in Mast Furling Bavaria 42 2006 Model

[jjamado]

Hi There!

I'm about to buy a Bavaria Cruiser 42. She has a regular main sail with lazy jacks. As I'll be sailing yer mostly by myself and already at 60 years.... I'm thinking I'd prefer an in mast sailing system.

I've read about what seems a simple conversion kit made by Facnor for a mainsail curler system.

Has anyone made this particular change and has any recommendations ?

Or, has anyone has any input on solo sailing a Cruiser 42 and handling a big main sail?

Thanks for the advice! 

[Yngmar]

The Facnor kit (and any other conversion kit for an existing mast) is an on-mast furling system, not in-mast. They are generally terrible and to be avoided. The only way to get real in-mast furling is to replace the mast, which is usually too expensive to make any sense.

Either buy a different boat or be prepared to deal with the fully battened main. Electric winches can be helpful if it gets too physical and reefing systems can be changed to avoid trips to the mast.

[sy_Anniina]

Mast replacement could be feasible if you find another Cruiser 42 with in-mast furling wanting to change for traditional slab-reefing for added performance / trimmability.

I have been playing with this idea (in-mast to slab-reefing) for above reasons, but so far ease of use with family crew have kept me from really searching if there is anyone out there willing for direct swap.

BR,

Tommi
s/y Anniina (sorry, Bavaria 40 - 2001)

[jjamado]

Thanks for the input! Something else to ponder about....