Last year we left the main at home for a variety of reasons. This year I even left the main boom at home. Unfortunately this season was characterized by a lot of light air so we spent a good deal of time sailing VERY slowly. Consequently, I am thinking about ways to make main handling easier so I can put the main back on. The problem with my current main system is that the sail has "T" slugs that fit into a track in the mast. Those slugs tend to hang up when you go to drop the sail, so I have to go to the mast and pull the sail down hank by hank. That takes time and almost always ends up with me on the lee side of the sail at some point during dropping the main. The same applies to reefing. So I would like to solve that problem before I put the main back on. In addition, with out worm gear steering I am at the aft end of the 10' cockpit and the main sheet is on the cabin top. That means that my wife has to handle main sheet duties. She isn't getting any younger and mobility is becoming an issue so that it takes her quite a while to get to the main sheet, particularly if she is on the other side of the cockpit. The options as I see it are (from cheapest to most expensive):

1) Install a strong track system on the main mast and buy a new full batten main. Install an electric winch on the cabin top with halyard, reefing lines and sheet led to it. Put controls for the winch on both sides of the cabin top.

2) Install one of those back of the mast main sail furlers (facnor or similar) with a new battenless main as well as the cabin top electric winch.

3) Install a Profurl furling boom (do it yourself project), new full batten main and the cabin top electric winch.

4) Install a Leisurefurl boom with full batten main and cabin top electic winch.

5. Install a new Seldon or similar mast with in mast furling, new battenless sail and electric cabin top winch.

All of these systems will cost $$$$ or $$$$$. I would appreciate comments from people who are familiar with these different systems. As far as winches go, I am between a Harken unipower or an Andersen modular electric (the rest of my winches are Andersen) to avoid having a large motor below the cabin top in the galley. I have experience sailing with both in-boom and in-mast furling systems and know the performance trade offs with in mast.(nl)

The boat is an Allied Princess 36, so any of these systems is overkill given the value of the boat. My wife likes the boat and isn't interested in changing boats, so money is a secondary consideration to ease of use and safety for the system