REVIEW Jib rollers, swashes, boom mainsail furling

Windjammers, boom mainsail furling, furler. Why not take advantage of the winter break to make your next family cruise happen in total comfort? Alongside evergreen products, the market is increasingly enriched with new solutions that save weight, improve sail performance, and leverage the same device for different weapons, with obvious benefits for your wallet as well.

WINDOWS
UBI MAIOR – JIBER
Only the end part of Ubi Maior’s new Jiber spooler is made of extruded aluminum rod: this serves to accommodate a rotation lock, with great weight savings. It does not require forestay changes between cruising and racing because the end of the rod itself is used as an anti-twist forestay on which to mount any tuff-luff. All types of headsails can be fitted with one forestay. www.ubimaioritalia.com

SELDEN – FURLEX 304S
Selden’s Furlex 304 S takes advantage of stainless steel ball bearings and consists of a swivel coupling, a load distributor, a double channel, and the drum. While the structural base is made of steel, the other parts are mostly made of composite, reducing weight compared to previous models. www.velamania.it

RECKMANN – RS2000
Extensive use is made of AISI 316 stainless steel in the Reckmann RS2000 furler. For the threaded parts of the turnbuckle, however, aluminum bronze was used, which, in contact with stainless steel, prevents the threads from seizing. The drum is made of a lightweight and durable plastic material. www.gegrigging.it

HARKEN – ESP
Expressly designed for cruisers, Harken’s ESP furling is easy to assemble: the top extrusions are pre-cut in 5 different sizes so you don’t need to use the classic hacksaw. The lower extrusion is adjustable to perfectly calibrate the final length of the furler. www.harken.it

FACNOR – FLAT DECK
Facnor’s Flat Deck furler does not work with a line but with a textile webbing. In this way, even low-profile drums can be used for inferred bow sails, even if partially furled. The main advantage is that you lower the sheet point by increasing the active sail area. www.settemariyacht.it

FRULLONI
BAMAR – RLG EVO S
The range of Bamar’s RLG Evo winders is expanded with the “S” version, featuring a drum sheave with winding rope containment suitable for combination with anti-twist cables for structural stays. Drums and heads can be matched to RollGen stays equipped with free tack terminal ideal for asymmetrical non-inferred sails. www.bamar.it

PROFURL – SPINEX
The Spinex whip works with spi and gennaker. It takes advantage of the Nex’s system (originally designed for Code 0-type sails), but is enriched with important “extras,” including Torlon balls free to spin on the anti-twist cable. A quick release system will allow you to switch from Spinex to Nex in seconds, inferring a reel or foresail. www.cmarine.it

RONSTAN – CONTINUOUS LINE FURLER
This kind of whisk is characterized by extreme ease of assembly and the top that controls the rotation of the drum (of optimized diameter and made of anodized aluminum for maximum efficiency) in a closed circuit. A system that allows the asymmetric to be opened and rolled up quickly and smoothly. www.ronstan.com

BOOM MAINSAIL FURLER
FURLER BOOM
Furler Boom mainsail furlers are made of composite material-a lighter solution that allows for a tapered shape. The rail on the mast of the FurlerBoom is flexible in the first 4m and can follow the boom so you can furl the mainsail with an apparent wind angle of up to 80°. www.sailservice.it

VELSCAF
A lightweight mainsail furling boom for those who don’t want to give up the horizontal battens or the luffed mainsail shape: from Velscaf here is the “custom” solution. It is a carbon boom, for 35- to 60-foot boats, equipped with a manually operated device (with a closed-loop operation). A system designed and already installed on some hulls by Franco “Ciccio” Manzoli (first Italian to win the Ostar in real time in 2005). www.velscaf.com

VIGANO’ SAILERY – STAR FURL
The StarFurl mainsail furling system devised by Veleria Viganò was designed with emphasis on ease of use. Constructed of composite, it does not exceed the weight of the original boom by 20% in retrofit installations and does not require mainsail modifications to fit. To reduce sail area when sailing or lowering the mainsail you will take advantage of the integrated closed-circuit winch deferred to the winch on the deckhouse of your boat, as if it were a regular halyard. The mainsail is inferred to the mast via a system optimized for the StarFurl boom. A conveniently installed pvc channel accommodates the gratile sewn onto the mainsail (ideal for boats up to forty feet). www.veleriavigano.it

LEISURE FURL
If you don’t want a custom boom mainsail furler but a standard product, there is Leisure Furl. Also available for small boats, it allows the mainsail to be furled around the boom with the work of one person, either by manual or electric winch. It comes complete with a sheet hitch, vang hitch and eliminates the need for the tesabase, reefing hand borosas and miscellaneous blocks. www.gegrigging.it