Home Made Furler?

[Mike M8297]

Anyone have experience with home made furlers on a C22? I've seen a couple of posts on the web showing pvc furlers for smaller boats.

I'd like to give it a try with my existing sails (110 an 150% headsails). I envision being able to remove the hanking clips, lashing the existing grommets to a pvc sleeve with line or heavy zip ties closely trimmed and covered with rigging tape.

I can also see rigging the sales for flexible furling by reinforcing the lead edge of the sails with sewn on tape or spectra threaded inside the sleeve that holds the luff rope to fashion a leading edge that can take the extra strain. Then I could attach a swivel to the head and a drum and swivel to the tack corner grommet. That would necessitate adding an attachement point to the deck at the bow just aft of the stay attachment point. The furled sail would be hoisted by the halyard (lead through a halyard restrainer). I sort of prefer this approach if it will work, as it would allow me to drop the furled sail on the deck, coil the whole thing up and stow it in the sail bag eliminating the need for a sail cover. It would also greatly simplify trailering.

Thoughts? Experience? Fly's in my ointment? Thanks in advance.

 

[caguy]

I made mine with PVC 3/4 '' pipe. I lashed it on after removing the hanks to the pipe with 1/2 '' zip ties. Didn't find need to reinforce luff. Luff was pulled tight while being lashed to pipe. I used small ss eyes to hold zip ties in place. They were attched to pipe with 1/4 '' #10 brass screw. I started to tap holes into the pipe but found that the brass screws would cut there own threads without tapping and seemed to ho.ld tighter. I used a little largeer eye at the tack and head grommets to maintain the tension. I used a messenger line, (the same line used to furle) to pull the forestay through the pipe, it was amazing easy. I used small vice-grips to hold the pipe in place on the forestay while I attached it to the Johnson lever. When the 150 is fully deployed there is less sag than when it was hanked. Hope this helps.
BTW If I had to do it again I woud druimmel a groove on the pipe to keep the zip ties in place instead of the eyes. Less hassle, cheaper and probably reduces chance of chaffe. I just talked myself nto doing it the next time I step the mast. I wouldn't take it down for the sake of storage (kind of defeats the purpose). Either make a zippered cover as I did or have sacrificial protective tape sewn on to your sails. I found 20' brass army surplus zippers for $10 each. Bought extras if you need one, can be expensive otherwise. Covered it with 4 yds of duck cloth from Joannes ($32).

 

[Mike M8297]

I made mine with PVC 3/4 '' pipe. I lashed it on after removing the hanks to the pipe with 1/2 '' zip ties. When the 150 is fully deployed there is less sag than when it was hanked. Hope this helps. Either make a zippered cover as I did or have sacrificial protective tape sewn on to your sails. I found 20' brass army surplus zippers for $10 each. Bought extras if you need one, can be expensive otherwise. Covered it with 4 yds of duck cloth from Joannes ($32).

THANKS! I would love to see details on your drum. Silly question I am sure, but how do you get a 20' zipper zipped and unzipped on your sail cover? If you have any photos to share, my email is mike(AT)mikemansker.com (AT)=@

 

[caguy]

It comes apart at the top. The halyard to the spinnaker is attached to the top of the cover with a yoke and two grommets. As the cover is pulled up the furler the zipper is closed. I simply wrap the sheets around the bottom four feet. The drum is make up of a 1.5'' slip coupler (shortened the length of the coupler by about an inch). The disk is cut from some 3/16'' aluminum flat stock was roughed out with a sawzall and then turned on the lathe. The disk are held in place on the coupler with 1.5 - 3/4'' slip adaptors.

 

[caguy]

THANKS! I would love to see details on your drum. Silly question I am sure, but how do you get a 20' zipper zipped and unzipped on your sail cover? If you have any photos to share, my email is mike(AT)mikemansker.com (AT)=@

Mike,
I was out today and my camera mysteriously came back to life, so I took some more picts of the furler and cover.

 

[Mike M8297]

THanks!!

 

[Aldo]

What about your Anchor Holder?

Mike: Did you get any photos of your anchor holder? The photos of your roller furler almost show it, but not quite.

We like to machine parts for our boats too. My son made a roller furling main as his senior project this past semester.

Thanks, Aldo

 

[philwsailz]

You guys amaze me. I want to see the pics of the roller furling main!!!

