Bavaria 49 – in-mast furling mainsail completely jammed

[MindZero49]

Hey salty sailors,

We have a problem with the in-mast furling mainsail on our Bavaria 49 (MindZero) and I'm hoping someone here has experienced something similar.

The mainsail is currently completely jammed inside the mast and we are unable to unfurl it in the normal way. From what we can see, it looks like the sail may have become twisted or wrapped incorrectly around the furling foil inside the mast. The situation appears different at the top of the mast compared with the lower section, so we suspect there may be more than just a simple tight wrap.

We have tried carefully tensioning the outhaul while operating the furling system, but the sail will not come out and we don't want to apply excessive force and risk damaging the sail, furling mechanism or foil.

The whole in-mast furling system has also become quite stiff, so our plan is to remove the mainsail completely and service/inspect the furling system while the sail is off.

A few questions for Bavaria owners familiar with this system:

What is the safest way to remove a mainsail when it is already jammed/twisted inside the mast?
Is there a way to release or remove the furling foil/drum to get the sail out without damaging it?
Are there any common causes on the Bavaria 49 / Seldén in-mast furling system that we should specifically check?
Once the sail is removed, which parts of the in-mast furling system should be cleaned, inspected and lubricated?
Is this realistically a job that can be done with the mast stepped, or would you recommend getting a rigger involved?

Any tips, diagrams or experience with a similar jam would be very welcome. I can also add some photos/video of the top and bottom of the sail if that helps diagnose what has happened.

Thanks in advance!

Jurre
MindZero – Bavaria 49