Roller Furling Mast Slap

[rxc]

We have the Sparcraft in-mast mainsail furling system, and we took down the main for the season last week. I tried to tie the internal foil/track/tube back to the end of the boom to keep down the slap inside the mast, but we have just received a complaint from our marina about the noise. Does anyone else with a roller-furling main have any ideas about stopping mast slap? The only other thing I can think of is to wrap a towel around the swivel and hoist it up half way.

[Zanshin]

rxc - I ended up tying a line around the furling rod and going around the genoa to pull this line about halfway up the track then tightening it to get rid of the slap. This line is horizontal to the genoa then goes to the mast base at about a 45 degree angle. I tried the towel trick as well with not too much luck.

[dublin]

We have a selden rig so our solution may not work

We tie the top tax
Cement near the gooseneck. Then attach the outhaul as far upthe halyard as possible -we usually put about 5 metres up - and tighten the outhaul.
This creates tension on the roller system and prevents slap.

We ofen sleep on board over the winter with this system in place and there is no noise even during F 7 plus winds

[dublin]

Sorry about the typing here trying to type on iPhone
We tie the top attachment off at the gooseneck etc

[rxc]

Thanks for the info, guys. Now that I have read my initial post, I am not sure whether the mast is Selden or Sparcraft. And, of course, I am in the US, while my wife is trying to deal with this in France...

ARRRGGGHHHH...

I think that the tension on the furler may be a good solution, but I am not quite sure what Zanshin was describing with regard to a line "horizontal to the genoa"? If I could figure out a way to wrap the halliard around the foiler, that would work well enough, but I can't figure out how to undo the halliard knot. I would need to drop the top swivel down into the feed entrance to do that, and there is a screw in the way at the bottom of the foil that seems to be holding "something" up. I unscrewed it part way, but was afraid that if I unscrewed it the whole way, the foil would drop down and I would have a real mess.

Oh the joys of boat problems from 4000 miles....

[dublin]

I have not yet winterised - the benefits of sailing in Scotland!!!
I will probably do it next weekend and will take some pictures for you

[rc sail]

Hi Sailors,
my suggestion, with my 39 DS Seldon mast, as I too have had winter storage issues with mast and main wire hallard. I have taken cotton line (clothes line for me) and tie about 40 feet of line to top swivel after removing mainsail. I than hoist the hallard and swivel about 4/5 to top of mast and than furl the cotton line around the furlur inside the mast. Finally securing the bottom of the cotton line to boom mast area.
This now gets all hallards/lines inside the mast and the cotton line around the furler gives it, imo, some additional protection from banging inside the mast. kind regards.

[sailbleu]

RC is right on the money.
Tie a somewhat thinner line to the D-coupling of the main swivel (halyard side) , raise the main -swivel that is- again (with or without the sail) and pull the thin towards the rear of the boat. Nice and strong so the furler can not slap anymore.
You can even leave the new line hanging next to the mast and firmly fix it on one of the clamps on the foot of the mast. Comes in handy while anchoring.
One problem though , a few years ago mine got a bit too loose - in fact it was blowing in the wind - and was pulled in the mast while furling in the main , wrapping itself around the system before i noticed it.
The main got blocked halfway , which is - needless to say - very dangerous in extreme weather conditions. I had to cut the line on top so the furler got free.
Maybe not a safe solution to continuous sail around with , but for winterizing it definitely stops the slapping.
If in doubt , check it out.

Regards

[rxc]

Sailbleu and rc,

Thanks for that tip. My wife is going back to the boat this weekend, and I will give her that suggestion. I had suggested that she try to wrap a line around the foil, but that failed, and she now has to figure out how to retrieve the swivel, which has gone up the mast a bit.

I was planning to do a mast climb when I get back to France, but she thinks that she can retrieve the swivel by hooking the plastic thing that sticks out of the slot. Then, I will suggest this option instead of a wrap.

[sailbleu]

Are we talking about the same thing rxc ?
Just release the halyard and pull the main down on a windless day , and you can reach the D-coupling without an effort.
You will also have to remove one of the small sidepanels in order to make the knot of course , I dont think you will succeed doing that through the sheet space.

Regards

[rxc]

Our sail is down and sent off to the sailmakers for cleaning/repairs. What is left in the mast is a long tube with a slot in it for the main, just like the tube around the forestay for the foresail. The tube has a swivel that attaches to the head of the sail, and the halliard hoists the swivel and sail up to the top of the mast.

Without the sail, the foil flaps around inside the mast, making the most horrible sounds when the boat moves around. I am trying to figure out how to keep the foil from hitting the inside of the mast.

The problem is that the marina has complained while I am in the US, and my wife tried to solve the issue on her own. While she was trying to wrap a line around the foil (she is in France, I am in the US), she lost control of the swivel, and it got hoisted to mid-mast height, and now it is not possible to get it back down without a mast climb, which I will do when I get back.

Thanks to your suggestions, I think I have an idea about to secure the foil - by running a line from the swivel to the attachment point at the bottom of the mast, hoisting the swivel, and then rotating the foil, thus wrapping the line around the foil to cushion it. I will also tension the halliard a lot, in the hopes that that will also tame the foil.

Until I get back, this is just a plan, but it appears that I will have to do SOMETHING, because the neighbors and the marina are not happy...

Thanks for the ideas.

[sailbleu]

The idea is not to wrap the new line inside the mast , but fixing it on the rear of the boat so the top of foil is pulled towards the stern preventing any movement.
I've never tried it your way but maybe , just maybe the leverage is too small.
Besides , I would think thightning the halyard up and pulling the swivel down by means of the new line will result in two opposite vertical forces.
What you need is a horizontal or sloping force.
Remember you will start wrapping the line in a spiral way , I dont know if that gives you the desired effect.
Most of the wanted force will be applied on the lower part of the foil.
What you need is a top force no ?

For those leaving the main in the mast when on the hard my suggested method will satisfy their needs.
Even with the main still in , the whole package is sometimes ratteling when on anchor.
Thats why I left the line attached to mast permanently so it had some use while anchoring.
Although you can prevent slapping also by leaving the main a bit out and pulling down the boom.

I must of missed the fact that the swivel is halfway the mast , a real bummer , of course that's why you may need to climb into the mast.
Keep us posted rxc.

Regards

[rxc]

Sailbleu,


The first thing I tried when I took down the sail was to haul the swivel up the mast and tension it against the end of the boom, but that didn't help. I think that the foil is so long that the half-lengths are long enough to flex and hit the mast, even if the middle is firmly pressed against the slot. So, some sort of cushioning is needed. How to get it is the questions.

Ahhh. And I may be extended here in the US for another week - the neighbors will not be amused...

[sailbleu]

Yes rxc ,
I read about the wheater in the US. Here in Europe we are experiencing an indian summer. It's still between 60 and 65 ° F and dry where I live. November for crying out loud.
Then again , we were due for some compensation after a horrible summer.
But I guess your wife allready told you about the present soft temps in our region.
I sympathize with her though , on her own, in a foreign country and surrounded by agree and shouting neighbours.
But she can always claim not speaking frenche , that works everytime :-)

Regards