I have a 2000 B331, and I am looking to replace the in-mast furling, in-haul line. I’m unsure of the dimensions. Should it be a 6 mm or 8 mm?
In-mast furling
- Thread starter Boomtown
- Start date
My owners manual shows specs of 8 mm for the inhaul line & 10mm for the outhaul line.
Don't ask me why the inhaul line is 8mm & the outhaul is 10mm. Makes no sense to me!
Think about wind in the main sail.
When furling, with 8mm, the sail area is smaller and smaller.
When unfurling, with 10mm, the Sail is bigger and bigger.
Jim...
Thanks all for the input. Bigger is better, but I think the 8 mm is sized such that it won’t bind the furling worm-gear. Unfortunately it’s too small to self tail in my winch, so it adds a slight complication, when I’m single crewing. Not really a big deal. Now I have to change the damn thing and I understand I have to remove the sail to do that, I’ll let you know how it goes after I become an expert! Thanks again.
Boom, my thought exactly that the 8mm line is sized for the worm gear.
Yes, unfortunately you will have to remove the mainsail.
Be extra careful when removing the housing / frame that attaches the furler to the mast. There are two small, threaded, stainless steel backing plates on the inside of the mast that facilitate attachment of the furler to the mast. Apparently, they are held in place with a weak adhesive. If they fall inside the mast, you are going to have one hell of a time retrieving it. (Don't ask me how I know) Once the hex head screws are removed, you can tie the backing plates to the mast with a narrow diameter wire or string. I used JB Weld to reattach the plates. US Spars offers a rebuild service to replace the line and provide bearing service at a cost of approximately $200. My opinion is that if you have the skills to remove & reinstall the furler, you can certainly rebuild it yourself for the cost of the replacement furling line ($40). Be sure to disassemble & clean the bearings in a baking pan with raised sides or you will be chasing bearings; they are not held in place by a fixed bearing race. No grease upon reassembly of the bearings. Finally, after reinstalling the furler, make sure to spray the mainsail luff tape with Sailkote dry lubricant to ease installing & raising the main. Two people definitely helps. Good luck.
Our 323 manual specifies 10 mm for both inhaul and outhaul but, when replacing, I used 10 mm for outhaul and 8 mm for inhaul somewhat accidentally. Seems "about right" and I don't plan to replace the inhaul line anytime soon. Odd that the 331 manual doesn't seem to include any running rigging specs... The 323 manual has a table of all of them in case helpful. You have this instruction sheet hopefully?
Josh,
Go figure....my 343 spec sheet recommends 8mm line for the inhaul & 10mm for the outhaul. Would be willing to bet that both boats have same furler, so why the difference in recommended line sizes from one boat to another. Personally, I don't think that 2mm, one way or the other, makes any difference; however, the larger diameter line is a bit more comfortable in hand.
One thing that I did to prevent the inhaul line from rubbing on the aluminum cover / guard that covers the worm gear is to place a couple of washers between the guard & frame, in effect raising the guard a bit, to provide a more clearance between the in haul line and the inside surface of the guard. It's well documented that as the line ages, it swells a bit and rubs on the inside of the cover/guard, inducing friction & more difficulty furling the sail. Still have to disassemble the furler every few years to clean bearings; that is a good opportunity to replace the line.