Twist

Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
For those of you who have a sprit and a top down furler.

Do you have a cleat or ring that the drum attaches to? If the drum is attached to a line so you can adjust the tension via the sprit, like Selden does, have you had any issue with the drum twisting?
 

Joe

.
Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Isn't there a swivel for the lower connection between furling mechanism and sprit?
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
No, but there will be. The tack line allows the furler to twist, and the furling line has wrapped a couple of times. Not reliable.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
A furling code sail should not be attached to a simple tackline on a sprit, but a non-rotating attach point. Most sprits will have one of these just aft of the pole end, where the tackline comes out of the pole.
 
Last edited:
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
That’s where the question came from. The pole has to slide through the Selden ring, so the tack point is either in the end cap or embedded in the tube.
The tack line doesn’t work.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Like this one, where they are not using the integrated tack line exit.

04408B63-C626-425E-B4A7-DEFD76685A2D.jpeg
 
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Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Yeah, that’s an option that I’m thinking about. The shackle lays down while the pole slides through the bow ring.
What’s nice about the tack line is that the pole can go out and stay out and the kite is independent. To continue on this road requires a retainer or something like a key way.
(Or just quit being a lazy poop and turn another end cap )
 

Joe

.
Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Do you furl the sail while off the wind so the eased tack line won't be blown back against the drum?
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
I have no experience with any of this but, it looks like you could use the integrated tack hole and hold the roller box with the shackle. Or am I misunderstanding the issue?
- Will (Dragonfly)
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
The sprit flies an oversized kite from a top down furler. The current design allows the base of the drum to rotate and the furling line can wrap around the drum.
Here's a shot of a test of the kite before the furler was finished.
IMG_5557.JPG
I do not have video of it, yet, but this is what the process looks like.
 
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Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Even in the Karver video at 1:51 you can clearly see the drum is rotating such that the furling line could bind.
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,401
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Why not a larger gap? My reacher drum attaches ~ 6 inches aft of the tack line. It's not like having 6 inches of sprit protruding will matter.
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Please forgive me, I've got a really stupid question.

Why is this called "top down" furling?

I see the drum at the bottom like I normally do on the other furlers. When I read "top down furling", I had expected to see the drum at the top. If that is not the difference, then what is?
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Why is this called "top down" furling?
If you watch the way the sail furls, it starts at the top of the assembly and works it's way to the bottom, since it is not attached to the foil like a traditional sail. The tack is free to rotate as needed. These are traditional asyms, on a furling rig.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
If you watch the way the sail furls, it starts at the top of the assembly and works it's way to the bottom,
Just to add to that. You can make out a very thin black cable in the video. It is the separate furling cable. Drum at the bottom, peak of sail attached at the top. The tack is not attached to the assembly so when it rotates, it wraps the top first.
- Will (Dragonfly)