Seldén GX furlers for asymmetrical spinnakers and gennakers

Seldén GX top down furler with asymmetrical spinnaker
Photo: courtesy of Seldén Mast

Top down furlers are great to facilitate sailing with an asymmetrical spinnaker:

  • Get your spinnaker flying right off the cockpit. Hoist your spinnaker easily and be ready in a minute.
  • Dousing is as easy, just release the sheet and pull on the furling line. This is perfect especially if you are sailing shorthanded.
  • Furl the sail before gybing and then easily re-deploy on the other side. Prior to furling, Seldén recommends that power is taken out of the sail by releasing the sheet and if possible bearing away.

Seldén GX furlers are specifically designed to furl asymmetrical spinnakers / gennakers (free flying, deep draft, round luff sails).  The halyard tension is moderate and the sail is hoisted using the spinnaker halyard. 

How does top down furling works?

An AT cable connects the drum and the halyard swivel and transmits the rotation of the drum to the top swivel; as the sail tack is “floating”, it does not move as the bottom drum rotates and the furling starts at the top and work its way down until the entire sail is stowed away. This is called top-down furling.

The drum and the halyard swivel are permanently fitted to the sail with the Seldén line lock. Connect the drum to the bow and the spinnaker halyard to the halyard swivel. Lead the furling line to the cockpit by using Seldén Double Fairleads on the stanchions, tighten the furling line and secure it in the Twin-Cam block. Hoist the furled sail.

On this official Seldén video, you can see the system in action with details of some accessories:
–  double fairlead  at 0:21
–  double block at 0:27 and 38
–  adjustable tack swivel at 0:54 and 1:01

This “home made” video posted by a user shows the principle and the fact that the system is driven from the top only:

What do you need to set up a top down furler?

The typical installation (GX kit) includes at least:

  • A furler system that includes drum and head swivel piece
    • Drum: metal ”teeth” in the drum make for a good grip on the line when furling the sail. A wedge in the line guide separates the line from the drum when unfurling the sail and the drum spins freely. Sealed stainless steel bearing ensure a long service life; other structural parts are made of high-strength Duplex stainless steel.
    • The swivel comes with a Dyneema lashing to secure the head of the sail. Sealed stainless steel bearings ensure low friction and long service life. A rubber fender prevents the halyard swivel from chafing the mast while hoisting the furled sail.
    • Patented Seldén Line Lock provide an easy way to mount the swivel to the AT-cable, ensuring a smooth transition from the swivel to the cable. This allows for a tight furl from the top and down along the AT-cable.
Seldén top down furlers GX 7.5 10 15
  • An AT (anti-torsion) cable (includes cable and shackle): the AT cable is the axis the sail is rolled up around. The GX systems comes standard with the most torsionally rigid AT-cable on the market
  • An endless line
  • Two or more double fairlead
  • A tandem block
Seldén GX top down furler drum w line

It may also include an adjustable tack system. It allows to trim the luff of the gennaker / spinnaker without having to slacken the halyard and allows the AT cable to be permanently taught ready for furling / unfurling operations.

And if needed, a bowsprit.

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