Head Sail Roller Furling

[CaptainJB]

I have a 2002 356 and have recently been finding the head sail roller furling very difficult to open or furl, seems to bind

I had the head sail off for some repairs and spent considerable time cleaning and lubricating the roller furling mechanism

Works very easily by hand.

Put the sail back up and it seems to bind

What am I missing?

 

[Benny]

Check your headstay tension for undue sagging. The foil spins best around a tout wire. Some boats will have a headstay tensioner under the drum. Perhaps a full rig tunning is in order.

 

[saltygator]

The bearing in the swivel may be going. Mine swivels great without any load on it, but when I tighten the halyard it binds up. Look up when it is binding and see if the halyard is trying to wrap around the head stay/foil.

 

[Warren Milberg]

Couple of things to check: have you lubed the bearings in the upper swivel too? And does is turn easily, either by hand (with no sail bent on) or with the sail bent on? Some upper swivels (i.e., on Hood and other furlers) have a plastic insert that deteriorates over time and may need replacement. Make your headsail halyard has the correct angle existing the mast to the upper swivel and that you do not create halyard wrap whenever you try to furl your sail. When you say "it works easily by hand" do you mean that you can turn the drum alone or the drum and the extrusion, too? In some furlers, each section of extrusion will have hard rubber or derlin connectors that wrap around the headstay and they, too, must turn. If your extrusion does not turn easily by hand with no sail on, the connectors need to be checked. Hope this helps.