Adjustable roller furling spar

An adjustable roller furling spar includes an elongated base member which is securable on a sailboat and an adjustable periphery assembly which is attached to the base member and coextends a distance therewith. The periphery assembly is adjustable to define an effective winding cross-section of the spar which is variable along the longitudinal extent thereof and which is operable for windingly receiving a sail on the spar. By properly adjusting the periphery assembly, it is operable to compensate for irregular stretch in older sails when the spar is used for reefing so that even a badly stretched sail can be maintained in a substantially flat disposition.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The instant invention relates to sail boats and more particularly to a 
novel adjustable roller furling spar for a sail boat which is adjustable 
to compensate for irregular stretch in a sail. 
The use of roller furling spars, including roller furling masts and booms, 
is generally known in the sailing field. In this connection, several 
varieties of roller furling spar constructions have heretofore been 
available which include longitudinally extending rotatable elements for 
windingly receiving sails thereon. Many of the heretofore available roller 
furling spar constructions have been operable for furling sails thereon as 
well as for reefing sails to maintain them in "partially furled" 
dispositions. Obviously, devices of this type are used for furling sails 
in order to prepare them for storage or for when wind and/or sea 
conditions make it necessary or desirable to operate the respective 
vessels, to which they are attached, with the sails thereof in fully 
lowered dispositions. Devices of this type are used for reefing sails 
under circumstances, such as heavy wind conditions, when it is necessary 
or desirable to maintain sails in a "partially furled" disposition to 
reduce the effective areas thereof. Many of the heretofore known devices 
of this type have been constructed to be operable under sea conditions so 
that the sail areas of the respective vessels can be adjusted to 
compensate for changes in wind conditions. 
Spar constructions which are generally exemplary of the furling spars 
hereinabove described and which represent the closest prior art to the 
instant invention of which the applicant is aware are disclosed in the to 
Fearon, U.S. Pat. No. 308,146, Tatchell, U.S. Pat. No. 879,986, Tamm, U.S. 
Pat. No. 2,119,475, Beaudry, U.S. Pat. No. 2,197,654, Wells-Coates, U.S. 
Pat. No. 2,561,253, and Ingouf, U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,192. However, while 
these patents teach various types of furling and reefing spar 
constructions, they do not even remotely teach or suggest the novel 
furling spar of the instant invention which is adjustable to compensate 
for irregular stretch in older sails, and hence they are of nothing more 
than general interest. 
A problem heretofore encountered with many sail boats, including sail boats 
having conventional spar constructions as well as those having furling 
spars, is the tendency of sails to stretch irregularly as they become 
older, whereby they become significantly less efficient. In this 
connection, conventional sails generally comprise a plurality of 
trapezoidal panels which are sewn together to define a triangular sail 
configuration. The individual panels themselves frequently stretch 
irregularly and the areas of interconnection between the panels where they 
are sewn or stitched together also tend to stretch irregularly. 
Frequently, the result is that after a sail has been used for two or three 
years, "baggy" areas appear therein which are caused by irregular 
stretching. Further, the more a sail is used, the worse this condition 
becomes, and hence after a sail has been used for several years it can 
become significantly distorted from its original shape and have several 
areas which are quite "baggy". These baggy areas not only have 
disadvantages from an aesthetic standpoint but they also significantly 
reduce the efficiency of the sail. Heretofore, this problem has not been 
adequately addressed by the sailing industry and hence the only solution 
has been to replace older sails when they become distorted or "baggy". 
The adjustable roller furling spar of the instant invention, which is 
operable for both furling and reefing of sails, provides a novel solution 
to the above mentioned problem of irregular stretch in sails when it is 
used for the reefing thereof and it also provides solutions to several 
other problems that have heretofore existed with the known roller furling 
spar constructions. In this regard, the roller furling spar of the instant 
invention is adjustable so that it compensates for irregular sail stretch 
when it is used for reefing, and comprises an elongated, substantially 
rigid spar base member which is rotatably securable on a sail boat, an 
adjustable periphery assembly which is attached to the base member and 
adjustably defines an effective winding cross section of the spar which is 
adjustable along longitudinally extent thereof, and means for rotating the 
spar base member and the periphery assembly attached thereto and for 
adjustably securing them in various rotated dispositions. Upon rotation of 
the spar, a sail attached thereto is windingly received on the adjustable 
periphery assembly and since the periphery assembly is adjustable to vary 
the effective winding cross section thereof along its longitudinal extent, 
it can be adjusted to compensate for varying degrees of stretch or 
"bagginess" in various areas of the sail. For example, when an area of 
"bagginess" appears in a sail, the portion of the spar directly 
therebeneath can be adjusted to increase the effective winding cross 
section of the spar in this area so that an additional amount of sail 
material is wound on the spar in the area of increased cross section to 
tighten the "baggy" area. In most instances it is only necessary to make 
such adjustments at the beginning of each boating season since the degree 
of stretch which normally occurs during a single season is relatively 
small. After the periphery assembly has been properly adjusted, the spar 
is operable similar to a conventional furling spar. However, when it is 
used for reefing a sail, it can maintain even a badly stretched sail in a 
tight and trim disposition. 
