Powerful dinghies, catamarans and trimarans often need a way to furl a jib or gennaker quickly and easily. With the SwiftFurl furling jib furler, Lindemann now offers an ideal solution. The SwiftFurl from Allen, the British manufacturer of boat accessories, is a jib furler system that is equipped with five rows of Torlon ball bearings, which enable smooth operation even under load.
To develop the system, the team at Allen worked closely with Weta Marine, the Australian manufacturer of lightweight trimarans. "We needed a better solution for the furling system on our Weta. Something that would work well under load, be easy to maintain, reliable and not wear out so quickly. The Allen team came up with a great furling system that solved our problems," says Roger Kitchen from Weta Marine.
In contrast to a conventional jib furler, this system is designed for the use of a continuously spliced line. This allows the drum to continue turning until the sail is fully furled. This means that any size of sail can be used. The design also allows the drum to rotate in both directions, allowing precise control of the furling and unfurling of the sail.
The lower attachment fork can be attached in a 90-degree orientation, which opens up a wide range of attachment options on the boat's hull. A small cut-out on the edge of the upper furling disk allows a continuous line to be inserted easily so that the line can be removed and installed without having to re-splice the furling jib line. The furling disk itself is provided with holes for attaching the line. These holes hold the line securely in place and reduce the weight.
The furling system measures 91 millimetres, weighs 197 grams and has a maximum working load of 430 kilograms.
