Hood Stoway mast

[dgsingle]

I'm considering the purchase of a Bristol 38.8 that has a Hood Stoway in-mast furling system for the main sail. I know the operating principle should be to eliminate as much complexity as possible when planning a cruising boat, but was wondering if anyone has had any personal experience with this particular system.

[kokopelli]

I vaquely remember some discussion about this on another BB not so long agao...have you checked the archives on Sailnet or CruisingWorld?

Bobbi
Kokopelli

[delmarrey]

I've READ that they get jammed up in the mast. I'm not sure I would want to deal with that if I were in dire need of a reef.
I've never used one so don't really know for sure but thought I'd mention it.

[dgsingle]

Haven't checked Sailnet or Cruising World yet. Did a Google search and found that many larger "high end" boats like Oysters have them installed. Of course, they probably have full time crew members to deal with any problems.

There is another Bristol with a "Leisure Furl" in-boom furling system which has the advantage of allowing a battened main. I don't know if that would be any more reliable than the "Stoway".

Greg Singleton

[Jeff H]

These in mast furling (or in boom)systems work ok at the high end of moderate conditions when you are only doing "cosmetic reefs". When you really to reef for a period of time in heavy air there is a tendancy for the leech of the sail to creep and power up the sail making beating difficult and causing excessive heeling. Slab reefing systems are a more effective and reliable method.

There other issues with in mast furling such as significant weight aloft from the heavier spar which decreases stability and increases rolling (an important consideration on a round bottom centerboard boat like the boat in question.)In mast furling tends to shorten the lifespan of the sail. Also the hollow leech really kills light air performance.

Jeff

[kokopelli]

These are much the same comments I remember on the other boards...especially the ones by Jeff...so you probably don't need to search through the archives.

kokopelli

[dgsingle]

Thank you all for your responses. A conventional rig will be a high priority in selecting my next boat.

Greg