Conversion from furling mast to traditional?

[WillK]

Hello all, I was wondering if anyone has any experience with converting from the in mast furling system to a traditional mast and mainsail. I am in the market for a 350 but I definitely want a traditional mainsail for performance/racing. Obviously there are way more furling boats available on the used market then not. Trying to figure out if it is realistic to consider buying a in mast furling boat and converting over. Thanks for the help.

[Olivia Mae]

Can't answer your cost question really, but assuming you're buying new sails anyway you'd just have to price out a new or used mast and rigging. Since there are mostly furling mains out there, you might have a market for your furling mast. Honestly, it would make more sense to find the boat you want then modify one.

We have the boat you're after. She's a cherry Great Lakes boat with new sails and canvas a year ago. This is just a tease, as we aren't selling.

I'm not sure what the difference in speed would be between the furling and non furling mast boats would be since most of the power comes off the genoa. That said, when we were looking for one, we chartered a 350 in FL that had in mast furling. I actually hated it, but maybe that's just me. The main sail shape was terrible, had no roach, and those were new sails, though I think they were cheap sails. The boat sailed well, though. So when we looked for one I only wanted one with a traditional main. I was interested at one time in converting to in boom furling, but the cost is prohibitive, IMO. If your real interest is racing, I'm not sure the 350 is a logical choice. The 36 might be better suited and there would be a larger # with conventional mains to choose from.

[WillK]

Thanks for the reply. Very helpful perspective. I have sailed a 310 with in mast furling and wasn't really a fan either. All my other sailing has been with traditional mains and I've never minded putting them up and down. So until I do I figure there is not reason to change. As for my racing, its not real racing I'm interested in but I do subscribe to the philosophy that whenever two sailboats find themselves in close proximity and going in the same direction then its a race. My sailing association does quite a few fun races throughout the season where all the cruisers pit themselves against each other for bragging rights and I just want to be as competitive as possible without sacrificing comfort. I also enjoy tweaking the rig to get the extra .1 knot so I figure why handy cap myself with a rig that is naturally less efficient.

Also, I actually started my search with the 36 but I'm 6'3" and its hard to turn down a cabin I can stand up straight in and a bed that my feet don't hang off. This will be a Chesapeake Bay cruising boat first and racing boat second.

[Olivia Mae]

Considering your height, the 350 is a good option. You also shouldn't have issues with the height of the boom. At 5'8", I have to use a step stool to tie my sail cover!

[WillK]

I'm also hoping that means I will be able to stand upright under the bimini too. I've sailed a 310 and canvas was about a inch and a half too low for me to stand. With no autopilot my neck was pretty sore after a full day's sail.