How To Use In-Mast Furling Mainsail - Selden Rig on Hanse yachts

[@blahdiblah2169]

No one explains stuff like Nick. Natural talent to explain things simply and effectively. Best teacher in this industry.

[@45DegreesSailing]

😌 very kind words thank you!

[@rosscirkovic3058]

You're a legend! Charter photos showed a normal sail, picked up the boat, in-mast furling, watched the video, no issues unfurling, reefing and furling it back in! Love your work, man!! 🙏 And nice to finally meet you in person! 😁

[@45DegreesSailing]

Haha thanks Ross! Great to meet you too. See you on the water these next few weeks 😉

[@vancekeith5642]

Absolutely the very best video I have seen on how to use this system correctly!! Thank you very much!!

[@45DegreesSailing]

@@vancekeith5642 most welcome!

[@GJ38990]

Nick you are a mind reader! I needed a refresher for later this summer. So thank you. Gail 😊

[@45DegreesSailing]

Excellent! Yes I have been meaning to do this for years!

[@Wallis45]

Nick that video was awesome now fully understand the system and how it works, you legend!!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Nice 👍🏽 that’s the plan!

[@andrewmccann3460]

Excellent information yet again from the master! Thanks for this!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Cheers Andrew!

[@nigelleppitt773]

Just had fun with one of these as you know Nick on a Bavaria 46 so great you did this….we got it working well in the end….furling in always worked best on the mast even though you can furl in on the endless rope… we found where the endless rope was spliced it kept jamming in the mast rig

[@antondr.walsdorf6837]

Hey Nic, thanks again for this great video tutorial. So I understand: main sail full out, we can keep tension on the in mast furler without switching to ratched, once we have reefed the main sail, we need to switch to ratched an keep it - right? CAN we reef in the main sail in with ratched or do we need to open it again?

[@45DegreesSailing]

Yup that’s right. If you are going from nothing to full main no need to touch the mast. Full main hold on the luff/breadline in the main. She deeded switch to ratchet. Or. Once full main is out. If you think you might need to reef. Then go to ratchet. You can then reef without having to go to mast at all 😊

[@garymckeown810]

Hi Nick, Nice Vid, I especially appreciated the tip about the ratchet system for controlling reefing the sail as I only normally use this if the endless furling line slips off the mast windlass and I have to wind it in manually. I noticed you furled and unfurl the sail on a port tack which I think puts unnecessary tension on the furling process as the sail rubs up against the entry slot. It is much easier to head upwind wind and bear off to port no more than a couple of degrees. With the sail now on port side the sail will furl away with no resistance on the slot and without over tensioning the wrap onto the foil. keep up the good work!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Completely agree! I had the opportunity to film the vid and needed to head away from reefs and rocks so a port rack was how it went. Though I will always give it more like 15deg in order to reduce unnecessary flapping of the sail when head to wind. Thanks for the feedback!

[@garymckeown810]

@@45DegreesSailing Great, its all about sharing our experiences and tips from which we all benefit.

[@peterb4620]

Thanks Nick Great teaching episode. Cheers P&J

[@WesFox-tg9lw]

Like this a lot, more please!!!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Working on it! Thanks Wes

[@jeanmarcfranchi2086]

Excellent video as usual Nick !!! You never use a Code 0 for sailing downwind ? Why not making a video how to use a code 0 ? ;-) !!!!

[@grahamt8434]

Great video and good to see the system in use. How do you operate it solo? It looks like it would be awkward.

[@MrRoehre]

I imagine solo you don't need the endless line, you just turn fully against the wind and unfurl the sail without wind pressure in it.

[@migianogoux1967]

Nice video:-) Is it possible to do this single handed?

[@45DegreesSailing]

@@migianogoux1967 thanks. Yea it is. When unfurling it is just a slow process piece by piece. When furling away I bring the outhaul the winch and over to the stbd side so I can manage all lines from stbd.

[@migianogoux1967]

@@45DegreesSailing Thanks👍

[@mennovanrij9334]

The time your family yacht looks like a Volvo Ocean Racer: when there's no sprayhood and no bimini. Another great video Nick! Can you one about reefing the mainsail? How far do you roll in the sail in comparison with the old system of 1 or 2 reefs when lowering the sail? Same question for the cunningham. (Most people don't use it on a charter boat...)

[@45DegreesSailing]

Thanks! And yes full race feel in the yacht! The thing about in mast furling is you have infinite reefing points so you can really tweak it to what you like/works for the yacht. And they are all different. For this 508. I won’t reed until … 16-18knots. At that point I will pull in about a ‘reef 1’ position or a little less. Whereas sailing the Hanse 460 today. We had a 2 reed set in 17knots (close hauled) and it sat really nice. What I can say is with smaller jibs. Or self tacking jibs. I tend to hold full jib for as long as possible, and reef the main. They sit so much nice. Can sheet in flatter. Drive harder :)

[@surfsailorking]

Very important note from Nick: on these modern yachts with big main sails you have to try and keep the jib on full as long as possible. Most yards are taking out the possibility to change the clew angle, so as soon as you start reefing/furling the jib, it is virtually impossible to keep a proper trim on that sail. This then leads to much more wear (flapping of the leach) and much less close to the wind. And that is something you really want to keep in a breeze, your capability to keep sailing as close to the wind (and thus mostly the waves). Give it a try even without the mainsail: you'll find that most of these yachts will still keep going perfectly in a bit of a breeze with just the headsail. With regards to the main sail: in my opinion this is just the reason I love furling sails. You can tweak them just to the size you like/want/need! My wife gets out the divorce papers as soon as we keep hitting 10⁰ or more of heel, so I even sail main sail reefed in just 12-15 it's or even less. Just to keep everybody on board happy and feeling pleasant.

