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Summary:
To elaborate a little bit more on the Leisure Furl in boom system. Like other Outbound owners (but not all), we are positive and would buy it again. There are common opinions, and worries about Lisurefurl, and we would like to comment based on our experience and how we deal with these “problems”.
“Rolling Problem”: Isn’t it hard to reef and/or furl? We had one of us on deck, checking the roll for the first ten times or so. We quickly learned how to eye-ball the distance between the boom and the Bimini to get the right angle. Then it comes down to “feel’ for the halyard tension while furling. Every roll isn’t perfect. But after 19,00NM, the number of bad rolls is 5 or less. We also think it was harder with brand new sails.
“Weight Problem”: Isn’t the boom too heavy? Yes, the boom is heavy. We had an accidental jibe early and the sacrificial gooseneck did its job. We only had to replace that part. After that experience, we are now diligent on using preventers every time we go downwind. We have the preventers attached with soft shackles, so we can have both employed all the time. We use the pad-eyes at the back of the boom for our preventers. They are mounted with 4 bolts each and sit on the sturdy part of the boom. In our humble opinion, they are sturdy enough for the job.
“Swinging Problem”: Isn’t the boom swinging from side to side when motoring or anchored in swell/waves? We installed a simple boom break that is controlled from the cockpit. It is a “Capt. Don Stainless Steel Boat Boom Break” that we control in a slightly different way. We lead the middle part of the break-line through an “Antal low friction ring”, and then control the ring tension from the cockpit. That way we can adjust the break from under the dodger. Since there was one free clutch on the starboard side, we used that for the “Boom Break”. See pictures.
Important Note: Never use the boom break instead of a preventer.
“PIA mandrel lock problem”: Aren't you supposed to get on deck and lock the mandrel when reefing? We do deck-walks all the time for check-ups. But we are determined to be able to do anything from the safety of the cockpit. So, we have a line to the mandrel lock leading to the cockpit, and can release and engage the lock from the cockpit. Since there was one free clutch on the port side, we used that for the “Furler Lock”. See pictures.
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Mandrel Lock Detail Photos:
Boom Break Detail Photos:
Boom break tension line led to cockpit clutch.
Low friction ring, that make it possible to adjust the tension on the break.
90 degree shackle to get the correct location/rotation.
The way the line is routed through the boom break.
Fair lead through a smooth shackle.
Fair lead through a low friction ring.
Change, Dyneema to Polyester (to fit clutch)
Luckily, only rubbing against hand-hold.
Attached to the same anchor-point as the "parking place" for the preventer lines.
Preventers Detailed Photos:
These lines are always mounted on the boom. One on each side. This makes it possible to engage the preventers while the boom is angled out far. To engage the preventers, we disconnect them from their “parking position” at the front of the boom and connect them to the preventer lines that are always “on deck”.
The preventer lines are always “on deck”, ready to be engaged. They are parked at the same pad-eye that the boom break is secured to. We use a soft shackle to prevent damage when they are loose. This way we can have both starboard and port preventer attached, ready to go all the time we sail. We do that when offshore, so we never are too lazy to use them.
Low friction rings attached at the bow. One for each preventer.
Yellow arrow: The preventer line going to the bow (at the bottom of this picture)
Red arrow: Preventer line coming back from the low friction ring at the bow.
Green arrow: Preventer line lead behind the stanchion for fairlead.
The preventer line is led back to the extra clutch aft of the main winches, and can be easily controlled from the cockpit.
Skip’s drawing on how to arrange guys and preventers
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