Headsail furling line

[Joe Wienecke]

I have a 2005 41 DS with a Furlex 300 headsail furler. I know the furling line is 1/4 but am not sure of the material or Brand.

I need to replace this line. It is a 1/4 black specked line. Does anyone know the material and brand Hunter used . Looking at WM I see no black specked lines.

I am thinking about 3 options if I cannot find the same line.
T-900 6mm
VPC hybrid 6mm
or Sta-set x parallel core braid 1/4
If anyone has the used any of these for a headsail furling line how they work would be helpful. Thanks

 

[Justin_NSA]

odd, I searched thru the manual and didn't see any info on thickness or type of furling line. 1/4' seems thin, but it has to wind up in the drum. I once tried to de-core some thicker line on my Mac's CDI furler but I started with too thick and it wouldn't wind up. Still a good idea though. I would think any double braided Dacron will work.
http://sailing.mit.edu/wikiupload/0/0b/Furlex_200S_Furler.pdf

 

[Stu Jackson]

Sta-set x parallel core braid 1/4

Absolutely the worst line, ever. For this and any other application. It is stiff, remains stiff, has a horrible "hand" and will bunch up on your furler drum, in a bad way. Don't even think about using it.

Stay Set (regular) is very good for a furling line.

1/4" sounds horribly undersized for a boat your size.

I use 3/8" on our 34 footer with a ProFurl.

 

[jwieneck]

odd, I searched thru the manual and didn't see any info on thickness or type of furling line. 1/4' seems thin, but it has to wind up in the drum. I once tried to de-core some thicker line on my Mac's CDI furler but I started with too thick and it wouldn't wind up. Still a good idea though. I would think any double braided Dacron will work.
http://sailing.mit.edu/wikiupload/0/0b/Furlex_200S_Furler.pdf

The Furlex 300 series does requir de-coring the furling line it is held by a compression screw and plate. The current line is 1/4 more than likely because of the amount of line that goes on the drum. I looked all over the Selden web page and there is nothing referring to line size or material.

 

[jwieneck]

Thanks for the feedback I selected it because of the low stretch but will take it off the list. This Furler dosen't allow for a de-cored line so the 1/4 is what came on the boat. I would like to go bigger but the drum will not handle that much line.

 

[jwieneck]

By the way the system has me with two different boat pictures and profile -- strange

 

[Ward H]

When I called a Furlex dealer about line for my Furlex 100 furler, they said to use any yacht braid. I couldn't find a direct match for my black specked original line.
Do you really need low stretch for the furling line? Can you see the drum turning when you have the jib reefed down a bit? Just curious.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Thanks for the feedback I selected it because of the low stretch but will take it off the list. This Furler dosen't allow for a de-cored line so the 1/4 is what came on the boat. I would like to go bigger but the drum will not handle that much line.

If you want thicker line to handle from the cockpit, you only de-core enough line that needs to roll up into the drum when the headsail is fully furled. The remainder need not be de-cored giving you thicker line to handle.

 

[Joe]

The theory behind using the de cored cover, rather than a cover stripped core, is to encourage a flat profile in the drum... If you prefer the strength of the core... strip off the cover section of line that will go in the drum and not be handled or cleated.. There's a simple splice you can perform to tuck the cover into the core... making what is called a taper. A 3/8" double braid line has a 1/4 " core. You can purchase double braid such as Samson MXL that has a UV coated core...
Oops, I just realized my comments repeats what Justin NSA just posted... sorry...

 

[Justin_NSA]

You did good Joe. Much more informative than my post.

 

[Joe Wienecke]

The furlex 300 series will not except de-cored line. The way it is held in place is with a screw pinching the line between two plates. If I de-core the line then there is not much line mass between the two plates. When I have the sail totally unfurled I still have 3 to 5 wraps around the drum but I am afraid the line between the compression plates would possibly pull out.

I was looking for low stretch so that when in heavier air the line would not stretch so much that I did not have 2 to 4 wraps around the drum. But I think I have found a line. A buddy found a company online that may fit the bill. I will update for others if this company and line works. Thanks for the feedback and information.