Roller Reefing Main

bastonjock · Post by **bastonjock** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 12:55 am

i see thats MR Inmon has now got an ADvertising banner at the top,so lets find out about the roller reefing main

at 3 boat bucks its very competitively priced inho

Loefflerh · Post by **Loefflerh** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:40 am

I emailed them, asking for more information, price and availability. They do not answer......I would be very much interested, looks great!
Hans

mikelinmon · Post by **mikelinmon** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:49 am

HI,

The roller reefing main is $2,990. We have installed several but on new boats only so far. The problem is some of the boats original parts are used to make the system, hence the price at about half of the other roller furlers. The stock boom is used, boom vang , gooseneck, main sheet system et. all. The new stock mainsail is used; add top batten, replace bottom batten with full length and make other battens level as well as add the sunbrella leach cover which replaces the mainsail cover. There is also shipping! If your boat is older than 4-5 years perhaps a new main might be worth it, then the roller furling mod is reasonable. The cost of a new MacGregor boom is not so much. First thing is to fit one to an X, most of the calls are from 26X owners. First guy with an X to buy one, will be our test boat with free upgrades till we get it right! Needs to be a local boat because if this is like any other mod some original thinking will be wrong! We have now made 8 count them, eight major changes to the 26M's furler.
Mike Inmon

delevi · Post by **delevi** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:32 am

Mike,

Does the sail roll inside the boom or is the furling foil above the existing boom? Also, where would the drum be located?

Leon

Frank C · Post by **Frank C** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:28 pm

Pictures would be nice.

Jim Bunnell · Post by **Jim Bunnell** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:01 pm

If you go to his website (as advertised on this site) http://macgregorsailboats.com there is a link to a YouTube clip showing the system in action. Actually there are three clips on YouTube that clump together. Looks good, how hard will it be to retrofit an existing boat?

Night Sailor · Post by **Night Sailor** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:21 pm

Yes, close up pictures would be nice.

Back in the 70s I had a roller furling main boom on a 22' sloop, but it was purely hands on. Had wheel on the end of the end of the boom that you grabbed and rotated the whole shebang after lossening the halyard. This Inmon arrangement with a furling line would be lots better when single handing.

The video is interesting; note no engine on the boat in the video, and how much side slip it has in relatively little wind.

Jim Bunnell · Post by **Jim Bunnell** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:22 am

I noticed the side slip too. I thought perhaps the board was not down? Also the main is sheeted in tight as the boat turns across the wind, notice the heel in just a moderate breeze. It was acting more as a door than as a foil.

Trouts Dream · Post by **Trouts Dream** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:39 am

Maybe its just me but I didn't see any way to tighten an outhaul to flatten the sail at a partially reefed configuration. Is this not a concern or did I miss something?

delevi · Post by **delevi** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:19 am

The in-boom reefing system I saw at a boat show doesn't use an outhaul, but rather an internal system. You have a drafty position and a flattened position. You must engage the flattened position in order to roll in the sail, so I would think the sail will already be flattened as it's roller-reefed. Roger's system probably uses a similar config, but who knows? I can't see anything from the demo videos except watching a mainsail come down quickly and disapear.

Leon

mikelinmon · Post by **mikelinmon** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:17 am

No. not sideslip. The boat is turning up into the wind, what little of it there was, and the main is sheeted up a little. This is done to furl the main. Just like any boat, the main is raised or lowered head to wind. Since we don't use a motor usually, you need some way on to be able to turn away from the wind after lowering the main. Close quarters and all, pull the main in, turn up into wind, roll up main, hoist main and you still need just enough way to turn away from head to wind. Just look at some of the other demos on the U-Tube and see when boat is moving, no side slip.
Now, as to need to have flat main while reefed: that was one of many parts of the system to get working, what did "he" say ? Mission acc... naw that is too easy. First mains did not reef very well. The final version reefs very well, quite flat at first reef and OK all the rest of the way up to at least 3/4ths of the sail reefed away. Key is that the clew must roll tighter than the tack and the tack is thicker than the clew, how do you do that. Close look at clew on video will reveal all.
Mike Inmon

tlperrine · Post by **tlperrine** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:39 pm

Mike, is this available for the 26x?
Terry

mikelinmon · Post by **mikelinmon** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 8:36 am

tlperrine wrote:Mike, is this available for the 26x?
Terry

It is doable, but not done yet. Problem is the X has about a 85 degree angle with the mast, needed is a 90 otherwise the sail will migrate toward the clew when rolling. I "think" cutting the main tack to about 9-12 inches above the tack will make the proper angle. This will leave a gap between the boom and the main tack, but might make it work. Will try it on some local sailors 26X one day soon.

Loala · Post by **Loala** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 12:53 pm

Anyone got info on roller reefing mainsails yet for the 26x????

I'm in the market for something simple.

Mike???

bscott · Post by **bscott** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:02 pm

Didn't Schock build a water ballast boat--23/24' that had a furling main? I think it had a roll-a-way galley also

Bob

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Roller Reefing Main

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