Roller furling main 26M

[kg3]

Does anyone have experience yet in heavier wind with Mike Inmon's roller furling main for the 26M? (See videos at: www.macgregorsailboats.com ) There are threads in the Performance forum and in the Mods forum, but no recent posts. Early experience was very positive in light winds, but no one back then had used it in wind greater than 20-25 mph. I'm hoping to order a new 26M soon. I have some physical impairments, but I used to enjoy sailing my 26X on Tahoe with a reefed main in 20-30 mph winds.

[Divecoz]

20 to 30 MPH winds are some pretty big winds..especially in the 25 mph and above numbers.. DID Mike have one of those on the Mac... in the Mac Video? I dont think he did?? Allow me to, if you would, to shoot here a bit from The Hip....There's been a lot of discussion about the Mac Roller Furler and its ease of operation ( or not) and its possible quality , dollar for dollar compared to even the CDI unit..

Does anyone have experience yet in heavier wind with Mike Inmon's roller furling main for the 26M? (See videos at: http://www.macgregorsailboats.com ) There are threads in the Performance forum and in the Mods forum, but no recent posts. Early experience was very positive in light winds, but no one back then had used it in wind greater than 20-25 mph. I'm hoping to order a new 26M soon. I have some physical impairments, but I used to enjoy sailing my 26X on Tahoe with a reefed main in 20-30 mph winds.

[Russ]

I gotta agree that 25-30mph winds are no fun for me. I simply don't enjoy the howling of wind that fast. If I'm out and have to get back, that's another thing, but most of the time I just motor back.

Frankly, the standard reefing system isn't that big a deal for me. I still drool over those guys with roller furling mains built inside their masts.



--Russ

[dennisneal]

Russ,

I would think that an in-mast mainsail furler would be extremely complicated and it would have to be housed in a very fat mast. I would also think that a fat mast would result in a lot of drag and a slower boat.

IMHO they may be pretty sexy, but not for a Mac.

[Divecoz]

Dennis , I think thats what Russ is saying... I have seen them on 36'+ boats and the mast size difference is considerable even on those boats. And those fellows are willing to spend a Lot more $$$$$$$$$$...a lot more than any of us for such a luxury .. BUT again to each his own.. I will watch and see and read if anyone has bought one and what they think of it ..Faster or slower ?? A lot depends on the conditions your making your measurements under ..But I really cannot imagine a Cruiser see's much of a change..

Russ,

I would think that an in-mast mainsail furler would be extremely complicated and it would have to be housed in a very fat mast. I would also think that a fat mast would result in a lot of drag and a slower boat.

IMHO they may be pretty sexy, but not for a Mac.

[Highlander]

The one that Kg3 is talking about is an external boom reefing system not a mast reefing system !!!
It looks OK but I think you would loose some sail speed with it , maybe not ! looks cumbersome to me , I like the loose footed main sail myself & working on an inboom outhaul whats the price of it anyway ! I beleive your main has to be altered for this set-up

J

[kg3]

The one that Kg3 is talking about is an external boom reefing system not a mast reefing system !!!
It looks OK but I think you would loose some sail speed with it , maybe not ! looks cumbersome to me , I like the loose footed main sail myself & working on an inboom outhaul whats the price of it anyway ! I beleive your main has to be altered for this set-up

J

Highlander, the price is $2990. (See the link in my original post.) As I understand it, its is built up starting with the original factory parts, including the sail, which, yes, is altered as part of the package.

What I am hoping, is to hear from someone who has experience using it in 20+ mph winds. Previous threads questioned how it would perform in heavy weather. I'm sure that, eventually, someone is going to get that experience with it whether they want to or not.

[Catigale]

Before you drop 3 grand on a reefing system, for sailing in 25 knots get a good mainsail in real challenge Dacron (tm) and auction off your factory one here to get some money back

The factory sail will blow out quickly in 25 knots as reported here by many...Leon in SF for example...