Inspiration for sure...

 

[Aldo]

Phil: That will have to wait until spring. It's snowing and sleeting here in Pennsylvania. Aldo

 

[keithf]

CA Guy, more detail on the bottom section please

Hi, following along and hoping to build my own soon -this is great for tips. CAGuy, can you tell me what you did at the lower end, to enable the pipe and drum to rotate freely on the forestay - a picture of below the drum would be great! And did you have to suspend the upper portion of the pipe on the upper forestay at all? Thanks! Keith.

 

[caguy]

The top is not suspended. It rest on the cable ferrel covered by a spit 1" cap that snaps over the cable. I think I put a reducer in the end of the pipe to strengthen it and reduce the contact surfaces. So essentially it is the crown of the cap rubbing on a reducer with very little friction. I also added a reducer to the top to carry some of the cable stress.
Too bad I was sailing today and had my camera.

 

[KeithF]

Ah, that helps me visualize it - thanks! I've not come across a "split cap" before - would that be something I'd find in the plumbing aisle along with the regular caps? Thanks! Keith.

 

[caguy]

Sorry I should have mentioned that I split a regular cap with a Dremel tool bit. I cut a slot just under the diameter of the forestay so that it snapped on.

 

[KeithF]

Ah, that's the trick to getting it past the ends... split it! Thanks again!

 

[Stubborn]

Frank - You mentioned in your furler description that you have 20' zippers available at reasonable cost? Are they still available?
Thanks
Ron

 

[caguy]

Zipper

Frank - You mentioned in your furler description that you have 20' zippers available at reasonable cost? Are they still available?
Thanks
Ron

I went back to the surplus store to pickup the rest and they were all gone. I do have one extra I can sell you for my cost $10 plus shipping. It is a heavy duty all brass zipper on army green. I opens at the top. The one on my cover has been out in the weather for about 6 months now and still works smoothly.

 

[Stubborn]

Re: Zipper

Thanks Frank - Yes I would be glad to pay ship costs to zip 43506. Let me know the total and I can send you a check or use paypal. I followed your example to build my own furler using 1" PVC to accomodate my rigging, I used epoxy to attach the zip ties to the pipe - I'll have to let you know how it performs.
I appreciate your help....
Ron

 

[philwsailz]

Guys, thinking about this today, I wonder if I have a new thought, or am borrowing / plaigerising someone elses thoughts. It occurs to me that there might be a possibility of designing something that would roll, furl, and with careful thoughts with regards to foam and placement, actually reef as well. The thing could be built in such a way it seems could probably be installed on an already in-place forestay...

Consider the already mentioned PVC pipe. Slit it lengthwise. Then carefully create access holes so that your jib hanks can be installed directly onto the forestay. Place one of those lower shoud roller split caps on to start, the start threading the pipe onto the forestay thru the length-wise split, while hanking the sail onto the forestay through the holes. Use some self - amalgamating rigging tape to secure split cap to top of the split PVC. With the hank holes situated wherer they are aimed fore, the unsecured end of the PVC would be in the water. Repeat the procedure, slowly taking the jib and the "slit furling foil" aloft.

A drum of sorts would still need fabrication, but I perceive it similarly could be slotted. Making sure that no slots were aligned with respect to each other, in theory such an assemble could be installed and removed, all without disassembling your rigging...

Finally, alow this whole assembly to rest on a split carrier that is installed over the existing forestay.

What am I missing? What do we perceive are obvious pitfalls of such a design? See attached crude pic showing the split PVC ...

Thoughts?

 

[txtowman]

I would like to see more detailed pics. I'd be happy to pay for better instructions. this would help me stay off the bow while singlehanding. i would rather not put a $1200 furler on my $1200 boat.

 

[caguy]

Thanks Frank - Yes I would be glad to pay ship costs to zip 43506. Let me know the total and I can send you a check or use paypal. I followed your example to build my own furler using 1" PVC to accomodate my rigging, I used epoxy to attach the zip ties to the pipe - I'll have to let you know how it performs.
I appreciate your help....
Ron

I was finally at the boat yesterday. I wanted to plug in the charger so the battery was ready for the 4th of July weekend.
I did not see the other zipper. I wll keep looking around the house, we are doing spring cleaning and I'm sure it will turn up.