Roller Furl Tension and Reefed Jib

[Sean Engle]

Here's something I've always wanted to know:

When the wind is up, and I want to reduce sail on the jib (reefing it), I have to draw in the roller furl. When I do that (and the jib is partially deployed), it seems to me that there is a large amount of stress on the furling system, as it wants to (be design) to unroll the remainder of the headsail.

The furling system runs along my port deck, and is guided by fairleads connected to the stanchion bases. When that much stress is placed on that furling line, am I correct in assuming that stress is transferred to the stanchions, and therefore not a good idea (trying to "reef" a jib)?



I don't mean to sound daft here, but I've always been stressed about this - to the point of either fully deploying the jib, or leaving it rolled up.

Comments?

Thanks,

 

[Morgan Stinemetz]

Sean,

I had roller furling on my E-27 until I had it jam up on me in a squall and I could not get the damn jib furled. It was partially operator error--on a crew member's part--but the sea was so vicious that I thought it better to run off with the sail rather than send someone (probably me) up forward to straighten out the problem.
To get to your question, roller furling sails don't have the right shape when they are furled, but that is a trade off for convenience. Most people just live with that. If you are a "serious" racer--are there any other kinds?--then you'll have a foil system anyway.
There is more strain on the system because most roller furling systems that I have seen have only two attachment points, on the deck and up at the top of the mast. So you get cantenary sag along the luff of the sail. Can the system take it? Yes, in most cases. I took the roller furling system that came on my boat off and put on a larger model, when I was into that sort of thing. Larger seems better.
Pro-furl seems to make a system that is preferred by guys who race big boats around the world alone, so my guess is that it is good. Don't really know, though.
One thing that a roller furled sail does is move the center of effort forward, when you would really like it centered over where the lateral resistance is. A staysail does this better than a roller furling jib. Island Packets offer this option of both configurations...a staysail and a reefed main when the going gets ugly.
Hope all of this helps.

Morgan Stinemetz

 

[Morgan Stinemetz]

Sean,

There's more...

No, you will not hurt the stanchions or their bases by having the blocks for the furling line attached to them. There is not that much strain on this line anyway. You will have it cleated off someplace in the back of the boat anyway.

Of course, as you furl in the sail you will want to move the jib leads forward. It's nice to have those things so they move easily under load. Some people have a block and tackle arrangement to make the leads adjustable from the cockpit. On my boat, I just move the leads forward or aft by hand. It is not tricky, but it works.

Morgan Stinemetz

 

[Loren Beach]

If you have the fairleads without blocks, which I have at present, you also have a lot of friction when under a furling/reefing load. I plan to change over to ball bearing blocks like the Schaeffer ones that fit around the stanchion tube. By the time the line runs around three angle changes with three stanchions, there is a lot of extra friction...
Loren

 

[Billk]

roller reefing stress

Sean,
When you reef your genoa the sails atempt to unroll is resisted by the furling line. It would be possible for the furling line to break if it were old and damaged by U.V.,
letting the sail unroll. My Harkin Furler manual suggests inspecting the furling line. Harkin furling drums also have a set of holes allowing you to lock the drum with a pin in a furled position. They suggest doing this in storm conditions.
As long as Your blocks for the furling line are near the stanchion bases the line is not going to have any effect on the stanchions. (They are properly mounted with backing plates, right?)
It is safe to reef your genoa. Harkin suggests tensioning the halyard before reefing to help flatten the sail. Tightening the backstay also helps. You should be able to reef 20 -30% and still have acceptable sail shape. I have found that I still want more than one jib even though I have roller furling. I use a 150% and a 110% on my E-27.
Bill Kramer