The Bartels Reefing Furler – D. Barker, Sep '08 (rev Feb '11)
Genoa Furling and Reefing
Many Wayfarer sailors have recognized the potential advantages of jib/genoa furling systems, and some have taken the further step of investing in reefing furler systems. (The principal difference between the two is a reefing spar fitted at the luff (leading edge) of the sail.)
Typically a purely furling system enables the sail to be used either fully unfurled or fully furled ('on' or 'off'). Anything in between risks having the upper part of the genoa unfurl in the breeze, which would be disconcerting and potentially dangerous. By contrast the reefing system allows any fraction of the sail (or all of it) to be furled away ('continuously variable'), with the spar preventing the upper part of the sail from unfurling. This means that within seconds a single sail can be reduced in area from a full genoa to the equivalent of a jib, or even a storm jib, or nothing at all, and anything in between. For owners without a full set of cruising sails this could represent a significant financial saving compared to the cost of buying separate genoa, jib etc., partially offsetting the initial cost of the reefing system.
The Bartels system
One particular reefing system is that made by the German firm Bartels (www.bartelsgmbh.de), which a number of Wayfarer sailors (including me) have now purchased. There have been sufficient enquiries made to existing owners about this to suggest that a short article about the Bartels system might be of interest and would perhaps answer some of the questions that prospective new owners might have. I make no apology for straying occasionally from analysis to opinion, as this article has been written based on my experience over the past two seasons as an owner [now four, Feb 2011].
Let us examine the various components of the system:-
1 - The Furling Drum
This is a high quality component, made entirely from stainless steel. It is almost completely enclosed, so there is no risk of loose turns from the furling line dropping out and becoming tangled. (Arguably, riding turns could be hidden within the drum and therefore be more difficult to untangle than with some of the cage-type drums; in practice I have never known this to happen.) The bearings seem to be of high quality, and the variant supplied for Wayfarers has a “collapse load” of 20kN or about 2 tonnes. Apparently Bartels feel that the bearings run more smoothly under loading, but they seem fine even without. It may be worth mentioning that this furling drum could be used in a non-reefing furling system, perhaps with a view to upgrading to full reefing in future (when your sails eventually need to be replaced, for example.)
The drum is attached to the bow fitting by a clevis pin. The exact arrangement depends upon the type of bow fitting. Mine is the two-part channel type; I have added a (modified) shroud adjuster (see photo, left) to extend the range of possible attachment points for the furling drum as well as the painter.
There is an additional component available from the manufacturer which raises the drum above the bow fitting (bracketed, see photo, right), but on advice I decided to dispense with this, as the tack of the sail needs to be kept as low as possible. In my experience, without the extra part there is just enough room between the sides of the bow fitting to allow the drum to be attached, and just enough clearance above the deck to allow the drum to tilt to the correct angle, but not enough clearance for the mast to be lowered with the spar in situ.
[Feb 2011 - With the benefit of hindsight I should perhaps have bought the extra "fork" part - it could have been fitted occasionally when we were planning to sail in areas with low bridges e.g. the Norfolk Broads.]