Bill...I looks like the knotted line that goes under your anchor roller is what keeps the bowsprit from being pulled up. Is it secure in any other way or is that it? I think I will look at making one of these for a winter project. Too many things on list to start it this year.
It sounds like no issues wrt attaching the tack to the anchor roller wrt strain from the spinnaker pulling on it.
I pulled my asym spin out of storage. There is a plastic cuff that I assume replaces the Parrel Beads in the older setup. The cuff has a Snap Shackle on one side and a clip on the other. Loking for anyone who has used this setup to outline how you set up the Tack line on the bow using the plastic cuff.
Caspurr, to me, it looks like the ATN Tacker would bend the roller furling extrusions. But if it did, they wouldn't sell very many, would they.
I am not too worried about the strain on the stem fitting/anchor roller on my bowsprit. I figure there's more force forwards and sideways than up. I have considered installing a bobstay, but I have seen no flexing, gelcoat cracks, or new caulking separation on the fitting. And I hope the plastic cleats, tapped threads in the aluminum, or the cheap snap shackle on the tack line will break before any problems occur on the stem fitting.
The line comes out of the bottom of the aluminum tube just forward of the roller and goes to the turning block on the aft end of the sprit and secured to the cleat mounted on the sprit. The turn gives a little mechanical advantage tightening up the line and locking the sprit down tight on the roller. I use the other cleat on the sprit to secure the spinnaker tack line. The 1/2" stainless pipe that runs through the aft end of the sprit and behind the bow mooring cleats takes all the forward force, so the sail tack is "pulling" the boat from those cleats, theoretically. You can barely see the rubber foot under the sprit that helps hold the aft end off the deck when there is any up force on the sail tack pushing the aft end of the sprit down.
There are no holes added in the deck, one line to uncleat to remove it, and really improves performance getting the spinnaker just a little further away from the mainsail. You just can't have the anchor on the roller or open the anchor locker while you're using it. I've got less than $100 in it, with the Selden or similar sprit well north of $750 probably. And I don't even want to know how much a top down furler would set me back. I'm a working man, I can't afford all those high dollar, new fangled boat thingies like all you rich yacht owners on this forum.