A very difficult furling main

[Les]

I have a new (2009 model) Hunter 27 with a furling main and jib. Since delivery we have had a difficult time unfurling and furling the main. It can be done only with the winch and that is difficult at best. The boat came with a US Spar which seems to be standard equipment for Beneteau and some of the smaller Hunters. It is a B & R rig with no backstay. (I previously owned a Hunter 380 with an excellent furling main)

I have tried loosening the Vang, loosening or tightening the topping lift, loosening the main sheet, releasing all locking gear (roller furling and outhaul), and have used Sailkote on all slides and blocks. The main halyard is tight as required by the spar manufacturer. And, yes, I do come into the wind to unfurl and furl.

The dealer is working on the problem. I have contacted US Spar but have not yet received a reply.

I am curious if any other Hunter 27 or Beneteaus have had problems. Also are their any suggestions that come to your mind.

Thanks much. Les

 

[mcaswell]

My boat is older, but has a Z-spars (US Spars) furling main as yours does. I too had difficulty unfurling the main, having to use a winch to get it to come out. I solved the problem by dropping the main, rinsing/lubricating the bearings, and changing out the furling line. Once I did this, the sail came out much more freely.

These things apparently need to be done regularly... I did it a year ago, and it worked great for the rest of the Summer and Fall, but it's being difficult again. In particular, the furling line seems to have stiffened... when unfurling, the furling line (which winds up on the spiral drum) "jumps the track" in the drum, preventing the rotation. So, the past few times I've gone out, I've had to use a boothook to guide the furling line at first. I'll be replacing the line again this weekend.

--Michael

 

[Rick Belew]

I have had two Hunter boats with furling main and the two thinks that has help me is first raise the end of boom until you can visibly see the bottom of the sail is not rolling up on itself. You should be able to see a under wrap/over wrap (telescoping) of maybe ¼ to 3/8 of an inch. That seam is thicker than the rest of sail and if it rolls over itself the thickness will bind internally in the mast. The second solution is insure tension on the out haul line as you roll the sail in. The sail should have a tight roll in the mast. Most booms appear to have a upward angle of approximately 3 to 5 degrees. The topping lift can change the angle to optimize. I hope this helps.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Instead of the costly replacement of line, why not just wash it? We've also found that line "expands" as it ages, so maybe going DOWN one slight size will keep it from binding.

 

[Scott B]

Who tensioned the main halyard and to what spec? I found last year that I had too much tension on the halyard it was more difficult to furl. I eased back a little and it helped considerably.

 

[Deadline]

Good advice all around.
Always important to refurl and ex-furl while facing into the wind.
Hold the universal line like a horse's reins and tug on it each side as it unfurls.
That will ensure it doesn't get "fat" in the mast while pulling it out in the bargain.

 

[Les]

Thanks all. Good advice. I'm saving this thread and will try all your suggestions that I haven't already done. An interesting one came from another list--that of re-cutting my main sail. Some sail maker said that was my problem. Never heard that one before.

Thanks again for the good ideas.

 

[Scott B]

Thanks all. Good advice. I'm saving this thread and will try all your suggestions that I haven't already done. An interesting one came from another list--that of re-cutting my main sail. Some sail maker said that was my problem. Never heard that one before.

Thanks again for the good ideas.

I don't buy having to re-cut the main on a brand new boat, lots and lots of these boats out the door without issues. Has to be something to do with the way the boat has been rigged or set up. Your dealer should be resolving this if he was the one that commisioned the boat.

 

[seadaddler]

Hunter

Have you called Hunter to see if any other boats like yours are having a problem,this is a new boat and should not need any changes unless a defect of some sort.
I would try some of already mentioned adjustments but not any cutting or replacing until you talk to hunter or furling manufactor.
Our selden roller furlings are different than yours and may need to make some adjustments of halyard or other to solve the problem.
Nick

 

[Mulf]

Another thing to check....

I have a Selden mast, but one thing I found is that the placement of the stop on the slot on the top of the boom to keep the furling line car from going forward to the mast needs to be back enough that the first pulls on the furled sail are more back than down. I moved this stop forward one winter to put a cover over the boom, and forgot in the spring. It took me hours to realize I'd left that stop too far forward.

 

[mcaswell]

Instead of the costly replacement of line, why not just wash it? We've also found that line "expands" as it ages, so maybe going DOWN one slight size will keep it from binding.

Interesting... I didn't know that line could be "unstiffened" by washing it. I'll give that a try. Any specific product to use, or just a good rinse with water?

Also, the line definitely does swell, causing binding as it wraps around the drum... the spec is 8mm (or 5/16) line, but perhaps 1/4 would work better.

--Michael