Setting the boat up for my first sail with her, we can not get the furler right. I will unfurl, but will not furl back. It seems as I pull from the cockpit, it is binding. There is no helyard wrap. Can I sail the boat without the furler? thanks for any help. d
2008 Hood Furler
- Thread starter troutsmoustang
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If you remove or loosen the furler line, can you refurl by turning the drum by hand? If so, see if the line is binding somewhere as you pull. If the drum binds, my Harken manual suggests ensuring the forestay is tight enough - maybe the Hood is similar.
look up at the top of the furler to make sure any additional halyards or jib halyard are not catching in the top of the sail. What ever you do, stop and find the issue first. I have seen where the furlers were pulled so hard that the forestay was bent and in several cases failed over the years and masts fell.
The other is of course making sure that the sail is not loose nor overtightened in the furler. If you still cannot find or resolve the issue, take the mast down and inspect the furler as it could be also in the attachment or set up of the bottom furler.
crazy dave condon
The other is of course making sure that the sail is not loose nor overtightened in the furler. If you still cannot find or resolve the issue, take the mast down and inspect the furler as it could be also in the attachment or set up of the bottom furler.
crazy dave condon
The furling line on a new H25 should come from the furler, through a guide on one of the stancions and then back to the cockpit. My boat was set up with the line also threaded through the middle of the cleat by the winch. With the line going through the cleat, it is quite difficult to furl. Even with no lines fouled or stuck, the first bit of pull takes quite a lot of effort on the hood furler. Once you get it started moving, it winds up quite easily. I am assuming you are trying to furl without the sail full of wind. If the sail is loaded, the furler isn't going to get it done.
The other thing about the hood furler is that the chrome fingers on the roller of the furler (I don't have any idea what they are really called) need to have the line coming out from between two fingers straight back to the line guide. The line should not touch either finger but be between two of them. It is easy to just unthread the line and put it back where it belongs after raising the mast if you happen to get in twisted in that process.
The last thing, is that furler is set up with a 1/4 inch line. If yours has larger diameter line, that might cause an issue.
Best of Luck.
The other thing about the hood furler is that the chrome fingers on the roller of the furler (I don't have any idea what they are really called) need to have the line coming out from between two fingers straight back to the line guide. The line should not touch either finger but be between two of them. It is easy to just unthread the line and put it back where it belongs after raising the mast if you happen to get in twisted in that process.
The last thing, is that furler is set up with a 1/4 inch line. If yours has larger diameter line, that might cause an issue.
Best of Luck.
By the way, if the forestay needs adjusting, there is an adjuster inside the bottom of the furler. You have to remove the phillips screws on the cover to get to it. If you attempt to adjust the forstay, tie the main halyard off to the anchor locker eyebolt to secure the mast while working on the forstay. Tie the other end of the main halyard off as well. I usually just tie mine off to the winch after locking the cam lock.
thanks for all of the information. I have a lot of play in the furler, and I think the first thing I am going to do it tighten the stay. It unwinds great, but when I try to wind it, the whole furler pulls toward the cockpit. ds
JC, do you have a picture of the line guide. I do not think that my boat has any. The line runs free back to the cockpit. I do use the cleat for it. thanks again for any help!
I am confused as mention to a Hunter 25 which has not been made in years/. Is this a Hunter 216 and if so, please email a photo of the furler to me at davecondon@mindspring.com so i can see what I am looking at.
crazy dave condon
crazy dave condon
will do CDC! It is a newer model 25 (Glen Henderson). I will email you the picture of the furler and set up. thanks again. ds
I sure goofed due to brain retardation I guess. Hunter did build a newer trailerable 25 for some years and I sold some of them. Sorry guys, I was wrong about that. When I get the photo, I will try to help. I have always liked the CDI system for symplicity of setting up and using. Also it gives an advantage of freeing the jib halyard for mast raising. I do know the hood system is two halves I believe married together when assembled which move when putting up/down the mast.
crazy dave condon
crazy dave condon
I don't have a photo, but it is like this one.
www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|77896|314167&id=107663
It sounds like you need to get rigging tensioned correctly. Mine is so tight that you have to use the main sheet once you raise the mast to be able to attach the fuller at the bow. I making the assumption here that you have stepped the mast using the main sheet attached in the anchor locker. If you are not having to pull it with the main sheet to attach, then it is too loose, which might cause the issue.
Here is a link to the furled that came on my boat.
http://www.hoodyachtsystems.com/seaflex.htm
www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|77896|314167&id=107663
It sounds like you need to get rigging tensioned correctly. Mine is so tight that you have to use the main sheet once you raise the mast to be able to attach the fuller at the bow. I making the assumption here that you have stepped the mast using the main sheet attached in the anchor locker. If you are not having to pull it with the main sheet to attach, then it is too loose, which might cause the issue.
Here is a link to the furled that came on my boat.
http://www.hoodyachtsystems.com/seaflex.htm
thanks for all the help. I did tighten the forestay as much as I could and it it workable now. I still need to tighten it a little more I think. any suggestions? ds
took her out, and the furler still sags some. I used some wire and pulled the furler toward the bow, and it worked better. Can I pin the furler in the first hold? would that put more pressure on the forestay. I have tighten the forestay as much as allowed from the bottom? any help would be appreciated. ds
If you have tightened the forstay adjuster all the way and still have slack, my bet is that your shrouds are not adjusted properly. Adjusting the shrouds will create more tension on the forestay. I would need to look at my boat to see which hole the furler is pinned to. It has been a while since I had my mast down.
On my 23, I tighten the uppers first, using a long tape measure pulled up with the main halyard to get the length from the top of the mast to each chain plate even - that is, to center the mast. Once these are the proper tightness and centered I do the lowers. I don't have a gauge, so I just tighten them by feel, so I can pull the stay maybe 1/2 inch - who knows if I am right, though? Then I do the lowers by feel, and sighting up the main mast groove to make sure it is straight - you can pull the center of the mast sideways with the lowers so it doesn't curve.
I can't recall how mine pins at the bottom, but assuming you have two attachment points, one for the stay and one for the jib tack if you didn't have the furler, try using the one that is a further distance from the masthead if not already using it - that would allow you to tighten the stay more. On mine, I can twist the drum assembly until it gets pretty tight and am not nearly all the way in the threads.
I can't recall how mine pins at the bottom, but assuming you have two attachment points, one for the stay and one for the jib tack if you didn't have the furler, try using the one that is a further distance from the masthead if not already using it - that would allow you to tighten the stay more. On mine, I can twist the drum assembly until it gets pretty tight and am not nearly all the way in the threads.
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