 1.
The size of the sail you will use for furling. A 150% genoa is probably
the most popular, but a 135% can also make a lot of sense. If you
are satisfied with your boat's performance with a smaller sail,
you may not want to go larger. Small sails look better when reefed
down to storm sail size, and it's much easier to tack using a small
sail. You have to pull harder and pull more line in with larger
sails.
2. The length of the hoist. While most existing
sails will fit the furler, the drum and the halyard top fitting
do take up room along the luff. If the sail you are converting was
close to full hoist, you may have to shorten the luff length to
use an old sail with the Flexible Furler.
3. The addition of ultraviolet protection. While
this is usually advised, it may not be appropriate if the sail being
converted is old and won't last more than a couple of seasons.
4. The fullness of the sail. The Flexible Furler
is designed to reef as well as furl your sail. Like all furlers,
the Flexible Furler reefs best if the sail is cut relatively flat.
Older sails that may have stretched out with time and use can be
flattened quite easily during the conversion process.
5. Shape enhancing pads. If you anticipate sailing
reefed frequently, you can improve the shape of the reefed sail
by having a foam pad sewn on the luff. This pad is about 1/4"
thick and is very narrow at the top and bottom and wider in the
middle. As you reef, the diameter of the reef is larger in the middle
than at the ends, thereby removing much of the draft as the sail
is reefed on a constant radius luff extrusion.
6. Lead adjustment. A converted sail will sit somewhat
higher on the forestay which may require moving your jib lead aft
slightly. If there is no adjustment available, the sail can be recut
to bring the lead forward. Remember, when reefing, the jib lead
must be brought forward.
Remember, it is best to discuss these items with your sailmaker,
taking into account the condition of your sail, the type boat you
sail, the area and wind conditions in which you sail and the way
you anticipate using your boat. Only the addition of luff tape and
item 2 must be done. The others are improvements and not always
necessary.
Reefing Performance: The Flexible Furler ranked
#2 in quality of reefing performance in the 1996 Practical Sailor
owners survey, just one percentage point out of first.
Sail Shape When you reef your sail, the amount
of cloth rolled up is the same at the top and bottom as it is in
the middle. Because of the shape built into the sail, rolling the
sail will leave an increasingly large belly in the middle of the
sail. The amount you can reef and still have an acceptable shaped
sail varies depending the flatness of the sail and whether or not
there is a padded luff. In most cases, reefing to approximately
70% of the original LP (a 150% genoa becomes a 105% genoa) is about
as much as you can do. If you don't care about the shape of the
sail (if, for example, you are sailing with the wind aft of the
beam) you can reef more.
If you anticipate reefing frequently, your sailmaker may advise
you to add reefing features to your new or existing sail. (See Sail
Conversion.)
Order
online CDI Flexible Furlers
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The Flexible Furler can be used with a new or existing
sail, but the sail must have #6 luff tape on the leading edge rather
than hanks. It is always best to discuss the design of a new sail
or the conversion of an old sail with a sailmaker as there are several
other options that you might like to incorporate in your furling
sail.
