Spinnaker into furling spinnaker?

After seeing the photo of the Hobie Pearl with its furling gennaker, I'm considering the possibility of adding a furler to my spinnaker and ditching the snuffer system. Anybody have any experience with furling spins? Is this a pipe dream? It seems like it would really make using the spin a lot easier!

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Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft)
Too many canoes and kayaks

A spinnaker won't furl - you'd need a new sail - it's a much different cut - more like a big jib - very flat. Lots of windage going upwind too, I've sailed both - I prefer Spinnakers

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Jacques Bernier
http://www.hobie.com/
http://www.facebook.com/HobieCatCompany

You can get a spinnaker furler that will work with any spinnaker. Why would you want to unless you are single handed racing a big boat...that's why I did it. The furled spin will be a lot of windage which will slow you down. Seriously, for small boats like cats, the snuffer is better.

Anyway, look at "roll gen" on the internet to see one of the first commercial systems for making a spinnaker furler. http://www.romarmarine.com/wordpress/wp ... G-CODE.pdf
BTW, it ain't cheap and it is pretty complicated-you have to have good continuous furler AND good anti-torque line AND a second good bearing system on top of the furler drum AND a "platen" for the spinnaker to wrap itself around so that it can unwrap sometime later (if you don't have the platen it gets caught very firmly into the hockles of the line-I know this because I made my own and didn't include this piece the first time--big oops). Look also for "top down" furling systems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo5l4r2N14g

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

Some folks will advertise anything that entices us to buy....

Jacques is correct in that a spin has a much 'fuller' cut, and does not lend itself to rolling up.
To furl a sail, you need a flatter cut, it's simple physics.
Code Zero, Reacher, Genaker, call it what you will, it's basically an oversized jib, but its not the typical catamaran spin.

We can raise or dowse our spin with the same effort and at about the same speed as a furling system.

The question, I suggest, you should be asking is 'which type of sail do I prefer and under what conditions?'

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2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

John, did you even look at the video? You can furl any asymmetric spinnaker regardless of how full and I have NO INTEREST in selling them-In fact, with these tiny boats, the snuffer is the way to go. YOU think about the physics, if you torgue the top swivel while keeping the bottom swivel from turning, what is going to happen? Yep, it will turn and start rolling up the top of the spinnaker. If you keep applying torque, eventually it will furl up-like you said, simple physics and it doesn't depend on the shape of the spinnaker.

Sorry if I take your comment personally, but I have used all three systems, flat cut spins/screachers with antitorque built into the luff; full spins with a top down furling system; and snuffers. Snuffers are the way to go in a small boat like catamarans. If you are racing a large boat single handed like I was (or have lubbers as crew on a large boat), then a top down spinnaker furler is the way to go. If you are limited in your sailplan to one single downwind sail and your sailplan has a tiny jib that isn't very useful in light air, then the furling flat cut asymspin or screacher built in is the way to go since it will help you to weather in light air. If you want to get to the downwind mark fastest, then a full cut spinnaker is what you want. If you just want to reach back and forth and go fast, get a screacher.

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

Cool beans! Thanks for the information, guys. Yeah, I think I'm overcomplicating things.
My main problem is when I'm alone and trying to pull the spin back into the snuffer. 2 out of 3 times it hangs up at the snuffer and I have to go forward to untangle it. Comparing that to the ease of rolling up my jib made me think of furling the spin as a solution.

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Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft)
Too many canoes and kayaks

It is possible to furl a fuller cut headsail such as a spinnaker but this generally requires a "top-down" furler which is a bit more complicated and more expensive. Stardard bottom-up furlers won't do it - they leave a "bag" towards the top of the sail which will blow out and cause problems in anything other than light wind.

It gets easier with practice. Ensure you are heading deep enough downwind prior to snuffing. IF it is the "glom" of spin cloth trying to get into the small opening all at once which is the biggest issue, then you can pull in the bottom grommet first, then pull in the top one by using two lines (or one long and one short line tied to the retrieve line). My snuffing symspin uses 3 lines of slightly different lengths so I can pull in each clew separately and then the head. The cloth is trying to go around a corner, with the wind from dead aft, there is less of a corner since everything is further forward. Play with it. Take crew and let them drive while snuffing so you can take your time and watch what works best.

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

And don't be shy with the silicone spray.....

_________________
2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'