Roller furling

A simple home-built jib furler, showing the furling line ready to furl the jib, and (inset) showing the furled jib
This staysail schooner's large genoa has been roller-furled away, while its staysails are hanked on.

Roller furling is a method of furling (i.e. reefing) a yacht's staysail by rolling the sail around a stay. Roller furling is typically used for foresails such as jibs or genoas.[1]

A mainsail may also be furled by a similar system, whereby the sail is furled within the mast or around a rotating boom (or around a rotating shaft within a boom). Although staysail roller-furling is effective and very common, in-mast or in-boom mainsail furling involves some compromises, and mainsail slab reefing gives a better sail shape.

  1. ^ "How to: Choosing a Furling System". 27 April 2018.