"Coring" line advice

Tim R. · Jun 14, 2012

Why no open up the braid where you want to cut the core and then pull it out? A good fiddle or marlinspike should allow you to pull out a loop through the braid once opened up.

xcyz · Jun 14, 2012

Doing this I think is a great idea but I haven't done it myself. I just went to my stash of extra lines at home and tried to open the line and remove the core and found it difficult at best. It seemed to not only pull the core but the casing as well. I then tried the other method by pulling the casing over itself as you described and it was much easier. I think the line material will have a lot to do with the method one is successful with.

navigator97 · Jun 14, 2012

Why not use a slightly smaller braided line, or re-estimate the length that you actually need on the drum? Most drums end up with too much line on them when the jib is out. Check the drum to see how much line is remaining on the drum when jib is fully furled?

Steve Dion · Jun 14, 2012

navigator97 said:
Why not use a slightly smaller braided line, or re-estimate the length that you actually need on the drum? Most drums end up with too much line on them when the jib is out. Check the drum to see how much line is remaining on the drum when jib is fully furled?

That makes more sense to me too.

tommays · Jun 14, 2012

On my 29' with a Profurl all i can fit is 1/4 " and with a 2500# rating for basic line it is plenty strong

IF you pull the core or cover you would drop well below this # anyway

Bob S · Jun 14, 2012

I just bought it already cored from Defender.

RichH · Jun 14, 2012

Tim R. said:
Why no open up the braid where you want to cut the core and then pull it out? A good fiddle or marlinspike should allow you to pull out a loop through the braid once opened up.

Tim's advice is the probable best recommendation. Remove the core where the line wont be touched with your hands, this will leave a 'fatter' rope in the section where your hands do hold/pull the rope. A 'fatter' rope will have less potential to injure your hands, especially good when you have to furl/reef in high winds; imagine pulling on that line in those conditions ... with a 'string'. A 'de-cored' line will also have less potential to jam or 'overlap' inside the furling drum because it rolls-up 'tighter'.

Another tip for 'safer' roller reefing is to use a harken 'hexaratchet' to control the furling line as it pays-out when unfurling when the jib/genoa is under load. A hexaratchet applies friction as the line pays out - the amount of friction is determined by how much pressure you use to 'tail' the line as it pays out, no friction as you 'pull in' the line. http://www.harkenstore.com/uniface....?CATALOG=409Z56LC7FV66&CATEGORY=409Z56LC5373M

Steve_Catalina · Jun 14, 2012

fox islander said:
Good morning everyone,
I'm replacing my furler line and in order to get more space on the drum I've decided to remove 20' of core from the 60' 5/16" line as recommended by Hood. My question is should the cover be simply slid back on the core (this became difficult on a test piece of line as it soon bunched up), or should the cover be turned inside-out and pulled, similar I guess to removing a sock? The West Marine rigging shop wants a week to do it.
I'd appreciate any advice...

Thanks

Fox,

I just installed an Hood 808 furler. 20' from the end of the double braid I bent the line in half and slightly bunched the cord. This allowed me to seperate the strands of the outer core and pull out the inner core, which I then cut off.

thinwater · Jun 14, 2012

Two things:

1. It's Flat. A de-cored rope (cover only) set flatter on the drum and can give better reefing performance (less shifting). Furling it makes less difference.
2. New vs. Old Rope. Splicing or de-coring old rope is MUCH more difficult than with new rope. I doubt you will have difficulty with new rope. If you MUST spile old rope, gently working in some fabric softener helps, but it may still be very tough.

Joe · Jun 15, 2012

Don't milk the cover back to remove the core.... bend the line where you want to cut, dig the core out with an awl or ice pick and remove the part you want to discard.... cut with hot knife, or cut and seal the remaining end with a small torch so it won't unravel.... pull the cover back over the core.... LOCK stitch the remaining core inside the cover....at least 5 or 6 pairs of stiches at right angles to each other... then seal the remaining cover only end with a hot knife or small torch.

Albanach · Jun 16, 2012

RichH

"Another tip for 'safer' roller reefing is to use a harken 'hexaratchet' to control the furling line as it pays-out when unfurling when the jib/genoa is under load. A hexaratchet applies friction as the line pays out - the amount of friction is determined by how much pressure you use to 'tail' the line as it pays out, no friction as you 'pull in' the line."

Would these blocks, in your opinion, also assist with furling? Either single or in tandem? About 2 years ago I got 2 fingers on each hand caught in a mooring line in high winds and cracked 3 of them. I recently discovered, in about 25 kt breeze, that I can still only pull ropes with 3 fingers short and found it hard to furl the genoa, even though headed into the wind. Had to use the winch somewhat in the end.