From: legacy@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (wayne.m.simpson)
Subject: Re: reefing headsails, why not roller furling?
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 17:18:25 GMT
Summary: Old style roller furling... Run!

In article <Brwqs4.Cq7@helios.physics.utoronto.ca> stefan@helios.physics.utoronto.ca (Stefan Mochnacki) writes:
>
>Well, a boat which I may well  buy in the next few weeks
>is a C&C 30 which has an interesting setup: a 100% "working" jib is mounted
>on a furler on its own wire and halyard, about 6-12 inches  below and 
>parallel to the forestay. This is supposed to be easily lowered and 
>coiled if one wants to hank on a standard foresail (the standard #1 and #3 
>are almost unused; the current owner never used them).
>
>I'd be interested to hear comments about:
>
>	(a) the pros and cons of such a set up, as opposed to a "permanent"
>            furling setup on the forestay, or reefing (as above),
>
>and     (b) the C&C 30 Mk I as a boat (this one is a 1974; there are
>            others in the 1973 - 78 age range which I could buy). 


   No comments about the old C&C other than they are a respected builder
but even good old boats get tired. Look for voids and signs of delamination
in the deck. Now on to roller furling...

   What you describe sounds like the old Schaefer roller furling system.
I had one of these on my old Seafarer 23 when I bought it. I was so 
dissatisfied with this system I eventually junked it and bought a suit
of new hanked on headsails. The problems are these:

   - You never got sufficient tension in the luff of the sail to go upwind
worth a darn. It always sagged badly andthis hurt upwind performance

   - You couldn't reef this way, even a little bit. The new foam luff sails
seem to have this beat to a certain extent at least. I differ with people
who say reefed sail shape is not important because you never need to reef
while going upwind. 90% of the time I reef it's because I *have* to go
upwind.

   - Like all roller furling sails, they fail to furl/unfurl at the worst
possible moments. Only this system is worse because it has the permanent
forestay to tangle itself in.

   - They have even more windage than headfoil furling systems since the 
forestay and furler are separate. They unroll unintentionally in storms
and cause severe problems.

   Advantages? I suppose you could pick one up for a song, sinc nobody
else will have them. I haven't seen one of these in a long time. Plenty
of used sails to choose from for the same reason.
   I wouldn't have anything to do with one. My next boat will probably
have a modern headfoil system with a genny of moderate size that could
be reefed effectively to 90% or so. The older I get, the less I seem to
want those really big headsails. On our present boat, we hank our sails
on and work the foredeck. We put up the right sail for the conditions,
and sail faster and more comfortably because of it.

*************************************************************************
                                        Wayne Simpson, Technical Editor
(insert standard                        National Catalina 27 Association
        disclaimer here)                wms@spin.ho.att.com
                                        (908) 949-0482
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