Has anyone installed a Shaefer Snapfurl system on thier 222? What is needed beyond the furler, the headsail and the fair leads. my boat never had a furler installed but the fairleads were already there. I have read the snapfurl instructions and don't believe the headstay will require mods but what beyond the #5 luff tape and UV protection for the sail? I'm thinking I may get one of the CF-500s for my B day:dance:! Is it worthwhile to modify my hank on jib for this new application or just look for a genoa ready made? If I've gotta go with an alternative to mine being modified it'll be well after Christmas before I can come up with the bucks!
experiences with Snapfurl install on 222?
- Thread starter Zoomie
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Zoomie,
If your mast has a tang for your forestay, the furler will work. If however, your mast has slots for T Ball fittings as mine did, they recommend that you use a toggle fitting and install the tang for the forestay.
http://www.furling.com/pdfs/CF-500InstallationManual.pdf
I just installed the snapfurl on my boat this summer and love it. I have the z spar mast with the t ball fitting and it works fine. I believe the toggle they are talking about is the bottom fitting. There were no mods on the boat that I had to make. I installed it with the mast up and it went really easy. My boat used the stock small boat furler that just furled the sail around it's luff wire, sail was made for this type of furler. It worked ok in light winds, but in stronger winds the top of the sail wouldn't furl. The snapfurl has worked perfectly in all conditions so far. I had just bought a new jib from Neil Pryde set up for the old furler, so I had a local sail loft change the luff wire to no. 5 luff tape and to remove the eyes and add straps to attach to the drum and swivel. My sail allready had uv protection and I think it cost around $150. If you have the fair leads on the deck already, they might be in the correct place, if the line enters the drum at the wrong angle, scheafer makes a fairlead that bolts to the drum, defender sells them. I ordred the fairlead in case I needed it and just installed it. It seems to help keep the line from tangling at the drum. I highly recomend the scheafer snapfurl, I think you will be pleased with it.
Jonrod,
There's no question that your furler is going to work on your Z-Spar Mast with slots for T Ball fittings. The big question will be, how long will your mast stay up after the T Ball fitting breaks at the mast. I think that you'll find that all roller furler manufacturers recommend toggles on both ends of the fore stay. Don't take a chance Jon. When that mast comes down, it's going to come down fast and right into the cockpit. You or a family member could get hit with it. Buy a Dwyer tang for about $12 and have a new marine toggle fitting swaged on your forestay and be safe.
Joe
The wall thickness of the z spar mast is thinner than a dwyer mast that I also have. I would be more concerned of rivits or screws pulling out of the mast than the tball fitting breaking. I don't see how the loads on the fitting would be any different than a hanked on sail would be. The sail area is the same, the furler it self adds no load to the stay, the extrusion is flexible and as long as the tension of the stay is tight the pull on thet ball fitting is straight. I will be replacing all the standing rigging this winter so I will inspect it then for any unusual wear.
Jon,
There's six rivet holes in a Dwyer tang and there's no way the tang is going to pull out. I bought my tang off Rudy at D & R Marine and had him make up a marine fitting on my forestay. Then I raised my mast on my boat at home and temporarily attached my tang with the forestay connected, to make sure that I had it in the right place. I drilled the holes in the mast after I got it down, and brought my boat to Rudy's store. He riveted the tang on my mast with his Pneumatic rivet gun. All I can do is inform you about this. You can make the call.
There's six rivet holes in a Dwyer tang and there's no way the tang is going to pull out. I bought my tang off Rudy at D & R Marine and had him make up a marine fitting on my forestay. Then I raised my mast on my boat at home and temporarily attached my tang with the forestay connected, to make sure that I had it in the right place. I drilled the holes in the mast after I got it down, and brought my boat to Rudy's store. He riveted the tang on my mast with his Pneumatic rivet gun. All I can do is inform you about this. You can make the call.
My mast is the Dwyer version and the fairleads are routed down the Starboard side of the boat. is this the same side for the fairleads as ya'lls? Also Does this change the luff or leach length dimension for the headsail? Lastly, did you need to use the included halyard restrainer with our 7/8ths setup?
The fairleads are on the starboard side of the boat. As for the luff length, my sail didn't need shortening. They did want me to measure the length with the furler in its location to make sure. With the sail raised, I have 5 to 6 inches from the top of the stay. You have a different mast and sail so you should check. With my sail and where the halyard enters the mast, the angle is what they recommend, so I don't have the restainer in place right now, and no problems so far.
As for the t ball, I found some info on somebody with a hunter 26 that had a mast come down with a furler, us spar mast(z spar), and upper t ball. The problem he had was the weight of the furler and extrusion pulling the forestay to the side while trailering and raising the mast which distorted the fitting. It wasn't seated properly. He had contacted us spar and dwyer. Dwyer recommended for his size boat to use a t ball or a hound fitting. Us spar said they suggested a t ball or tang. Neither said any thing about the fitting breaking from stress. The tang would be more secure while raising the mast as a t ball could come unseated . Both companies also mentioned the importance of proper rig tension.
As for the t ball, I found some info on somebody with a hunter 26 that had a mast come down with a furler, us spar mast(z spar), and upper t ball. The problem he had was the weight of the furler and extrusion pulling the forestay to the side while trailering and raising the mast which distorted the fitting. It wasn't seated properly. He had contacted us spar and dwyer. Dwyer recommended for his size boat to use a t ball or a hound fitting. Us spar said they suggested a t ball or tang. Neither said any thing about the fitting breaking from stress. The tang would be more secure while raising the mast as a t ball could come unseated . Both companies also mentioned the importance of proper rig tension.
So should just have my hank-on jib converted or go with something larger and possibly used? Obviously, changing mine over appears to be the least expensive way to go. Also, my sails were recently cleaned by sailcare and they indicate I should get at least 5+ years out of them, They now look great!
If a sail loft can change your sail, it would definitely be cheaper. A new Neil pryde 110 jib is around $700 with shipping. I receive a catalog from The Sail Warehouse and they list sails for the 222, including a 150% head sail at good prices. They also have a web site, www.thesailwarehouse.com .
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