The embodiment of the adjustable roller furling spar of the instant 
invention in spars of various types including masts and booms is 
contemplated. However, the preferred embodiment of the instant invention 
comprises an adjustable roller furling boom which also comprises several 
other features which provide further advantages over the furling spar 
constructions of the prior art. Specifically, the adjustable roller 
furling boom of the instant invention preferably further comprises an 
elongated cowling comprising a pair of elongated substantially rigid shell 
portions which are mounted on the spar so that they cooperate to define an 
elongated housing which is slightly outwardly spaced from the adjustable 
periphery assembly of the spar, the upper edges of the shell portion being 
in spaced relation to define an elongated longitudinal opening on the 
upper side of the cowling for receiving a sail on the spar. The shell 
portions are preferably mounted so that they are resiliently outwardly 
movable to increase the transverse dimension of the longitudinal opening 
and so that the lower portions of the shell portions are outwardly 
pivotable to provide access to the adjustable periphery assembly. The 
preferred embodiment of the adjustable boom of the instant invention 
further comprises a rotatable shaft which is securable to a mast so that 
it extends forwardly therethrough. The spar base member is secured to the 
aft end of the rotatable shaft so that it is universally pivotable 
relative thereto, and the rotating assembly for rotating the boom is 
secured to the rotatable shaft in front of the mast. The rotating assembly 
preferably comprises a bevel gear mounted on the rotatable shaft and a 
rotatable worm gear which communicates with the bevel gear to rotate the 
shaft. Accordingly, the spar is rotatable with the worm and bevel gear 
assembly and securable in various rotated dispositions therewith. Also in 
the preferred embodiment, a halyard spool is provided on the rotatable 
shaft for windingly receiving a halyard attached to a sail thereon as the 
sail is unwound from the adjustable boom. The halyard spool is preferably 
dimensioned to receive the halyard thereon at substantially the same rate 
as the rate at which the sail is unwound from the boom, whereby as the 
sail is sequentially unwound, it will be raised up the mast a 
corresponding amount. Another feature of the preferred embodiment of the 
instant invention is a sail guide which is securable on a mast of the type 
having a bolt rope tunnel therein. The sail guide comprises a generally 
triangular plate portion having a bolt rope tunnel along one edge thereof 
and means which hingedly mounts the plate portion on the lower portion of 
the mast in spaced relation above the boom. The plate portion is mounted 
so that the bolt rope tunnel thereof communicates with the bolt rope 
tunnel of the mast and extends downwardly and generally rearwardly 
therefrom. Accordingly, the sail guide is operable to guide the fore bolt 
rope edge of a sail onto a roller furling boom as the boom is rotated and 
since it is hingedly mounted on the mast, as the sail is wound on the 
spar, the guide hinges outwardly to properly guide the sail on the spar as 
the winding diameter thereof is increased by the sail itself as it is 
wound thereon. 
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a 
roller furling spar which can be adjusted to compensate for stretching in 
older sails when using for reefing. 
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an adjustable roller 
furling boom which includes an adjustable periphery assembly whereby the 
effective winding cross section of the boom can be adjusted along the 
longitudinal extent thereof. 
Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a furling boom 
having an outer cowling. 
A still further object of the instant invention is to provide a spar 
assembly which includes a furling boom and a sail guide for guiding the 
fore end of a sail onto the furling boom. 
