Trouble getting main out of mast.

[Tommy T]

Aloha!  I have a 43DS and it is a wonderful boat.  I have problems getting the main out  of the mast without it bunching up.  As of now I must pull the main out by hand at least half way and then I can use a winch to bring it out all the way.  I have tried furling it with resistance on the outhaul, but, still I must manually pull it out.  What I mean by this is I must go on deck, grab the clue and pull it out.  To do this I must release the mainsheet, the main furler, and the outhaul.  Normally the vang is loose as well.  Has anyone had this kind of problem and what might I do to correct it. 

Thank you! 

Tommy 
"My Sunshine" 

[sailbleu]

This will get you started:

jeanneau.proboards.com/thread/2262/wrong-mast-furler

There are a few tricks that can help , but don't get your hopes up too high , none of the suggested sollutions are permanent.
There's only one thing to do ,how (financially) painful it can be, and that is a new main (or have the old one recut).
I will get my new in before the new season starts.

Regards

[ubuysa]

I also agree that if the sail is now old, soft, and baggy you'll always have pinching problems when unfurling. We had a similar problem on our SO45.1 a couple of years back and a new sail solved it completely.

If your sail is still in good condition though it's probably related to the way you furl it. It's vital that the sail goes in square, so on a windless day pull it right out and tension the outhaul and mainsheet so the sail is as flat as you can get it. Now look at your boat from abeam and experiment with the topping lift/mainsheet/outhaul tensions until the sail looks as square as you can get it. So you want it equally tight on both the foot and leech. Then mark the topping lift so you can put the sail back in that position every time. I keep a little tension on the outhaul as I furl it, but you don't need a lot, if you over-tension it the sail will simply unroll a bit inside the mast in any case.

I find it more advantageous to wind the sail tight inside the mast before unfurling, so try winching it tight with the outhaul locked before you try to pull it out. Obviously you don't want to winch it too hard!

[dublin]

If the sail has become stretched the only solution is a new sail.

If the problem occurs when unfurling and not when furling it can be caused by having the halyard too tight.

[Tommy T]

Thank all of you.  I tried making sure the boom was square and that really didn't help.  So...it's new sail time.  Again,
Thank you all very much. 

[chuckr]

we had a similar problem and we raised our boom at a slight angle and works well -- in and out easily -- also if it goes in sloppy you will have an issue getting it out -- but try the boom up at a slight angle