Free Flying Furling?

Will Angus · Post by **Will Angus** » Oct 14th, '09, 10:56

I recently came across Schaefer???s Free-Furling system and was wondering if anyone had experience and/or critique of this type of product? I am planning on resurrecting the original staysail plan that was removed by the previous the owner. I like the idea of getting the sail out of the way by use of a detachable stay. I also like the options you get with furling. The Free Furl seems to do both.
On the technical side, are there other advantages that the jib club offers other than as a staysail outhaul? I hear it helps with self tacking, but am not sure how.

http://www.furling.com/freeflying.html
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Steve Laume · Post by **Steve Laume** » Oct 15th, '09, 08:24

Will, you have been abandoned.

We had a free flying roller furling jib that I tried on our Typhoon. We didn't keep it on long as the TY sails are small enough to make bagging and stowage down below pretty easy. We had three different head sails so the furling was of limited use.

The real reason we took it off the boat was that we never seemed to be able to get the wire tight enough to keep the luff straight. I would pull the halyard as tight as I could get it and the luff would still bow out badly. This might have been my problem but it just didn't seem worth trying to figure out on the Ty.

I really like the staysail boom for short tacking. It gains it's advantage from only having one sheet on a traveler. To tack with the main and staysail set, you simply put the helm over with no sheeting of either sail required.

It is a pain on the fore deck but it is something I am willing to live with, Steve.

Will Angus · Post by **Will Angus** » Oct 15th, '09, 08:31

I was wondering if it was something I said?

Did you have a block at the top of the mast? Apparently this is recommended to help increase tension.
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Jim Davis · Post by **Jim Davis** » Oct 15th, '09, 08:34

These comments are generic concerning all "Free Flying" systems. They were the first type roller furling to come on the market and suffered from luff sag. The only cure was/is to increase the halyard/luff tension. This increase in tension has to be watched carefully in that you don't want to add bend in the mast or overload the mast support. In the early Alberg 30, and other classes, over tensioning this type furler lead to complications with the mast support. As long as you accept that there will be more sag than in the case of a sail supported by being hanked onto the forestay you should be OK. In other words don't tension the "Free Flyer" to the same, or more tension as the forestay. Reefing was also a problem since the sail and its wire all rolled together and the loading on the drum gets quite heavy. Some of the "old timers" may want to weigh in on this point.

For use as a removable stay/sail combination on a staysail this may be the best choice in that it will have more flexibility for stowing than a conventional roller because it doesn't have the extrusion that supports the sail. For light air and downwind sails sag isn't a problem, in fact it can be a plus.

On the self tacking issue. The answer is too easy. Since the sail is on a boom and uses a single sheet like the main it just flops over the same as the main for the new tack. A trick that helps in tacking a self tending staysail is to fall off a bit and develop some more drive before tacking. Unlike a conventional jib, you can't really hold a self tending sail aback to assist in coming through the wind.

Steve Laume · Post by **Steve Laume** » Oct 15th, '09, 09:54

Jim Davis wrote: For light air and downwind sails sag isn't a problem, in fact it can be a plus.

Unlike a conventional jib, you can't really hold a self tending sail aback to assist in coming through the wind.

The problem would be that the staysail is often used as a heavy weather sail and needs all the help in can get in driving the boat into the wind. Draw your own conclusion but realize that you would probably be compromising the pointing ability of your staysail.

I back the staysail at the bow when sailing off the mooring all the time. I know you were talking about a normal tacking situation but just wanted to point out how handy the boom is in this situation.

Raise the main and staysail drop the mooring penant hold the staysail boom to windward a bit then walk back to the helm sheet things in and sail away.

There are times when a conventionally furling staysail would be nice. I am trying to remember why I have not pursued this. I think it is mostly that is easy to find other places to spend money, Steve.

Forrest · Post by **Forrest** » Oct 15th, '09, 20:39

I have a free flying furler for one of my staysails. I put it together as an experiment (I had an extra staysail and I picked up the furler pretty cheap). Works OK in light to medium winds. Heavier winds, not so much.

The good thing about it is you can unfurl it, douse it roll it up and bag it.

I'm going back to the original hanked on staysail with a quick release pin for light air conditions.

I also have a free flying furler for my light weight drifter (another experiment) - haven't used it yet/