{"id":12698,"date":"2025-02-28T15:03:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T14:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev01.pacific-rope.com\/?p=12698"},"modified":"2025-03-03T15:15:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T14:15:56","slug":"guide-to-in-mast-furling-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rollytasker.com\/en\/about-sails\/guide-to-in-mast-furling-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Effortless Mainsail Handling: A Guide to In-Mast Furling Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this guide, we\u2019ll explore how in-mast furling systems work, their benefits, potential challenges, and key tips for smooth operation and maintenance.<\/p>\n

Why Choose an In-Mast Furling System?<\/h2>\n

In-mast mainsail<\/a> furling makes handling of the sail easy for the short-handed crew or single cruising sailor. Like a furling Genoa<\/a>, the mainsail is rolled for reefing and dowsing, but in this case, inside the mast. And once it is furled, there is no need to flake the mainsail on the boom and cover it or close the lazy-bag as the sail will stow itself away in the mast automatically. The clew of the sail that stays outside the mast when fully furled is protected by our UV-protection cloth Sunbrella.<\/p>\n

\"In-mast<\/a>
In-mast furling mainsail, clew with UV protection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Key Considerations Before Choosing In-Mast Furling<\/h2>\n

Some masts or furling systems have more or less room in the mast profile to furl the sail. Limited space will restrict the choices of sail cloth and design.<\/p>\n

For example, if space is limited, it may not be possible to choose a radial sail design or a fully battened in-mast furling sail.<\/p>\n

Pros and Cons of Adding Vertical Battens to an In-Mast Furling Sail<\/h2>\n

Vertical Battens<\/strong> can be used to increase roach<\/strong> of the sail and thus performance<\/strong>. These would commonly be full-length, vertical battens. These slim and well-designed battens do not add too much thickness to the furled sail and are very reliable and trouble-free. Sometimes, also short, non-overlapping battens are used. But either way, too much roach will make furling difficult, and so it will always be less than on a \u201cconventional\u201d sail.<\/p>\n

Both types of battens are seen by some dedicated ocean voyaging sailors with a critical eye as potentially being able to block the furling operation<\/strong>. The recommendation here is to have a furling main without any battens which, if well designed, will still set fine.<\/p>\n