Blog | upffront.com

Image copyright - © Studio Borlenghi / Stefano Gattini

In this blog we round up 5 of the best bottom up furlers on the market. Choosing the right bottom up furler is a question of boat size and SWL (safe working load), sail area, performance level and budget. Furling code zero sails and asymmetric/gennaker sails offer fast reaching and ease of handling that appeals to sailing cruisers as well as to sail racers. In one of our previous blogs we have posted a guide to help you choose the right size of code zero or asymmetric/gennaker furler. In this blog we explore different furler brands, their features and to which style of sailing they are best suited.

Image credit - C-Tech

A snuffer is a simple, reliable method of dousing an asymmetric spinnaker. Despite advances in furling technology, snuffers remain the first choice for many offshore race yachts such as Class 40 and IMOCA. In this blog we look at how to select the correct length of snuffer for your sail, why snuffers dominate in short-handed offshore racing and where a furling asymmetric might be preferred. To help answer these questions we sat down with Nathan Steffenoni, co-director of OneSails GBR South. As you might expect, the considerations are very much case dependent, so Nathan was keen to caveat many of his responses. 

©Bamar

Are you considering upgrading your sail plan to include a staysail? It is an increasingly popular choice, offering considerable performance benefits, which is explored in more detail in our previous blog here. In this blog we focus on the various setup options and some things to watch out for when considering an inner forestay retrofit.

Image Credit: Bamar

Looking to upgrade from a block and tackle system to a backstay tensioner? This blog will look at the Bamar BTV and BTM mechanical backstay tensioners and compare them with alternatives on the market.

Image credits: METs Trade

It’s been a busy week at METS, the biggest, and undoubtedly best trade marine show in the world. Our mission here has been to catch up with our existing manufacturers and suppliers and find their interesting developments and to connect with new manufacturers so we can bring more cool products to Upffront customers.