Keeping Your Roller Furler Safe

       Or, Is that sail really supposed to deploy itself

UPDATE: Sept. 22, 2013

I have talked to the people at Hood, and they no longer sell the replacement 

lower unit that converts a Hood 810 from continuous line to single line. 

They didn't give me any reason for the change. If you have a Hood 810 

this article has important information for you.

May 10, 2013

Most roller furlers are easily secured. You pull it in tightly, wrap it several times with the sheets, lock the lines off, and you can be reasonably certain that the sail will stay securely furled even in a strong thunderstorm. However, please notice the word “reasonably.” I didn’t say you can be absolutely certain. I know someone who has lost not one but two headsails because they unfurled in a summer storm and then flailed themselves to death. I have also seen headsails that partially deployed in summer-type storms (which actually can occur at any time of the year where I am in Florida). While only part of the sail was out, they whipped around in the wind, nearly always doing damage to the sail. The damage can be repaired, but do you really want to have to go there?

It’s IMPORTANT to take all sails and canvas off your boat if a tropical storm or hurricane threatens, but taking your headsail off a roller furler off at the end of each sail defeats the convenience of having a roller furler. In fact it’s worse, because although you can get it off by yourself, most people will need a second person to put it back on again. Fortunately, there’s a much easier solution!

See the picture of the furled headsail below.  You can see the two sheets wrapped around the sail clockwise. But in addition, there is a third line, tied to one of the sheets, wrapped counterclockwise around the sail, and then tied off to the pulpit. This sail is now secured from both directions and far less likely to come undone in an unexpected storm. I tied this on to the boat that had previously lost two headsails as a storm approached. 

 

I know to do this because other, more experienced sailors told me to do it. And, I knew the man who had lost two headsails to storms, and didn’t particularly want to experience it myself.

For some boats, including mine, it’s extremely important to counter-wrap the furler. My furler, a Hood 810 SeaFurler, uses a continuous line rather than a single line to deploy the sail. By “continuous,” I mean that the two ends of the line have been braided together to make one continuous loop of line. It was often standard equipment on older Catalinas and Hunters, including my boat. Here’s a picture of what the bottom of the unit looks like:

 

That double line is used to furl and unfurl the headsail. It has no mechanism in it to hold the sail in place when partially deployed. This means that once the wind fills the partially deployed sail, the rest of the sail will rapidly pop out – whether or not you wanted to use the whole sail.

It’s “all or nothing” with this roller furler. You do not have the option of rolling your headsail partly up if the weather should deteriorate. Because there is nothing to keep the drum from turning, even with both sheets locked off the sail will pop out and deploy fully.

By the way, countless experienced sailors have confidently told me that if I lock that continuous line off securely, wrap the sheets around the furler well, and tie both sheets off well at the cockpit, the sail cannot deploy. However, they are all wrong. That bottom drum can still rotate, because there’s nothing to stop it. It can loosen enough to damage the sail in a storm.

FIRST LESSON LEARNED: You have to listen cautiously to other people, as they sometimes speak whether they know what they’re talking about or not. The fellow who lost two headsails in storms ignored advice he had gotten from experienced sailors to counter-wrap his headsail with a third line. TWICE. If you’re uncertain about advice you’ve been given, double-check it with other knowledgeable people.

This won’t protect you from all bad advice. I was confidently given bad advice about how to operate my new diesel engine from five different people. It was different than what the certified engine mechanic who installed it had told me, so I went to the place that sold me the engine, and they agreed with the mechanic and told me with great certainty that all five people who had advised me otherwise were just wrong.

However, putting a counter-wrap on your sail harms nothing. It only takes about 30 seconds to put on, and about as long to take off. I keep the line I use for this purpose secured at the bow of the boat so it’s handy and there’s no excuse for not using it, because my headsail is particularly vulnerable. If someone tells you it’s not necessary, smile and thank them. They mean well. Then counter-wrap your headsail.

SECOND LESSON LEARNED: If you look closely at the edge of the furled sail, you will see bits of it sticking out. While the sail had been furled, it had not been tightly furled, providing a way for wind to get under the edge. Be sure you furl your headsail tightly.