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. 

 
We are pleased to introduce KZ Racefurlers to the website. Racing sailors will need little introduction, as KZ have been gracing the bows of grand prix race boats for almost 30 years. The pedigree of this New Zealand based engineering firm is unquestionable with long term involvement in classes such as America’s Cup, mini-maxi, super-maxi VO70/65, Ultime trimaran, IMOCA 60 and TP52, where their focus on performance and reliability is put to the test day-in, day-out. 

How do I choose the right code zero or gennaker furling unit for my boat? Data from 8 well-known manufacturers is reviewed and conclusions drawn to help guide you to an appropriate unit for your needs. A quick review of the available data will tell you that sizing the correct furling unit for your boat is NOT an exact science!

If you have a 25-30ft sailboat and you are looking to boost your sailing performance with a code zero or asymmetric spinnaker then you will need a furler in the 900-1000kg working load range. There is a decent selection of different products available at this size, but which one should you chose? In this blog we run through the relative pro’s and con’s of the main contenders.

The biggest marine equipment trade show (METS) is about to take place in Amsterdam later this month and they have just announced the 2021 DAME Design Award nominations, for what's new and exciting in leisure marine equipment. An independent panel of experts consider the expected impact on the marine industry of the entries, their suitability for intended purpose, the level of innovation, cost, ease of use or installation and environmental impact, in a number of different product categories.