Since the dawn of time, Mankind has debated the relative merits and weaknesses of in-mast roller furling mainsails.
Ok, maybe not since the dawn of time, but if you get a few sailors together and ask them to debate this topic, you will likely get some very strong opinions. The system was originally conceived by our sport's Chief Innovator, Ted Hood, and hasn't changed much since. In my days as a Bareboat Cruising instructor for Offshore Sailing School, I taught students to use Selden's version of this system. While it saved us the hassle (is it really a hassle?) of dealing with the mainsail cover and attaching a halyard each time, it was a complicated system to operate correctly. And new sailors that are stepping up to a cruising boat have enough complications to deal with already. But even for experienced sailors, there are some problems to consider.
The most obvious liability is the potential for the sail to jam in the mast. This usually happens when the sail is about half-way out - exposed to the wind but with enough material on the spool to jam. And then what? Well, dropping the halyard is certainly not an option at this point. If it's not too windy and you have some searoom and crew, then you can probably work the furling line and the outhaul for awhile and clear the jam. But usually you're having the problem in the first place because it is already windy.
I had a client that chartered a boat in California to sail out to the Channel Islands a few years ago. On the way back the wind built quickly while they were on a broad reach. When they tried to reef, the sail jammed fast going into the mast, started flogging in the 30 kts of breeze, and quickly tore itself to ribbons. Of course this doesn't happen all the time, and prudent seamanship might have prevented it in this example, but I would say prudent seamanship also means keeping your boat's most vital systems as simple as possible.
Beyond the horror stories, I have a few simple gripes about the system:
- they require you to operate two lines (furler and outhaul) at once, as opposed to just a halyard
- the larger mast section and spool adds a substantial amount of weight aloft, raising the vertical center of gravity (VCG) and making the boat more tender
- limited control over sail shape (especially the draft and leech tension)
On big heavy cruising boats like a Beneteau or Island Packet, the performance sacrifice from the higher VCG and inability to adjust sail shape is negligible. So if that's the kind of boat you're shopping for, then a furling main might make sense for you.
But there are some great alternatives, and if the boat you're thinking about is one that has some performance potential, you owe it to yourself (and the boat) to consider them. I'm working with a client now who is considering, among other options, a Sabre 386. A great boat, and one that would absolutely benefit from a traditional main. But this client often sails short-handed, or with non-sailing friends, or with his young family. Here is how he can set-up the main to get the best of both worlds:
- install an electric halyard winch
- make sure you have good ball-bearing slides at the mast (this eliminates the friction that makes it hard to drop your main)
- install Lazy Jacks or a Dutchman system - these contain the sail as it goes up and down
- have a StackPack installed - when you drop the sail, it goes right into a bag/cover that's permanently attached to the boom, then you zip it shut and you're done
Newer, higher-quality boats usually have at least two of the 4 items above - in this case the particular boat we're considering has everything but the StackPack.
Finally, if you want to make it even easier, the latest in-boom furling systems, though expensive and somewhat complicated, have virtually none of the liabilities of in-mast furling and all of the benefits. I've worked with a few clients that had the LeisureFurl in-mast system retrofitted and they've all been pleased with the results.
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