On large sailboats, when it is necessary to motorize a furling system to facilitate maneuvering on the headsails, manufacturers offer hydraulic systems. Efficient, solid, they have the disadvantage of requiring a complex installation (hydraulic power plant, piping) and especially a high cost.
A reliable electric winder
Petitjean Composites, a French company known for its furling booms (those of Sunreef for example) and other composite parts (davits for Outremereuros), has imagined a furling system based on an electric solution. Based on a brushless electric motor (brushless motor), this 12 or 24 V furler can be adapted to all headsails. Indeed, the rotation speed is adjustable up to 200 rpm for a gennaker. It is understood that the faster you try to turn, the less force is available.
Made to order
Petitjean Composites responds to customer requests according to their needs. Thus the fairing of this furler can be modified if you want to install the furler under the deck or add a roller for a manual furling. The possibility of an electric blocking is also possible to keep a partially furled sail (staysail for example).
This type of engine is of course reserved for top-of-the-range boats, but the manufacturer is thinking of installing it on many owner's yachts of less than 100 feet for which few simple offers exist to date. A solution that could please, given that the bill is divided by three compared to a hydraulic model