An even further object of the instant invention is to provide a rotatable 
furling boom having a halyard spool for windingly receiving a halyard 
attached to a sail thereon as the sail is unwound from the furling boom.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings, the adjustable roller furling spar of the 
instant invention embodied as an adjustable roller furling boom is 
illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, 10, 12, and 13, and generally indicated at 10 in 
FIGS. 1 and 2. As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 2, the adjustable 
roller furling boom 10 comprises a substantially rigid base member 12 
having an adjustable periphery assembly generally indicated at 14 which is 
attached thereto and which extends longitudinally thereof, and a rotating 
assembly generally indicated at 16 for rotating the spar base member 12 
and the adjustable periphery assembly 14 attached thereto. As illustrated 
in FIG. 1, the boom 10 is mounted on a mast 18 having a sail 20 attached 
thereto, the mast 18, the sail 20 and the boom 10 comprising part of a 
sail boat generally indicated at 22. The boom 10 is adjustable to vary the 
effective winding cross sectional area thereof along the longitudinal 
extent thereof, whereby it can be adjusted to compensate for the effects 
of irregular stretching in the sail 20 when it is used for the reefing 
thereof. More particularly, the boom 10 is adjustable so that when it is 
used for reefing the sail 20 it will maintain the exposed portion of the 
sail 20 in a substantially flat, taut disposition despite the fact that 
the sail 20 may be irregularly stretched in various areas thereof. 
As illustrated most clearly in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the base member 12 
comprises an elongated substantially rigid tubular member 23 having a 
track 24 secured thereto so that it coextends along the upper side 
thereof, the member 23 and the track 24 preferably being made of aluminum 
or some other suitable noncorrosive metal. Slidably received in the track 
24 are a plurality of slide loops 24a for securing the sail 20 to the base 
member 12. A shaft 25 is rotatably secured to the mast 18 so that it 
extends forwardly therethrough and a universal 26 secures the base member 
12 to the shaft 25 so that the base member 12 is universally pivotable 
relative to the mast 18. The rotatable shaft 25 and the universal 26 are 
also preferably made of suitable noncorrosive metals. 
The adjustable periphery assembly 14 is illustrated in FIGS. 2-6, 9 and 10. 
The periphery assembly 14 comprises fore and aft retaining plates 28 and 
30, respectively, which are secured to the base member 12 adjacent 
opposite ends thereof, a plurality of eye bolt assemblies generally 
indicated at 32 which are also secured to the base member 12 and a 
plurality of elongated slightly flexible rods 34 which are of slightly 
adjustable lengths. The eye bolt assemblies 32 are disposed on the base 
member 12 so that they extend substantially radially outwardly therefrom 
in staggered relation in substantially aligned longitudinal rows which are 
spaced around the base member 12. The rods 34 extend slidably through the 
aligned rows of eye bolt assemblies 32 and are thereby positioned so that 
they coextend with the base member 12 in slightly outwardly spaced 
relation thereto. The eye bolt assemblies 32 are, however, adjustable to 
vary the amounts of spacing between the rods 34 and the base member 12 as 
will hereinafter be more fully set forth. Further, since the rods 34 are 
slightly bendable or flexible, the eye bolt assemblies 32 can be adjusted 
to vary the positions of the rods 34 relative to the base member 12 along 
the longitudinal extents of the rods 34. 
The retaining plates 28 and 30 are of substantially circular configuration 
and, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, are secured to the base member 12 
with collars 36. Provided in the plates 28 and 30 are spaced radial slots 
38 which are substantially aligned with the rows of eye bolt assemblies 32 
in the periphery assembly 14. 
The rods 34 preferably comprise elongated tubular members 39 which are 
preferably made of aluminum or some other noncorrosive metal and which 
have slide members 40 slidably received in the ends thereof. The slide 
members 40, which are herein embodied as bolts having nuts 42 thereon, are 
received in the slots 38 in the retaining plates 28 and 30 and are 
adjustably retained therein with the nuts 42. The threaded end portions of 
the bolts 40 are slidably received in the tubular members 39 to retain the 
ends thereof adjacent plates the 28 and 30 while providing slight 
adjustability in the lengths of the rods 34 which is necessary to 
compensate for the bending of the rods 39 when the assembly 14 is 
adjusted. 
