Need help on repair/replacement of jib roller furl

[D. Wesley Fowler]

My wife and I went for a sail on our 1988 26.5 Hunter the day after a recent front blew through. The windspeed was 18-20 and gusting so I had furled my jib in slightly to adjust. Shortly afterward as we were on a close reach something suddenly "snapped".We quickly discovered that the foresail had broken from where it connects to the front of the mast (fractional rig)and had fallen leeward into the water. After much fear and frantic work we rigged an emergency stay and lashed what was left of the roller furler to the lifeline, then headed inward. I don't know what direction to go from here in order to get everything repaired and was hoping that there were others out there that could give me some advice on where to start. I have no idea if the mast needs replacement because of the damage done to it where the rivets popped out or even where to look for a new roller furler. Also, are there any recommendations of a good business that may deal with these kinds of damages to estimate costs, downtime, boat repair yards, etc?I can be reached at www.d.wes.fowler@exxonmobil.com. Thanks much for any help you can afford, we would like to get back undersail as soon as possible! Wesley Fowler

 

[Steve Dion]

First thing is to contact your ins. co.

Contact your insurance company and see what type of coverage you have. There will be a deductible but depending on what needs to be done it could easily exceed your deductible amount. Any rigger should be able to give you some help on the repairs. If you need a new mast, don't expect to be sailing for SEVERAL weeks or longer.

 

[Robert Dean]

Broken Parts

Mr Fowler,You need to be more specific as to just what broke.Not familiar with the term "foresail" rigging attached to the mast.The main rigging line from the bow to the fractional connect on the mast is usually called the forestay. It this is what broke, the mast could have come down.The head sail is usually attached to a jib halyard that is usually attached to the mast with a pulley.Is it this headsail or jib halyard pulley attachment that broke ??As I read your message again it sounds like the forestay stainless steel cable did in fact actually failed but the mast stayed up. Is this correct??BD

 

[Doug T.]

Yes, what broke, exactly?

The wire's not likely to "snap" -- it would "twang"! Also, you mention rivets... Was it the tang that parted from the mast?Pulling the rivets out of the holes shouldn't harm the structural integrity of the mast. The mast can stand to have some hole in it, just not too many, too large, in one spot.However, you might have to use larger rivets or more rivets when you reattach the tang.As far as other damage: release the tension on all the stays and shrouds and sight along the mast and look for bends. Is it a deck stepped mast or a keel step mast? Did it sway around a lot when the forestay parted? If it canted backward you may have deck damage. It should be easy to spot.There are dozens of places to buy roller furlers, on-line and in the store. You can do some simple searches on he web to hunt them down.Still..... you should probably hire a rigger to look things over and make recommendations.