In-Mast Furling
Warren Elliott & Ted Yaeger
8/1/2002
Hull #: 37

Several of our 380/390 captains on our Sailnet email discussion group have in-mast furling and have mentioned how they like the arrangement. Some of those without this feature, including me, have usually responded with some “buts”: but there are no battens [so less sailing efficiency], but there’s less sail area [46 sq. ft. less: about 13%], but they jam, but, etc. Some said that a better alternative is in-boom furlers, which have become a lot more reliable, and are much less expensive to retrofit. Of course, buying a new Catalina with either system installed is better than retrofitting; here, in-boom costs more than in-mast. [For the latest on in-boom furlers, see Practical Sailor, Oct. 1, 2001].

I had seen some 380’s with in-mast furling, but had not really dug deeper. Then Earle and Barbara Ellefsen [C380 # 271 “Valkyrie”],