[@davidllewelyn]

Great video and completely sold me on the fact that the helix system on Jeanneau is way simpler to use. That looks near impossible to use solo as how do you control the endless line and winch the outhaul?. Not to mention having to go to the mast to switch to ratchet!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Yep. Different world. On the other hand.. when you snap a furling line… you can still sail 😉

[@davidllewelyn]

So a lot of hassle for minimal benefit

[@45DegreesSailing]

@@davidllewelyn 🤣 David.. are you drinking and feeling stroppy lol

[@davidllewelyn]

Of course 🤣🤣

[@philipposchr4049]

I have both endless lines and outhaul on same side and can use it solo just fine. Just needs some practise.

[@DavidGarcia-p8e]

Appreciate the how-to on letting out sail for in-mast, but the big question is how to DUMP SAIL FAST in an emergency. Can you explain how you handle this for an in-mast system?

[@45DegreesSailing]

When you say dump sail like ‘drop sail’ ?

[@DavidGarcia-p8e]

@@45DegreesSailing Yes… Here’s the situation: you have full main out and something happens that requires you “drop sail” very quickly. It could be a mechanical problem of some sort or a squall that you did not see coming. You need to drop all sails FAST. In a traditional sail system with halyard lifting, you can release clutch and pull sail down fast. For in-mast, it seems getting the sail in quickly is not possible. My question is, what is the process of GETTING SAIL IN FAST for an in-mast system. Is there such an “emergency” process or do you have to winch it in?

[@45DegreesSailing]

@@DavidGarcia-p8e aha. Ok. Effectively yes you have it right. The ‘emergency’ version on this rig would be dump the mainsheet and the outhaul then put a winch handle IN the winch at the mast and wind it in fast. In a helix system. It’s the normal way. Just faster!

[@ri2b0]

Any tips how to furl the main sail into mast, in such a way to be sure it never gets stuck? Keep it tensioned? Furl it in while under sail?

[@45DegreesSailing]

The main key is insuring there is good halyard tension on the main so it is flatter, and the boom is set at the correct height with the vang/topping lift. Should be about level. Too high and it causes bunching/jamming. Too low and too much tension on the leech. Sail comes in uneven.

[@edwardfinn4141]

Well, how do you get the back main in??

[@vancekeith5642]

Just curious, where are you based out of?

[@45DegreesSailing]

@@vancekeith5642 Trogir 😌

[@vancekeith5642]

@@45DegreesSailing I have landed at the airport there, beautiful. Thanks again

[@jochemrebergen]

Great video Nick! As always. But please invest in a good wireless microphone with a dead cat or similar. Really hard to follow with all the noise 😢

[@45DegreesSailing]

lol the sound is much better once the instruction starts! I have invested in many a microphone. At the beginning it’s terrible because it wasn’t recording. Sound is good from 2:00! Using DJI Mic2. Love them. (When I press record 😂 )

[@philipposchr4049]

You don’t really need to open the clutch of the line you are pulling. Still runs through the closed clutch just fine. Furling and unfurling with a little bit of wind on the starboard side helps. Nice video overall!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Agreed you don’t ’need’ to. And if someone gets a clutch or something wrong in the moment you can snap an endless line very fast! So in prep best to just open both. The charter company actually cable ties the two together now to avoid this happening so much!

[@surfsailorking]

Yes, you "can". However, modern quality is not what it used to be and both lines and cleat cams (inside the clutch) tend to wear exponentially fast when doing this. So whenever safe and possible (in that order) I prefer to do as Nick does and open both clutches.

[@philipposchr4049]

@@surfsailorking oh, very interesting answer. Never thought about this. That endless line is something I wouldn’t like to replace often. Too complicated! Always something new to learn within the boating community. Many thanks.

[@surfsailorking]

Yes but the same goes for you halyards, furling line of jib etc. When we reach new instructors we always try to incorporate this "care for the materials" as well. Very small details can make a big difference for owners of private boats, but especially add up if your maintaining a fleet of yachts with investors/owners who are always looking to maximise ROI.

[@tiredprofessor]

You won't find a clearer description of ratchet vs. free. In fact, it's difficult to find any description. Even Selden's own video doesn't get into it.

[@45DegreesSailing]

Thank you! I have been meaning to do this video for so long lol.

[@ylkertuzun6257]

🤙

[@sodune7590]

I’m sorry but what if you’re solo sailing. I thought this system was easier than that.

[@lovropirkl2672]

This in-mast furling system is far too complicated compared to the Z spars system that I was learning on. Selden rigs are stronger and more reliable, but the Z spars furling system is lightyears ahead. I never got a sail stuck in a Z spars mast.

[@surfsailorking]

True, but if your furling line breaks (I've had that happen unfortunately) your only recourse is to lower the sail. And this mostly involves tools to open the shell hatches on the mast etc. Also replacing the furling line in these systems with the mast on the boat used to be a real pain in the A. Not sure if they've changed that, our last boat in the fleet with this system is already quite sine years ago

[@umnojon]

The challenging part is furling not unfurling

[@pauldent7067]

Who in right mind would purchase a yacht with this system, its rubbish and hard work, its like a sail but it isnt, i could've launched my my loose footed main sail and reefed it twice by the time you'd finished pissing about.

[@45DegreesSailing]

Hahahaha. Seriously doubt it. I’d take that challenge any day. I’m doing it slow and step by step to show the process. I can launch this sail in control solo in less than 30 seconds. Be fun to watch you though 😉

[@stjerrmanramstedt]

@@45DegreesSailing Great video, thanks!🙏 Could you please make a video when you do this solo? Would be super!