[kg3]

Before you drop 3 grand on a reefing system, for sailing in 25 knots get a good mainsail in real challenge Dacron (tm) and auction off your factory one here to get some money back

The factory sail will blow out quickly in 25 knots as reported here by many...Leon in SF for example...

Catigale,
Notwithstanding the experience of others, I've been out at least 10 times on Lake Tahoe in the past 12 years on my 26X in those conditions with the original sail. I've lost some battens, but no problem with the sail. I just sold the boat with the sail stretched but intact.

I go out less and less on days like that as I grow older. I'm interested in the furler because I'd like to stay off the deck and in the cockpit whenever I can. And even if I intend never to be out in conditions like that again, conditions can change suddenly without warning. I'm hoping someone might have experience they can share about how the furler performs.

[Divecoz]

Kg3 I think we are All In Hopes that someone who owns one will post about it.. Numerous ones have been sold I assume..
How about Lazy Jack and a sail cover / cloth cradle?

[pokerrick1]

Russ,

I would think that an in-mast mainsail furler would be extremely complicated and it would have to be housed in a very fat mast. I would also think that a fat mast would result in a lot of drag and a slower boat.

IMHO they may be pretty sexy, but not for a Mac.

The other problem, Dennis, is that in mast sails are much thinner than their normally rigged counterparts. I was on a 42' Beneteau with in mast furhling, and it was pretty neat, but I was amazed at how thin the sail was to make it fit inside the mast.

Rick

[Catigale]

I blew my main out in season one, on Lake Champlain. About 25 knots of wind. It was pretty hairy. Even worse after i put the full 150 genny out too.....

With end run material, i think is possible to get a good sail, but i don't think the odds are with you. The price for a known material and quality main sail is pretty reasonable.

[Divecoz]

I blew my main out in season one, on Lake Champlain. About 25 knots of wind. It was pretty hairy. Even worse after i put the full 150 genny out too.....

With end run material, i think is possible to get a good sail, but i don't think the odds are with you. The price for a known material and quality main sail is pretty reasonable.

Quality... Material Design and Labor ? Those .... Brings to mind this question and maybe it needs a separate topic..
Muscle Head Sails? Anyone have one ?

[seahouse]

Hi All!

I would ideally like to have in-mast furling, but haven’t seen it on a Mac. Has anyone? My second choice is a boom-furling/reefing main, as you suggest kg3. There seem to be several different systems out there that can be applied to a Mac.

In a mast-furling system, the drag induced by its larger diameter certainly is a factor in sailing, but the main factor is that a large portion of the leading surface of the mainsail is in the wind shadow of the mast, greatly depowering it. Of course the severity of this varies with the angle of attack.

If you have a pivoting mast (as in a Mac) in combination with in-mast furling (an ideal combination in my view), you greatly reduce this negative effect because the airfoil cross-section of the mast is now facing into the airflow at most points of sail, reducing both drag and the shadowing effect.

I’ve noticed that it is more difficult (speed-wise) to sail without a jib (main only) on a boat that has in-mast furling because of this effect, which can be partly offset by using, and properly trimming, a jib.

I would be surprised if the Inmon roller main sailcloth is of lower quality/ thinner material than a standard mainsail. But it might be. The design cut and shape have to be different in so many ways that compromises are made.

So has anybody blown out their boom-furling main yet? I would expect it might be less likely than without it because it’s so easy to reef that you would do it long before you got to the point of over-stressing the sail.

Regards – Brian.

[dennisneal]

As far as I know, the Inmon Roller-Reefing system can be used with almost any brand of sail. I think it would be difficult to be used with a mainsail that has verticle battens. I have a third-generation prototype Inmon system and am totally happy with it, as I've said several times already. My mainsail is the normal, factory supplied Doyle sail.

A further disadvantage of an in-mast furler system is that its additional weight raises the boat's center of gravity.