Patent ID: 6371037
Filing Date: 2002-04-16
Classification: B63H

Abstract:
A sail furling system, for furling a sailboat sail attachable to a mast, comprising:(a) a hollow boom having a longitudinal axis, an upper surface, a forward end and an after end, with a boom slot along the upper surface, and further comprising: (i) a mandrel mounted within the boom, further comprising an after end and a forward end; (ii) a drum, concentric with the mandrel, and affixed to the after end thereof; (iii) means to affix a sail to the mandrel; (iv) means to rotate the drum within the boom, (b) a rotatable boom coupling, affixed at one end below the forward end of the boom, and affixed at the other end to the mast, creating a transverse axis of rotation thereby, said coupling further comprising a vertical axis of rotation substantially parallel to the mast, and (c) a sail feeder, further comprising: i) two side pieces, affixed on either side of the boom slot, and extending upwards along a forward end of the boom slot; ii) an end piece, disposed between the boom slot and the mast, attached to each of the side pieces and to the boom itself, the two side pieces and the end piece forming a un-shaped structure when viewed from above, so that the sail is guided into the boom slot by the sail feeder as the sail exits from the bottom of the luff extrusion, so that the entire boom slot is exposed, and whereby, when the drum is rotated, the sail is furled about the mandrel within the boom.