Roller furling, storage of it while trailering, storm sail

[WayneS]

Looks like I am making the switch to roller furling for a trip to Mexico. I am looking at the Schaeffer system for my 25 foot Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer, largely for the flexible material used in its plastic "extrusion" over the headstay.

Got three questions for you guys...

1. When you're trailering, how do you store the complete roller furling setup?

2. Roller furling systems are sensitive to fore/aft mast bend. Are there any steps you find especially handy in making sure that the rigging is properly tensioned when you set up the mast after trailering?

3. Roller furling systems, from what I can hear, are not advertised for use in winds of over about 35 knots; sail shape becomes untenable, apparently. So what do you do for a storm jib?

I'm studying Spanish. Mutchos garcias for any assistance. (Ow! Ow! Quit throwing those things!)

Wayne

[Rachel]

Wayne,

First of all, welcome to the forum!

I'm sure you'll get some excellent information here, but you might also want to check out the Trailer Sailor Bulletin Board. As you can tell by the name, folks there do a lot of trailer sailing, and I'm sure you can get (additional) information specific to trailering.

You'll find it here:

http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/tra ... /index.cgi

Of course don't be a stranger here, either! And please feel free to show off your Frisco Flyer by posting some photos and telling us about her.

Rachel

[Hirilondë]

Welcome Wayne.

1. Disconnect the system from the mast and slide it up for a deck stepped mast (or down for a keel stepped mast) along the mast until the drum is right at but below the bottom of the mast. Now tie it (the whole furling system) off to the mast at regular intervals to assure no excess drooping. Now the entire thing is supported by the mast and can be lashed to the boat or trailer.

2. Your forestay tension is adjusted by the back stay. If the system has been fit properly to your mast and boat it should be a simple job to adjust properly. I tighten my backstay until it is taught but not a banjo string. Then I quit before I damage something.

3. Buy a storm jib with a bolt rope to fit your system. Or heave to and throw out your sea anchor ;)

And like Rachel said; post some pictures! No one here tires of seeing new people's boats.

[Tim]

3. Roller furling systems, from what I can hear, are not advertised for use in winds of over about 35 knots; sail shape becomes untenable, apparently. So what do you do for a storm jib?

It sounds like you're talking about using one of the "Snap-Furl" units, which have plastic extrusions. These are fine for many uses. However, they're meant for inshore duty, or "light duty", which may be why there's the reported limitation in their usable wind speed. They're really made for true trailer-sailers with lightweight rigs and frequent steppings and unsteppings.

If you really feel that you are going to be experiencing, and sailing in, winds of 35 knots, I'd recommend upgrading to something like the Schaefer 750 with an aluminum extrusion. This will hold up well under all sailing conditions, and will also hold up during the trailering you suggest. One advantage of the Schaefer units is their beefy, round headfoils, which are, in my experience, stronger than most aluminum foils. Heavier units like this also work much better as reefing units, rather than just furlers.

For example, I have the Schaefer 1100 (the next size up), and I can carry my extrusion, with drum attached, around by myself; the foil sections are strong enough that it doesn't buckle at the joints and only bends slightly. (Note that I don't make a habit of doing this, but it's possible.) This simply isn't possible with most extrusion sections, and I look at it as a real advantage.

The lightweight furlers like Snap-Furl and the CDI "Flexible Furler" are all well and good for a lot of uses, but aren't as strong and really aren't meant for serious cruisers. I've used a CDI on a couple boats, and they're OK for what they are, but the really pale in comparison to something like the larger Schaefers, Harkens, and the others.

Your Frisco Flyer is strong and heavy enough to withstand real weather, and your furling gear, in my opinion, ought to better match the boat's capabilites for your chosen use.

There is a practical maximum amount that you can reef any roller-furling headsail, but it's pretty all-encompassing. And I feel that you can pretty much always accomplish what you need to even if the sail shape begins to suffer at extreme levels of furling, particularly offwind. So these fears tend to be a bit overblown and rarely do boats actually come up against this.

That said, any boat intending to be placed in situations where wind speeds might exceed comfortable levels should have proper storm sails prepared for use. Most of us never really have a need for true storm sails, but if one is planning extended cruising or offshore work, there should always be provisions for the highest winds. One roller furling sail will never cover all your bases if heavy weather is in your anticipated plans, just like a single headsail in a traditional setup will never cover all bases. What furling gear does do, though, is extend the effective range of a single sail to a wide range of wind speeds, which many people find appealing.

[FloatingMoneyPit]

The yard that prepared my rig for transport put bubble wrap around the mast every 6 feet or so to cushion the furler against the mast, then wrapped scrap pieces of cardboard around the entire thing in those same spots, and finally wrapped that with duct tape to hold it all in place. Worked brilliantly.

[Rachel]

Re-reading your post, it seems like you might be talking more about an infrequent "transporting" more than regular trailering. When I prepped my mast and furler for truck transport, I did a job similar to what "Floating" describes.

First, I removed all the standing rigging that I could, and coiled it separately. The couple of things left on the mast (main halyard, lazy jacks), I coiled and wrapped in bubble wrap near where they emerged from the mast.

Then I wrapped bubble wrap bands around the mast, and secured them with a combination of duct tape and plastic wire ties. After that I secured the furler to the mast in a similar fashion. At that point I also secured the coils mentioned above to the whole bundle.

Also, since the furler projected beyond the foot of the mast, I made a support with an old wooden mop handle (what I had on hand) and secured it to the furler and the mast, to keep the drum from stressing the extrusion.

Next, I took a roll of ~8" wide shrink-film - it comes on a roll that has a handle - and wrapped the whole works tightly as if the shrink-film were an Ace bandage. This wrapping stayed put and kept all the nasty road grime/salt off the spar.

As if all that weren't enough, I used bits of carpeting on the metal braces where the mast rested in transport, and where the straps tied it onto the trailer.

I felt that the keys were initial padding, scrupulously keeping anything from rubbing/moving/chafing, and surface protection (the shrink-film). The spar survived the trip in great condition.

[WayneS]

Many thanks to all for your information. Tim, I'll be using the heavier, stronger aluminum extrusions-- and it's very good to hear that they work out well and are not easily damaged. (I've been visiting your Glissando site and ogling that trailer for some time.) Rachel, you're right that the boat will not frequently be trailered; just to San Carlos and then, perhaps, home some time later. The 32 foot trailer is long enough that I think I can work out some decent support for the mast (wood, and keel stepped).

Many thanks again.

Wayne