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 Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums
 General Sailing Forum
 Winching the headsail furling line		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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windsong
Captain

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USA
318 Posts
Initially Posted - 07/04/2009 :  12:56:02  Show Profile
During a recent race, when the wind was really blowing, I decided we needed to reduce our headsail size. It's on a CDI roller furler. Before I knew what was happening, one of my crew had the furling line on a winch and was grinding it in with a winch handle. It worked. We reduced the sail size without altering our heading in a tight race, but I was quite nervous about the forces in the furler mechanism, not to mention on that tiny furling line. Now, I like to win, mind you, but not if it means breaking my boat!
Of course, if we were not racing, we would have just headed up to release tension on the sail.
Is winching the furler with a full sail an advisable practice? Would you do it? Have you done it?

Michael Hetzer
"Windsong"
2009 Catalina 250 WK HN984
Myrtle Beach, SC
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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts
Response Posted - 07/04/2009 :  15:11:16  Show Profile
From the CDI manual:

"In certain conditions, you may wish to use a winch to get the
furling started. Be careful that there is no extraneous ship’s
halyards wrapped in the furler while you winch as this could
eventually jam the furler and/or damage the headstay. Always
look up at the top of the furler while winching, and stop to clear
any snarls. Furling should not get any more difficult as the sail
is brought in. It should get easier. If it gets harder, stop and
determine why."

Of course the trouble with using a winch is something may be stuck and the winch person wont notice it and will end up breaking something. That's why the wincher must be very attentive to the situation. We don't race and we never use the winch on the furler. We just take a quick turn to the wind, furl in, and then go back to course.
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britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts
Response Posted - 07/04/2009 :  20:07:07  Show Profile  Visit britinusa's Homepage
We use the winch to furl in the jib as a routine! We always slack off the sheet as the sail furls in. The intent is to keep the furling line snug on the drum and the jib snug on the furler.

NBD.

Paul
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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts
Response Posted - 07/05/2009 :  06:23:33  Show Profile
One of the neat tricks the previous owner did on our C&C 39 was to install a small Anchormate windlass (like they mount on small powerboats) aft just for rolling up the genoa. The surface area is completely smooth, so the friction is from the line. A foot switch controls the action and it will roll up in 30-45 seconds under good conditions. You must be attentive however, becasue you can damage the furler and bend it.

sten
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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5913 Posts
Response Posted - 07/05/2009 :  07:31:46  Show Profile
I use the winch on my furling line fairly frequently. An old singlehander has to use it in strong winds with a big masthead genoa. The loads on the sail are considerable, but the furler is built to tolerate those big loads, and using the winch on a furler that is working properly and not jammed shouldn't hurt it.

When racing, I don't mind luffing a sail briefly or heading up to windward for a short time to adjust a sail. I consider that the "price" that you have to pay to keep your sails driving optimally. You have two choices. Do you head up for 2-3 seconds to reduce the load on the sail until your crew can shorten it a little, or do you let your crew struggle against all that force, using the winch to the maximum, wasting much more time and risking damage to the rigging? I'd rather give up that 2-3 seconds. If the reduction in sail area won't let me regain that time quickly, then the adjustment isn't worth making.

In deciding whether to make a sail change or adjustment, you should consider not only whether it'll make the boat sail better and faster, but also how much it will cost in lost time to make the change.
Edited by - Steve Milby on 07/05/2009 07:34:06
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.