The eye bolt assemblies 32 are most clearly illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, 
and comprise threaded eye bolt members 44, threaded sleeves 46, and socket 
elements 48. The threaded sleeves 46 are of generally cylindrical outer 
configuration having circumferential grooves 50 therein and enlarged 
hexagonal heads 52. The socket elements 48 have longitudinal bores 53 
therein and include plate portions 54 which are adapted to conform to the 
outer configuration of the tubular member 23, and cylindrical socket 
portions 56. The socket elements 48 are secured to the base member 12 with 
the socket portions 56 received in apertures 58 in the tubular member 23 
so that the plate portions 54 abut the outer surface of the tubular member 
23. Threaded screws 60 secure the socket elements 48 to the tubular member 
23. The sleeves 46 are rotatably received in the bores 53 so that the 
heads 52 bear on the plate portions 54, and set screws 62, which are 
threadedly received in the socket portions 56, extend into the grooves 50, 
whereby the sleeves 46 are rotatably retained in the socket elements 48. 
The eye bolt members 44 are threadedly received in the sleeves 46, it 
being apparent that by rotating the sleeves 46 relative to the eye bolt 
members 44, the outward extents of the eye bolt members 44 relative to the 
base member 12 can be adjusted. In this connection, since the rods 34 
extend through the eye bolt members 44, the eye bolt members 44 themselves 
cannot be rotated. However, since the sleeves 46 are rotable in the socket 
elements 48, adjustments in the outward extents of the eye bolt members 44 
can be effected by rotating the hexagonal heads 52. 
The preferred embodiment of the boom 10 further comprises a cowling 
assembly which is illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 6, 12 and 13, and generally 
indicated at 64. The cowling assembly 64 comprises a pair of elongated 
shell portions 66 of arcuate cross section, fore and aft mounting 
assemblies generally indicated at 68 and 69, respectively, which are 
rotatably received on the base member 12 adjacent the fore and aft ends 
thereof, respectively, a pair of elongated rods 70 which extend between 
the mounting assemblies 68 and 69 and a lower beam element 71 which also 
extends between the mounting assemblies 68 and 69. The shell portions 66, 
which define an elongated longitudinal opening 72 along the top of the 
cowling assembly 64, are preferably made of a suitable rigid light weight 
material such as fiberglass and are secured to the rods 70 so that they 
hang generally downwardly therefrom. The mounting assembly 68 is most 
clearly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, and comprises a main bracket 73 
which is rotatably received on the fore end of the base member 12 and 
extends downwardly therefrom, and a pair of scissor arms 74 which are 
received on the base member 12 adjacent the bracket 73 so that they are 
independently rotatable relative to the base member 12 to provide a 
scissors action between the arms 74. A coil spring 76 extends between the 
scissor arms 74, and inner and outer stop pins (not shown) which extend 
from the bracket 73, define the limits of the pivotable movement of the 
arms 74 so that the inner stop pins and the coil spring 76 cooperate to 
normally maintain the arms 74 in the relative dispositions thereof 
illustrated in FIG. 3 but so that they may be outwardly pivoted against 
the bias of spring 76 to the extent permitted by the outer stop pins. The 
aft mounting assembly 69 is illustrated in FIGS. 2, 12 and 13, and is 
substantially the same as the fore mounting assembly 68 except that it is 
rotatably received on a reduced shaft 78 which is secured in the aft end 
of the base member 12 and extends rearwardly therefrom. The assembly 69 
comprises a bracket 79 and a pair of scissors arms 80 which are rotatably 
mounted on the shaft 78, the arms 80 being substantially the same as the 
scissors arms 74. A coil spring 76 extends between the arms 80 and inner 
and outer stop pins 82 and 84, respectively, extend from the bracket 79 
and are engageable by the arms 80 to define the inner and outer extents of 
the pivotal movement thereof. The inner and outer pins 82 and 84, 
respectively, are substantially the same as the corresponding pins (not 
shown) on the bracket 73 in the fore mounting assembly 68. The beam 71 
extends between the lower portions of the brackets 73 and 79 of the fore 
and aft mounting assemblies 68 and 69, respectively, and the rods 70 
extend between the fore and aft scissors arms 74 and 80, respectively, on 
the same respective sides of the base member 12. Accordingly, the rods 70, 
from which the shell portions 66 are suspended, interconnect the arms 74 
and 80 on the same sides of the base member 12, whereby the transverse 
dimension of the elongated longitudinal opening 72 in the cowling 64 which 
is defined by the rods 70 and the upper extremities of the shell portions 
66, is resiliently expandable as illustrated in FIG. 13. As illustrated in 
FIGS. 3 and 12, the lower extremities of the shell portions 66 normally 
engage the beam 71 and are resiliently retained adjacent thereto with 
detachable coil springs 86. However, upon detachment of the coil springs 
86, the shell portions 66 can be pivoted upwardly as illustrated in broken 
lines in FIG. 13 to provide access to the base member 12 and the 
adjustable periphery assembly 14. It should also be pointed out that since 
the entire cowling assembly 64 is actually relative to the base member 12 
to allow the base member 12 and the periphery assembly 14 to be rotated to 
receive the sail 20 thereon, the sail 20 which extends through the 
elongated opening 72 actually prevents the cowling 64 from rotating around 
the base member 12. 
