CDI Roller Furling

[Neil King]

I recently purchased a '94 Hunter 26 that has CDI roller furling jib. The turnbuckle that adjusts it is located under the roller drum, which slides up the flat luff piece holding the jib. The turnbuckle is a solid tubular piece threaded at both ends with a small hole drilled through the middle. There aren't any pins, nuts or clips any where on the turnbuckle. Can it un-screw when the roller is operated to furl? Should there be lock nuts installed at either end of the turnbuckle? (This is probably Question #1 of about 1.9 million more to come).

 

[Ron]

Lock Nut

I have same year and boat and CDI furler. Can't look right now, but I think there is at least one lock nut on the turnbuckle - maybe two. Certainly can't hurt having these there since the forestay is critical to the rigging. However, the furler rotates around the forestay and doesn't really twist it, so there is no constant twisting motion to unscrew the turnbuckle. A nut on both ends provides safety and piece of mind. Good Luck.

 

[Andy]

Lock nuts-Yes

Your turnbuckles should definitelybe locked,--It was good that you spotted this. Andy, S/V Super-K

 

[Charlie]

Mine has

a cotter pin in each hole. I often worried about the turnbuckle, as there can be a heavey load on the furler from time to time. The pins keep the turnbuckle from turning.Good find - could have been a demasting!

 

[Ray Bowles]

Neil, Lock nuts or pins are required for any...

turn buckle or other device that allows adjustable tension or length. My 95 H26 also has a CDI that was installed and replaces the original forstay line. When tuning my rigging this spring (we bought the boat late last year)I found that the previous owner had just used a convenient hole on the front forstay rigging plate to mount the furler. As a result the mast rake and tension were totally out of whack. When you have a chance to check out your mast tuning this should be considered. Your attention to details has really paid off. Enjoy your well earned sailing time.Ray & Marias/v Speedy

 

[T J Furstenau]

Found out the hard way

My CDI has holes for cotter pins drilled in the threaded shafts running into the turnbuckle. When the previous owner of my '94 H26 had the CDI installed, the rigger failed to insert cotter pins. And I, being new to roller furling, failed to realize that I needed to look for them. I found out the hard way at the end of last season, when the turnbuckle had spun itself enough that one end went free. I'm sure you can picture what happened next, fortunately no one was injured. Now with a new mast and boom, and a better understanding of how this particular furler works, I wouldn't go out without some mechanism to lock the turnbuckle. And it is now on my list of items to check regularly through the season.T J