This is the system that is used on my H170. It does not allow you to take the jib down without dropping the mast. I have not seen the hoistable swivel that you reference.
roller furling for a 23
- Thread starter GREGP
- Start date
You can buy just the parts for the upper swivel and the drum without the hoistable swivel to save some money. But for a little more money, you can buy the whole kit, which includes a hoistable swivel and a "tang" for you lash the sail on at the tack. With the hoistable swivel on the forestay, you can raise or lower the sail without removing the headstay.
Lots of small racing boats use a similar system. It's lightweight and low windage compared to a furler with a rigid foil. It allows you to quickly furl up the jib. However, this system does not allow you to reef the headsail the way a furler with a rigid foil does. You have to use it fully unrolled or furl it.
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So then, when using the hoistable swivel, you actually are using 2 upper swivels at the same time? One swivel on the stay & a second on the halyard? I'm not picturing how this can work. I am thinking that the halyard would get wrapped up in the sail or around the stay as the stay turns & the sail wraps around the stay. I must not be envisioning the proper configuration.
I don't know about these smaller furlers but on my 23 Harken the upper swivel is two attached pieces that swivel against each other via bearings. The halyard pulls the upper part up the foil and the jib head is shackled to the lower part. The upper part is held from swiveling by the tension and angle of the halyard. As you furl or unfurl the sail, the attached foil spins the lower half, rotating against the fixed upper half via the bearings.