furling jib sticking

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Jerry

I have a furling jib that seams to give me problems when I try to let it out or roll it back up. It will only come out half way. I tried unwrapping it manually and pulling in the lines to roll it back up, but when I set sail and try to let out my jib it continues to stick. It is a 87 hunter 31 and I do not have the manual that came with it...Any suggestions? Thanks Jerry
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Clean the bearings out.

Jerry: I do not know what brand of furler that you have but it has been recommended that you flush out the bearings with Carb Cleaner. The can comes with one of those snorkels that you can use to spray into the bearing assembly. Let it soak for 20-30 min. and then flush with a lot of water. To keep it clean you should flush with high pressure water every time you wash the boat down. Keep the dirt and bugs from building up. You may also want to check the furler line where it enters the furler (the start of the line) If you have recently replaced this line they are sometimes not flat enough where the knot attaches to the housing and causes some binding .
 
R

R.W.Landau

Halyard

Jerry, Is your halyard turning also? If it is I would install a halyard restrainer on the mast. This keeps the halyard from wrapping. If you need more info just ask. r.w.landau
 
J

Jack Bollinger

Hello Jerry, I had the same problem on my Catalina 30. The line was causing the furler to jam. Every time I used it the line would bind inside the guides on the furling drum. I replaced the old line with new line that was one size smaller, I went from 5/16 to 1/4 Dia. it has worked perfectly ever since, I think it cost about $40.00. Best of luck Jack
 
B

Bill O'Donovan

Two ideas

1. Smaller line sounds like an inexpensive way to troubleshoot a solution. 2. Beware if the halyard is indeed twisting. That suggests the entire forestay is twisting, which could result in failure and consequent dismasting.
 
D

Don Evans

Same Problem

I had not set up my RF well and had similar sticking. I agree with RW and Jack, and I added a halyard restrainer at the mast top and went from a 1/4 to 3/16 line. Reducing the diameter allowed more room on the drum for the line to wind without it pinching itself. Also check the drum line feed angle to make sure it has a fairlead onto the drum. You may want to play with attaching a block to your pulpit stanchions to lead the line onto the drum. Don
 
D

Don

sticking RF

Jerry, I had the same problem and found my solution in the archives. Lessen the tension on the halyard. I loosened mine about 1", no more sticking!! Good luck. Don
 
L

Larry W.

sticky furling

Jerry; Try squirting liquid dishwashing detergent into the lower bearings. When rolling the sail out, make sure you control the furling line with a little tension so it won't wrap on itself, and ease the halyard when rolling in both directions. Lube up all blocks and fairleads. If none of these get it, the problem is most likely at the top of the furler. Best of luck.
 
L

Les Murray

Same problem, different solution

My furling jib used to stick. It was caused by the halyard wrapping around the forestay, due to the halyard being too far above the furling drum. I added a short piece of wire line that came with the furling unit to the top of the sail where it connects to the upper drum. This put the halyard at a more perpendicular angle and prevented the whole upper unit from twisting. Les Murray s/v Ceilidh 86 C-36 #560
 
Jul 1, 1998
3,062
Hunter Legend 35 Poulsbo/Semiahmoo WA
Couple Suggestions

The furler that came as standard equipment on your Hunter is a Hood Seafurl Linedrive, either the 810 or the smaller unit; probably the smaller one. Hood information is available at Pompette at the URL below. Flushing the drum: this should be done every time you come back; however, with the drum below decks it is difficult to get at. If you spray water in the chain locker it'll most likely go into the V-berth underneath. The chain locker pan is not sealed under the deck and this is where stray water from squirting the drum enters. If the jib halyard is wraping around the swivel (upper unit) it may be possible to see this with a pair of binoculars. The swivel can also get stiff with lack of cleaning.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.