Referring further to FIG. 2, as hereinabove mentioned, the rotatable shaft 
25 extends forwardly through the mast 18. It will be understood that 
conventional means (not shown) will be provided to rotatably secure the 
shaft 25 to the mast 18 so that the base member 12, the periphery assembly 
14 and the cowling assembly 64 are maintained in closely spaced relation 
to the aft thereof. Mounted on the shaft 25 in front of the mast 18 is a 
bevel gear 87 which communicates with a worm gear 88 rotatably mounted in 
a housing 90 attached to the mast 18. A handle (not shown) is attached to 
the worm gear 88 to effect rotation thereof, which rotation is 
communicated to the base member 12 and the periphery assembly 14 through 
the universal 26, the shaft 25, and the bevel gear 87. Also mounted on the 
shaft 25 in the preferred embodiment of the boom 10 is a halyard spool 92 
for windingly receiving a halyard attached to the sail 20. In this 
connection, the fore end of the shaft 25 is preferably of knurled 
configuration as illustrated at 94 in FIG. 2 and the halyard spool 92 is 
preferably disengagably secured thereto by means of a clamp 96 which is 
received on a split sleeve portion 98 of the halyard spool 92. 
Accordingly, the halyard spool 92 is rigidly securable to the shaft 25 but 
is adjustable with the clamp 96 to provide a friction brake effect which 
permits frictional rotation of the spool 92 on the shaft 25. As a result, 
if circumstances make it necessary to operate the halyard spool 92 
independently of the other components of the rotating assembly 16, the 
spool 92 can be disengaged from the shaft 25 to permit the sail 20 to be 
raised or lowered with the halyard 116. In this connction, however, the 
frictional brake effect hereinabove described prevents the spool 92 from 
spinning freely to provide a degree of control in the lowering of the sail 
20. 
It is contemplated that the adjustable furling spar of the instant 
invention will, in most instances, be utilized in combination with a sail 
of the type illustrated in FIG. 2 having a foreward bolt rope 100 which is 
slidably receivable in a bolt rope tunnel 102 on the aft side of the mast 
18 as illustrated in FIG. 1, the bolt rope 100 and the bolt rope tunnel 
102 cooperating to retain the leading edge of the sail 20 adjacent the 
mast 18. Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of the instant invention 
further comprises a sail guide 104 to guide the leading edge of the sail 
20 from the bolt rope tunnel 102 onto the boom 10. The guide 104 comprises 
a substantially rigid plate of generally triangular configuration having a 
bolt rope tunnel 106 along one edge thereof. Hinge elements 108 secure the 
guide 104 to the lower portion of the mast 18 so that the bolt rope tunnel 
106 of the guide 104 communicates with the lower end of the bolt rope 
tunnel 102 and extends downwardly and rearwardly therefrom terminating in 
slightly spaced relation above the boom 10. 
In the operation of the boom 10 on the boat 22, the sail 20 is secured to 
the slide rings 24a with a plurality of shackles 110 and a line 112 
extends from the clue or aft end of the sail 20 around a roller 113 and 
rearwardly to a cleat 114 on the base member 12 adjacent the aft end 
thereof to adjustably secure the clue to the aft end of the boom 10. The 
halyard 116 is secured to the sail 20 for the raising and lowering 
thereof, and extends through a block 118 on the boat 22 and onto the 
halyard spool 92. 
In use and operation of the adjustable roller furling boom 10, the sail 20 
is windingly receivable on the adjustable periphery assembly 14 for 
reefing or storage of the sail 20. When the boat 22 is operated with the 
sail 20 in a fully raised disposition wherein it is partially wound on the 
boom 10, the boom 10 functions as a conventional boom, the sail 20 being 
secured to the boom 10 along the track 24. However, when it is desired to 
operate the boat 22 with the sail 20 in a reefed disposition, the boom 10 
is operable to compensate for irregular or uneven stretch in the sail 20. 
