easily reach hull speed in a F4. Therefore don't worry about the loss of sail area which is academic and enjoy the benefits of inmast reefing

BTW thinking about it we do have a rope to adjust the luff, just about the tack.

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Old 03-10-2010, 18:41   #4
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It's typically a performance issue but could also be a safety issue if the furler fails or gets stuck. Given the drawbacks of a mail furler, does it makes sense to keep it on a main which is pretty small and easily handled the old fashioned way?
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Old 03-10-2010, 18:45   #5
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My mail furls in the boom..... I usually douse it by pulling it down and only furl it at the end of the day.. It is a PITA. My $0.02 is if it weren't there, I sure wouldn't go buy another!
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