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Furling and Reefing
To furl or reef, ease the jib sheets and pull the
furling line.
In very light air, it may be necessary to place
some tension on the jib sheet to insure a tight
furl.
In a breeze, you must
completely
luff the sail by
totally
slacking the jib sheets before furling.
The furling line should pull readily. The amount
of force required is related to the amount of
wind, but a Unit 1 should never require the
use of a winch to furl. If the sail will not furl,
or if furling requires a great deal of effort, there is a problem with the system. Consult the Troubleshooting
Guides on page 36. Do not use a winch to force a system to turn.
You may use a winch to make furling easier, if you are certain that the system is operating properly.
Operation
Raising Sails • Storm Sails • Furling & Reefing
January 2001
Unit 2 MKIII
32
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Raising Sails
1) Install the prefeeder by securely tying the end of the line to a deck fitting
or to the toggle below the furler so it is 2’ (610 mm) below the feeder.
2) Align the tack shackle so it is directly below the slot at the top of the torque
tube. Shackle the tack of the sail to the drum. Install shackle so screw pin
head is on the same side as suncover. See page 25 for torque tube
alignment.
3) Secure the genoa sheets to the clew.
4) Attach genoa halyard to the halyard swivel.
5) Pass luff tape through the prefeeder and feeder into the foil groove.
6) Attach the head of the sail or the pendant at the head of the sail to the
halyard swivel.
7) Hoist the sail.
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Storm Sails
Most people will use one multi-purpose genoa for all of their sailing, but it is not good seamanship to go offshore
without storm sails.
Heavy air working jibs and storm sails may be used with your unit. These sails need to have luff tape added to allow
them to be raised in the headstay foils.
These sails will generally require pendants to insure that the halyard swivel is properly positioned at the top of the
headstay. See page 30.
Remember that heavy air working jibs and storm jibs may be reefed and furled like any other sail.
Tip: New sails are often stiff and may hang up on the prefeeder during raising. Do not force sails
when they hang up – lower them and remove the twist. Sails "break in" with use and will become
easier to raise.
