Selden Furlex Extremely Difficult

[Skipper John]

Our new Catalina 315 came with the factory standard Selden Furlex 204S furler.

It is almost impossible to furl in the jib in… it is a struggle even for a strong individual using a winch handle in a two-speed winch. Our dealer tells us that this is normal, and that using the winch is the standard operating procedure.

On prior Catalinas, I never have had difficulty furling in the sail with just a tug on the furling line. In fact, I was always told that if you have to use a winch, there is something wrong and you should fix it rather than using a winch.

However, with our 315, one really has to struggle with a winch to crank in the sail… almost impossible.

Is this normal for a 315 with the Furlex? Or do we have a problem with our installation?

Thank you in advance for any comments or pointers, John

 

[jssailem]

John.
A functional furler of any make should not require a winch to make it work when there is little wind in the sail. Now if you are attempting to furl the sail in 20 knots while hard on the wind then yes you might need a winch. In such a condition you could cause damage with the winch.

First to get a handle on what is happening I would furl and unfurl the sail in a no wind morning. This should run smoothly and not need a winch. If there is any restrictions I would inspect the furling line and the furler to identify and clear any points where the line is restricted or the furler does not move freely. You may need to add or reduce the tension on your forestay help the furler to rotate smoothly.

When hard on the wind and wanting to furl the sail, slack (ease) the sheet or head the boat into the wind a little. The sail will back wind or flap. Draw in on the furler. The sail should wind up. Repeat till the sail is furled. Works on my boat even in a stiff breeze no winch required.

 

[Apex]

different furler in my experience, but i had a bad bushing which allowed the drum to ride on the turnbuckle, making it very hard. The furling drum should roll in/out with no resistance. As JSSailem pointed out wind and the jib attached may change the resistance. Try adding some jib halyard tension so it slightly lifts the drum (tight luff on jib) and roll in.

 

[smokey73]

Sounds like the halyard is wrapped around the headstay when you are furling. There are several threads about this.

 

[jviss]

Sounds like the halyard is wrapped around the headstay when you are furling. There are several threads about this.

Interesting, but I doubt it; would he be able to fully furl the sail if the halyard was wrapped? I don't think so.

Sounds to me like a faulty installation, or a faulty furler; maybe a binding bearing, or some such.

 

[smokey73]

Haven't had that problem myself but I thought I recalled seeing several threads related to the angle the halyard exits the mast and the headsay so that there is a partial wrap causing. May or may not be the problem but I don't feel like doing the forum search for the OP.

 

[jviss]

Yea, there's only so much halyard to wrap, you wouldn't be able to roll that sail in much if the halyard was wrapping. I think the risk there is breaking the forestay.

 

[stephen_i_w]

I had an issue with my Selden Furlex as well. I think the design of this particular furler is especially poor. In my case the furling line became tangled in the metal plates that bare on spooled line in the can. It was so bad that I had no alternative to cutting the furling line and hand furling the jib on a pitching bow. Later, in the dock, removing the tangled furling line necessitated disassembling the furling assembly. This resulted in parts dropping in the lake. I have since “improved” the furler by removing can around the spool. Still I worry that, because of the bad design, I need to remove the spool when I need to to replace the furling line again.

Otherwise, I have had no issue with components, including Selden on my C315.

 

[stephen_i_w]

Also, the furling line on my c315 was not led properly to the cockpit, resulting in excess friction. I added a turning block at the cockpit, removed unnecessary blocks along the side of the boat and repositioned the block leading directly to the furler. This made it considerably easier to furl the sail.

 

[Sailfanatic]

I would agree that the dealer's comments make no sense and any properly installed furler should not require the use of a winch to furl, in any conditions. My CS36T had a lovely Furlex 300 system which worked wonderfully over ten years, I think the Furlex gear was a step up over my last Harken IV. If you can't find the weak link in the current setup, then I would hire a rigger who installs Furlex gear to come to your boat to debug the system.

If you need to use a winch, something is wrong, and if you dont get the problem sorted out, eventually you are likely to break something expensive.

See for help

and maybe also

 

[jviss]

Our dealer tells us that this is normal, and that using the winch is the standard operating procedure.

Your dealer is full of baloney.

 

[jviss]

As a matter of fact, one of the key features of the Profurl furler I bought way back in 2000 was that it was strong enough to reef on the wind using a winch, which is not recommended for other furlers.

 

[chuckwayne]

A couple of things to check;
check the upper bearing for wear - ours started to bind after 18 years, replacing this spring before launch.
After about 5 years the line on the drum started binding, softened enough that the wraps would push into the lower layers and grab under tension. We replaced with stayset-x, mush stiffer and solid, and cured the problem

 

[Skipper John]

Also, the furling line on my c315 was not led properly to the cockpit, resulting in excess friction. I added a turning block at the cockpit, removed unnecessary blocks along the side of the boat and repositioned the block leading directly to the furler. This made it considerably easier to furl the sail.

Thank you… I will take a look at that. I did have the dealer add the missing turning block on the toe rail, but I will look at the rest.

 

[Skipper John]

After about 5 years the line on the drum started binding, softened enough that the wraps would push into the lower layers and grab under tension.

Thank you… Our installation is only five weeks old, but I certainly will take a look at the furling line on the drum.

 

[Scott B]

Our dealer tells us that this is normal, and that using the winch is the standard operating procedure.

I would talk to someone at the dealer that knows what they're talking about. Otherwise I would contact Catalina themselves and get it fixed properly.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

I've have a number of boats with the Furlex 200S system. I like it and think it works well.

Anyway, make sure you don't have too much tension on the halyard and / or backstay when you go to furl the sail. Too much tension and the bearings in the top and bottom swivel start to bind up. Ease the halyard an inch or two (your sail will also thank you) and then try to furl it.

Lastly, my last boat, a C&C 110 with a large headsail and a below deck furler, would be difficult to furl if there was 10+ kts of wind. In that case I would go forward, sit on the deck near the furler, and pull the furling line from there. Without the extra friction of the turning blocks I could more easily furl the sail.

Good luck,
Barry

 

[Skipper John]

Thank you to all who chimed in on this issue. I was able to work on it some this weekend and think that the furling line was fouled inside the drum. Playing it all out and wrapping it in again has helped a lot.

I also think that the factory installation using circular fairleads for the furling line creates added friction in the system. I am going to look at replacing those with actual blocks on the stanchions in hopes that will make the furling easier. Another complication is that the factory–supplied furling line is very small and slippery… One really can’t get a grip on it with bare hands… a beefier line may be in our future.

Thanks!

 

[jssailem]

a beefier line may be in our future.

Good to hear your assessment and discovery regarding the line drum issue. Sounds like you made progress. Care in choosing the line diameter. A beefier line may mean less wraps around the drum, resulting in fewer turns of the furler and sail.

I bought a ratchet block at the cockpit end of the furling line. It helps when pulling in the furler line. If you change the line be sure to select a low stretch line material.

 

[shemandr]

Not really my area but I'd like to make a point about jib furlers anyway. When the drum spins with little or no line on it there is a lack of mechanical advantage. As you furl, the line on the drum builds up and the mechanical advantage increases. So if you replace the line it makes sense to choose a line that is small enough in diameter to have some line left on the drum when your largest sail is fully deployed. Then the first few turns will be easier.