Jammed Roller Furler on 2007 Hunter 33

[Caspurr]

Last night my head sail roller furler jammed a couple of times and sail only rolled out partially.
I removed the sail when I got in but it is still jamming when twisting the foil. It seems to be at the top of the mast. I did not have a lot of time to investigate as it was getting dark. Will try to get a better look at it this week.
Thoughts,

 

[Boomer54]

Drop her down and McLube the bearings. Raise her back up and make sure the halyard is relatively tight. That worked for a similar situation on my 37.

 

[Caspurr]

Seems to be at the top of the mast where the forestay connects. Both the drum and the roller the halyard connects to turn freely.
Some articles suggested forestay sag a possible cause. I will check the tension today.

 

[meb135]

Caspurr,
Too much sag will certainly be an issue but I found that my headsail does not fully deploy if my halyard is too tight also.

 

[Caspurr]

Thanks....I will chaeck that as well.

 

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[isaksp00]

See if the halyard is actually wrapping around the furler hardware as it turns. On my 23 I have had that, and have to adjust halyard tension so it's tight enough to keep the exposed halyard line short and not sagging but not so tight that the upper fitting turns with the sail, foil and lower part of that fitting.

 

[Caspurr]

I removed the sail last night and noted that the jib halyard shackle was tied on and not spliced. I reversed the shackle so the smoother side of the knot was facing the foil. Works fine now. Maybe the change in halyard tension change made a difference as well.
For now just happy it is working again as we are in the middle of a heat wave and rather be sailing than working at the top of the mast.
Thanks for the help guys,

 

[isaksp00]

If the knot is too big try a halyard hitch. My new halyard came with a spliced eye that had the part where the bitter end was inserted into the standing end creating an overly long thickened segment that would not go through the sheave. I could not hoist the job high enough. I cut it off and used a halyard hitch, a very compact if impossible to untie knot.

 

[Caspurr]

It is actually a halyard hitch that is in it and not a splice. I rotated it to have the smoother side in and it seemed to clear the problem.
I think the issue is the angle of the halyard feeding into the mast could be a little bigger. This would require raising the sail a little higher (1 or 2 in) on the foil. Will need to look at the roller furler to see the best way to do this.

 

[CBBH38]

I have had a H38 with a roller furler for 7 years, and the jury is still out. They are great when they work right, but are prone to problems. I find it necessary to keep the outhaul taut (without too much pressure) when furling which is difficult to do single-handed. Even then, there occasionally problems which seem to revolve around the tension when furling. One handy tool to have on board is a super soaker water gun with a mixture of water and liquid soap. Squirting into the mast at the site of the offending crimp and working the in/out furling sheet back and forth will loosen many a crimp.

 

[Caspurr]

Thanks...so far no issues with the furling main. I usually let it fill a little from the port side before furling and the pressure seems to allow the edge of the sail to clear the opening easier.

 

[isaksp00]

If letting the sail go up higher doesn't work you could consider installing a halyard restrainer next time you drop the mast.

 

[Ken13559]

caspurr, I do ocassionally gets my Head Sail jammed. Always one of these causes. 1.Halyard twist around the furling head when furling IN headsail. Resolve by bringing furler head down to spray McLube. 2.Furling lines jammed in drum due to riding turns. Resolve by slightly tensioning furling line when paying out headsail.

 

[Caspurr]

The issue has returned. It seems the connection to the top of the furler is hitting the halyard when rotating.
Is there a way to adjust the furler down lowering the tack connection for the jib an inch or 2?