D.I.Y. roller furling

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Mar 23, 2010
6
macgregor venture22 in water
just a quick question about making your own roller system, I understand the concept of the pvc pipe with a spool on the bottom but how is it supported, from the top or bottom? halyard is no longer needed right, thinking about tackling that this weekend
 

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
I haven't seen one, but from what someone said the forestay goes up inside of the pvc pipe and there are cutouts in the pipe and you hank on the sail at the notches in the pipe.

I would think you need a means of holding all of this down to the bottom of the forestay that will still allow the rotation. Also if I remember right I heard mention of attaching your halyard at the top also to something that also allows for the rotation. I guess if you made the whole thing exactly, or close to, the right length it couldn't ride up or down the forestay too far.

Now all of the above comes from reading different posts from different people some time back, so take it with a grain of salt.

I considered it, but we bit the bullet and spent the $450+ on a CDI and I think this is going to be a case where I'm glad we did. This is not to say someone can't make a homemade furler that works as they have. We also needed a new head sail and bought it to work with the new furler.

Hope you or someone posts some pictures and description of how they made their furler and how it has been working after say a year of use and such,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

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caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
I use a PVC cap with a hole the size of the forestay drilled though, then split with a Dremel tool so it snaps on. This sets on the cable furls and works as a bearing surface on the spool core that has a reducer on the union. Between the reducer and the union is the aluminum plate. I'll take some detailed pictures this weekend.
The Genoa is held on with 1/2'' zip ties.
I've had it on for 2 years and it works great.
 

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Apr 25, 2005
410
Macgregor Venture 25 My Backyard
I am the one that posted this a couple of years ago, and what I used to attach the top of the sail was I used the exsisting halyard, but I attached a slip fix to the top of the PVC pipe and drilled a hole through it and it acts like a swivel of sorts. The key to this is that you need to get the kind that you can take apart and pull the o-ring out of it so it will spin w/o resisting and it will furl and unfurl better. The brand to get is KBI and you should be able to find it at a good garden center or an irrigation supply house.

I will see if I have a picture somewhere. I like CAGuy's designwiththe aluminim barrel better than mine, but hey!! I came up with the idea. It is up to all of you to improve on it.

Good luck!!

Gregg





just a quick question about making your own roller system, I understand the concept of the pvc pipe with a spool on the bottom but how is it supported, from the top or bottom? halyard is no longer needed right, thinking about tackling that this weekend
 
Apr 25, 2005
410
Macgregor Venture 25 My Backyard
I forgot to answer the other question.... It is supported on the bottom by the quick release turn buckle on the forestay. The cap/plug rests on it and spins on it.
 

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
Thanks, you guys did good :),

Sum
 

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
Gregg9020 said:
Can you post or send me a detailed pic of the way you attached the sail to the pipe? As well as the mechanics from the top of the spool to the bottom.

I am thinking I need to redo mine, and toughen it up a bit. My pipe broke in half the last time out. I think it broke at one of the cutouts for the hanks.

THanks,

Gregg
To hold the zip ties in place I used small ss fairleads held on by small ss screws. I started tapping them and quickly realized that with the PVC the screws self tapped. I tried not to make the screws too long, I was concerned about chaffing the forestay.
Next time I would probably bore out the center of a 1" union and cut into rings that I could slide down the pipe and blue glue in place. I think only one placed below each of the 1/2'' zip ties would do. I would place the bottom ring above the bottom zip tie to maintain luff tension.
I put the whole thing together on the front lawn and stretched the luff by tying to tent stakes while I assembled the whole thing.
You may want to add half of a union at the top of the tube to strengthen the pipes edge, though I haven't seen any wear there at all.
I believe I used a 1 1/2'' union for the spool and shorten it on each end about 1/2'' so spool wasn't so wide. I then placed my aluminum plate on a 1 1/2'' to 1'' reducer and glued it to the shortened union. I did the same to make the bottom half of the spool and added another reducer that was just big enough to allow the forestay eye to pass through.
The whole assembly rest on a 1'' cap cut and drilled to snap onto the forestay as previously described.
Hint: I pre-assemble everything at the store picking and choosing parts as needed (that will save you a few trips to the store.) I had to buy a couple of 10' lengths of pipe and a 6' length to get the approximately 24' needed.
 
Oct 21, 2008
17
Macgregor 26D Silverdale, WA
Hello Most Excellent Mac Sailors,

My dad was always trying to accomplish stuff on the boat with PVC. It has many advantages you know. My dad's PVC projects were often somewhat sneered at by others in his boat club. He usually accomplished the mission though, be it shade or who knows what else. PVC was right next to duct tape as a problem solver for dad. Any way dad would have loved the PVC furler you all are talking about. He did come up with a roller stay that furls hank on head sails though. I have no idea where he got it (probably at a boat show). It seems to be the same concept as the PVC one discussed here. The main difference is there is no tube for the sail to wrap around. It just winds up around the stay which is part of the whole unit. I'm trying to attach pix and I think you can likely figure out how it attaches to the boat and how it works. I have tried to look it up online and as far as I can tell, I have the only one in existence. Has any one else ever seen or used one of these? It works great with our 150 Genny (the only stayed head sail we have) A big advantage over all the other furlers I have seen is that when you take down the mast you bag your sail and roll up the forestay / furler and stow it below. So, check out the pix and render an opinion.
 

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Apr 25, 2005
410
Macgregor Venture 25 My Backyard
Sum... If you search hank or furl, I posted a complete list and you too can buld one. It really makes a difference.

I wouldn't go on the SF Bay w/o it again. I never go to the foredeck to raise or drop sails in heavy seas. Much safer

Gregg
 
Oct 21, 2008
17
Macgregor 26D Silverdale, WA
Gregg9020

I can not find any where that sells this unit currently. I was able to find an install brochure at this link. http://www.longpassages.org/Documents/Mariner%20Installation%20Brochure.pdf

This brochure is dated 1991 so I don't know if the contact info is good any more.

By the way I did not picture one component of the roller-stay. It is a swivel attached to the mast that allows the forestay to rotate to furl and unfurl the sail.

Maybe if no one is making these any more we can get Sum to reverse engineer it and fabricate some. He looks to be pretty handy around the machine shop.
 

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country

...............Maybe if no one is making these any more we can get Sum to reverse engineer it and fabricate some. .............
He told me that he is retired :).

That is a nice looking unit. I wonder if they quit making/selling them as they have a lot of different components in them that might of driven the cost up over say something like the CDI. There isn't much to a CDI material/machining wise. I think we will like the CDI and it is one of the cheaper ones out there, but I'll bet there is a pretty hefty profit margin in making one.

c ya,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
Our Mac Pages
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