Specifically, by adjusting the eye bolt assemblies 32 so that the 
effective winding cross section of the adjustable periphery assembly 14 is 
the greatest in those areas of the boom 10 which are directly beneath 
"baggy" areas of the sail 20, additional tension is applied to the "baggy" 
areas of the sail 20 as it is wound on the periphery assembly 14, whereby 
uneven stretch is compensated for and the sail 20 assumes a "flatter" 
disposition. Normally, adjustments of this nature are required only once a 
season since the amount of stretch which occurs during the course of a 
single season is relatively small. However, the assembly 14 is easily 
adjustable and hence irregular stretch in the sail 20 can be easily 
compensated for at any time. 
The operation of a conventional roller furling boom 120 with a sail 122 
attached thereto is illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 11, the boom 120 being 
shown attached to a mast 124 in FIGS. 7 and 8. As will be seen, when the 
sail 122, which has several "baggy areas" 126, therein is wound onto the 
boom 120, the "baggy areas" 126 cause the sail 122 to be wound unevenly 
thereon and the exposed portions of the sail 122 remain fully distorted. 
In fact, it has been found that in some cases this type of uneven winding 
can cause the aft end of a boom to be raised or lowered significantly as 
the various stretched portions of the sail attached thereto are wound 
thereon. This can make reefing of a badly stretched sail impractical at 
best. The roller furling boom 10 of the instant invention overcomes this 
problem by providing an adjustable means for effecting even winding of a 
badly stretch sail thereon, as illustrated in FIG. 10. 
The cowling assembly 64 provides an effective housing for the base member 
12 and the adjustable periphery assembly 14. The periphery assembly 14 and 
the base member 12 are fully rotatable within the cowling 64 for reefing 
or furling of the sail 20. When sailing the boat 22, the sail 20 may, in 
some instances, be forced against the upper edge of one of the shell 
portions 66. However, since the scissor arms 74 and 80 are outwardly 
yieldable, the appropriate shell portion 66 will yield outwardly to 
increase the transverse dimension of the opening 72. Normally, the springs 
86 retain the lower ends of the shell portions 66 in engagement with the 
beam element 71 to prevent rattling or shuddering therebetween from the 
effects of the wind. Furthermore, by disengaging the springs 86, the shell 
portions are pivotable, as illustrated in FIG. 13, to provide access to 
the periphery assembly 14 for the adjustment thereof. 
The winding assembly 16 is operable by manipulating the worm gear 88 to 
rotate the bevel gear 77 whereby rotation of the shaft 25 is effected. As 
is generally known, gear assemblies of this type are characterized by the 
fact that they can only be operated by rotating the respective worm gears 
thereof to cause rotation of the bevel gears, but they cannot be operated 
in reverse by rotating the respective bevel gears thereof to rotate the 
worm gears. Hence, when the base member 12 and the periphery assembly 14 
are rotated to a desired disposition through rotation of the worm gear 88, 
additional locking means is not required to maintain the assembly 14 and 
the base member 12 in the desired position since rotational forces applied 
to the boom 10 cannot cause rotation of the worm gear 88. 
As hereinabove set forth, the halyard spool 92 is provided to windingly 
receive the halyard 116 thereon to raise the sail 20 as it is unwound from 
the periphery assembly 14. In this regard, the halyard spool 92 is 
preferably dimensioned so that as the sail 20 is unwound from the assembly 
14 the winding of the halyard 116 onto the spool 92 causes the sail 20 to 
be raised at substantially the same rate as the rate at which it is 
unwound from the assembly 14. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, the 
rotating assembly 16 is operable to simultaneously wind and unwind the 
sail 20 from the periphery assembly 14, and to raise and lower the sail 20 
on the mast 18. 
It is seen, therefore, that the instant invention provides an effective 
adjustable spar which overcomes the problem of stretch in a sail when it 
is used for reefing. The adjustable periphery assembly provides a novel 
solution to this problem which has not heretofore been adequately 
addressed. Further, the cowling assembly 64 provides an effective housing 
for the base member 12 and the periphery assembly 14, while the rotating 
assembly 16 provides an effective means for rotating the base member 12 
and the periphery assembly 14, as well as for raising and lowering the 
sail 20. Accordingly, for all of these reasons, as well as the other 
reasons as hereinabove set forth, the adjustable spar of the instant 
invention represents a significant advancement in the sailing art which 
has substantial commercial merit. 
While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure 
embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art 
that various modificatons and rearrangements of the parts may be made 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive 
concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein 
shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the 
appended claims.