Jib Furling Systems - an enquiry!

Originally posted by kfz The systems ive used Theres no real tension in the cloth, the drum is normally spring loaded and produces a little tension in the cloth but this must be nothing compared to to what happens to the sails during a normally day or even the flogging they get on the slip waiting the trailer sailor in front to clear.   Plenty of downsides of reefing systems which are well documented on the net but this is isnt really one them.   Kev

Trust me no matter what or how you furl a jib/genoa you are shortening its life its foot and leech will be tight on the wire or spar and regular furling of hard finished race dacron -like most wayfarer genoas - will make it hook.
 yes it is not as bad as flogging which is why you need to keep flogging to a minimum hoist just before you launch etc etc....
regular or prolonged use of a furler is  second to flogging for shorten the life of foresails- remember it is used for ease of handling over performance/longevity.

Used to have an old 505 with a furler.
It was nice to be able to launch and recover without the jib in a blow.
The 505 had the bottom bit of the furler tucked away inside the deck, so you still had a deck-sweeping genoa.
The only downsides are the weight aloft in the form of a swivel, expense and you would not want to roll a brand new sail that tightly, much less a laminate one.
Also you can't have a forestay, it tangles.

But for the club sailor with a softer dacron jib, it  is worth considering IMHO.
Racing, we used to sometimes roll the jib on light runs, but only really light winds.

Originally posted by fudheid when you furl you tend to keep some tension on the sheets to encourage a nice smooth furl this load is predominately on the leech and foot tapes - even if you loose the sheets once furled a genoa will still keep some of that load. Also sailcloth is so tightly woven that if you (furl (or fold) the sail in the same way every time you will give it 'memory' increasing the potential of a hooked leech. That's not to say that occasional use will shag your sail, on the asymetrics when it was very light if a furler was fitted we would furl the jib to increase the pressure on the kite but then we were buying new jibs every 18months...... because the leech was getting hooked. If the furler worked you would see more boats with them but the hard facts are is that they are a compromise easy handling over sail longevity - exactly the same on yachts.

Hui,

Hi,