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F45 Sail Main Sail Handling

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 6:53 am
by KismetGil
My wife and I are looking at purchasing an F45 primarily for costal cruising and potentially a trip down the ICW (the boat we've been looking at measures 64.3' off the water). We've been told that all sail handling can be done from the cockpit and there's no need to be on deck in heavy weather. After a short trial run on a prospective boat equipped with Harken sail track cars on the main, a roller furling jib, two battens popped out of the main sail. When we dropped the main, contrary to earlier suggestions, it wouldn't drop completely into the boom's "stack pack-like" pocket -- the person demonstrating the boat climbed on deck and used a boat hook to get the sail down -- a practice we were hoping to avoid in our next boat, particularly in rough weather. Once back at the dock, it took some time and considerable effort working with the broker to get the battens back in place. If it were just my wife and I, I suspect we'd still be there trying struggling with it. While I don't know the exact weight of the sail, as compared to the main on my last boat (a Bristol 38.8), it seems much heavier than sails I'm familiar with on similarly sized sloops and not something than can be handled readily by a single individual. In particular, my wife and I are 65 and we're thinking our next boat should accommodate folks who are not getting any younger :-) While we love the below deck accommodations and the visibility from the center cockpit, I'm concerned that dealing with a very large heavy main may not be the best choice for sailors who while physically fit, are aging up.

We would be very interested in any comments and/or suggestions from those in the Freedom community.

Re: F45 Sail Main Sail Handling

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 10:34 am
by Al Lorman
The ball bearings in the Harken system cars deform over time. Mine ended up being close to square. Sometimes, a few also go missing. Worst case scenario: replace it with a Strong Track for about $1,500 plus installation and sail modification.

Al Lorman
F35 Ab Initio
Annapolis

Re: F45 Sail Main Sail Handling

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 9:16 pm
by sailmon
Agree. We replaced Dutchman track on our F38 with Strong Fast Track and have seen marked improvement. Sail falls easily into the boom mounted Stackpack sailbag. These sails are very heavy and and there is considerable loading on mast/track by full battons - so raising sail will be challenging. I just passed my mediacre birthday - and plan to retire and go cruising (Easr Coast, Caribbean, etc) in next few years. I am planning to get a cordless Milwaukee 1/2 right angle drill with winch handle bit to pull sail up. We too are not getting younger. Freedons are great sailing and cruising boats. Just need to be sure they are set up correctly.

Re: F45 Sail Main Sail Handling

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 12:18 pm
by Freespirit
My Freedom 42, (it's a 45 without the sugar scoop transom) has a Strong track system with bat cars. The main sail drops beautifully onto the boom using lazy jacks, it takes about 2 seconds.
Not one problem in the seven years I've had the boat.

Chuck

Re: F45 Sail Main Sail Handling

Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 3:40 pm
by ericsmith3d
KismetGil,
See the PM I sent you.

Re: F45 Sail Main Sail Handling

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 2:47 pm
by Hans
Just arrived In Horta on the Azores with a F45 AC on a trip from St Lucia to Europe. Sail my F45 now 6 years. The main is pretty heavy and whether it comes down real quick depends on my opinion on how well the Harken track and cars are maintained, as mentioned above make sure the balls are clean and not too old. I have a Harken track and clean he cars with fresh water regularly and spray them with Sailkote, my sail comes down just fine (but only when the boat noses in the wind) otherwise the lazy jacks gives too much friction. Next month I will be 69 and sail the boat pretty much single handed. The mainsail is big and heavy but can handled easily when you care about the hardware needed for it.