Hi there.
Haven't posted in awhile, but I have something important.
Firstly, I have discussed this issue with Selden, and they are aware of it. I respectfully requested from them their positive "blessings" for me to post this on the forum, and they were 100% supportive.
Firstly, the Selden in mast furling is without question the best system on the market.
My previous Hunter had Z spar, and the Selden engineering is way better.
So, here is the issue, and possible problem.
The furling tube needs to have proper tension to furl properly.
If the tension is too high, it will damage the bearings.
If it is too loose, then there are other issues such as:
The sail will bunch up and jam when furling
The top swivel will get caught up in the spreader hardware when dropping the sail.
With the sail down (during off-season) the Rod will bash around inside the mast.
The tensioning of the furler Rod is very simple, and is well covered in the Selden manual.
Briefly, at the base of the furling tube there is a round section of tubing approximately 12 inches long.
This tube is locked in place with a set screw. Once the set screw is backed off, the tube can be lifted, exposing the threaded Rod which adjusts the furler tension.
When you lift up the Rod, you tape it in the raised position.
Then, through the upper access cover opening, you put a small flat wrench in the track, keeping the rod from rotating.
Then, you simply rotate the furling winch by hand to tension the rig.
Note that you must rotate the tube in 360 degree increments, so that when you let the 12 inch locking tube drop back down, it lines up with the set screws.
And herein lies the problem:
On my spar (and Selden agrees they have seen this elsewhere), the hole in the locking tube doesn't line up with the set screw.
So, when the installer put the furling tube in the mast they tensioned it, but as the set screw didn't line up with the hole, they never locked it in place.
Well, what happens over time after repeated furling & unfurling is that the tensioning Rod unscrews, and the furler becomes very slack. In a bad case, it could disconnect entirely.
So, here is what you need to do:
Remove both access plates from the mast
You will see on the lower access plate opening a slotted head set screw.
If it is actually protruding through the opposite side of the tube, put back on the covers, and have a beer.
If the set screw isn't coming out of the hole, check to see if it us because the hole doesn't line up with the set screw, making it impossible for it to protrude.
If this is the case, get a small round file, and elongate the hole so that the screw can pass through.
Be sure to stuff a rag below where you are filing to catch all the aluminum bits.
Now, once the hole is large enough, screw in the set screw all the way so that the tip is protruding as much as possible.
Then dab on a bunch of BLUE (NOT RED!!!) Loctite on the thread.
Then back wind the set screw so that the Loctite gets into the nut housing.
Then wind the set screw back out locking the tube.
I hope these instructions are clear enough. As mentioned, the Selden manual shows the set screw very clearly.
In any case, I encourage everyone to open the mast access covers, and learn how this all works. It's very well built, and easy to understand.
Haven't posted in awhile, but I have something important.
Firstly, I have discussed this issue with Selden, and they are aware of it. I respectfully requested from them their positive "blessings" for me to post this on the forum, and they were 100% supportive.
Firstly, the Selden in mast furling is without question the best system on the market.
My previous Hunter had Z spar, and the Selden engineering is way better.
So, here is the issue, and possible problem.
The furling tube needs to have proper tension to furl properly.
If the tension is too high, it will damage the bearings.
If it is too loose, then there are other issues such as:
The sail will bunch up and jam when furling
The top swivel will get caught up in the spreader hardware when dropping the sail.
With the sail down (during off-season) the Rod will bash around inside the mast.
The tensioning of the furler Rod is very simple, and is well covered in the Selden manual.
Briefly, at the base of the furling tube there is a round section of tubing approximately 12 inches long.
This tube is locked in place with a set screw. Once the set screw is backed off, the tube can be lifted, exposing the threaded Rod which adjusts the furler tension.
When you lift up the Rod, you tape it in the raised position.
Then, through the upper access cover opening, you put a small flat wrench in the track, keeping the rod from rotating.
Then, you simply rotate the furling winch by hand to tension the rig.
Note that you must rotate the tube in 360 degree increments, so that when you let the 12 inch locking tube drop back down, it lines up with the set screws.
And herein lies the problem:
On my spar (and Selden agrees they have seen this elsewhere), the hole in the locking tube doesn't line up with the set screw.
So, when the installer put the furling tube in the mast they tensioned it, but as the set screw didn't line up with the hole, they never locked it in place.
Well, what happens over time after repeated furling & unfurling is that the tensioning Rod unscrews, and the furler becomes very slack. In a bad case, it could disconnect entirely.
So, here is what you need to do:
Remove both access plates from the mast
You will see on the lower access plate opening a slotted head set screw.
If it is actually protruding through the opposite side of the tube, put back on the covers, and have a beer.
If the set screw isn't coming out of the hole, check to see if it us because the hole doesn't line up with the set screw, making it impossible for it to protrude.
If this is the case, get a small round file, and elongate the hole so that the screw can pass through.
Be sure to stuff a rag below where you are filing to catch all the aluminum bits.
Now, once the hole is large enough, screw in the set screw all the way so that the tip is protruding as much as possible.
Then dab on a bunch of BLUE (NOT RED!!!) Loctite on the thread.
Then back wind the set screw so that the Loctite gets into the nut housing.
Then wind the set screw back out locking the tube.
I hope these instructions are clear enough. As mentioned, the Selden manual shows the set screw very clearly.
In any case, I encourage everyone to open the mast access covers, and learn how this all works. It's very well built, and easy to understand.