Hello all,
A new-to-me Hunter 38's mainsail was difficult to unfurl and furl. My after-purchase rigger found the cause of the problem.
There is a spindle at the top of the mast that is riveted to the top end of the foil. The spindle connects to the masthead and contains bearings that assist in foil rotation. On my Hunter the rivets were broken which allowed the spindle to separate in half. (Too much halyard tension? Too tight of an adjustment at the bottom of the foil? Screw holding cover in place at the bottom of the foil not seated allowing bottom adjustment to tighten?)
When unfurling, the foil pulled against the mast slot binding up the sail. I noticed the difficulty during the trial but wrote it off to being unfamiliar with the furling system.
I had a rigging inspection. Paid money for it. It passed with only a few minor concerns. No mention of the broken spindle. So no way to demand repairs by the seller during the purchase process. The mast had to be unstepped to replace the spindle.
When I spoke with the inspection rigger, he did not say he went up the mast, only that the sail pulled out ok. The broker wasn't there for the survey. Should the inspector have gone up the mast? Should the broker have told me the inspection doesn't include going up the mast?
A new-to-me Hunter 38's mainsail was difficult to unfurl and furl. My after-purchase rigger found the cause of the problem.
There is a spindle at the top of the mast that is riveted to the top end of the foil. The spindle connects to the masthead and contains bearings that assist in foil rotation. On my Hunter the rivets were broken which allowed the spindle to separate in half. (Too much halyard tension? Too tight of an adjustment at the bottom of the foil? Screw holding cover in place at the bottom of the foil not seated allowing bottom adjustment to tighten?)
When unfurling, the foil pulled against the mast slot binding up the sail. I noticed the difficulty during the trial but wrote it off to being unfamiliar with the furling system.
I had a rigging inspection. Paid money for it. It passed with only a few minor concerns. No mention of the broken spindle. So no way to demand repairs by the seller during the purchase process. The mast had to be unstepped to replace the spindle.
When I spoke with the inspection rigger, he did not say he went up the mast, only that the sail pulled out ok. The broker wasn't there for the survey. Should the inspector have gone up the mast? Should the broker have told me the inspection doesn't include going up the mast?
