Problems with Furling Mail - help !

[Steve]

I have a 2003 Beneteau 331, with the roller furling main. The first year, pulling out the main and furling it was very easy and, for the most part, could be doen without assistance of a winch. This past year, however, has been quite a different story. Even with the winch, it is difficult to pull out.I have tried to research this issue and I have made sure that the boom is perpendicular, that the main sheet and boom vang are loose, that there is slight pressure on the outhaul when pulling the sail in by the reefing line, and making sure there are no creases in the sail as it is being furled. Interestingly, I did not have to pay attention to any of this during the first year, and it all worked very smoothly.Has anyone else experienced this problem or difficulty? Is there a problem with the outhaul car (and its bearing) not being able to handle the strain and needing replacing? The outhaul line does seem to have gotten somewhat stiff - should this be replaced (after just two years)? Is there anything else I should look for?Any help, suggestions and guidance would be greatly appreciated. As you may expect, this can be quite a frustrating problem.ThanksSteve

 

[Dragonfly B331]

Problem is in the drum

I had the same problem. At the end of last season, I took the drum out. It was so tight it wouldn't move. Sent it to US Spar -- Julian Crisp, CEO. They worked it over and sent me a new one. No charge. I think the inhaul line was binding. I always thought it looked too big. I wondered if they had put the line sized for the 361.It has worked great this summer. It started to get a little stiff in July. I rinsed the drum bearings with fresh water then sprayed with McLube after they dried. They seemed to help.US Spars has a good web site with a manual under maintenance.http://www.usspars.com/

 

[smcmanus]

Thank you Dragonfly

Thanks - you are the first person to mention the drum as being a possible cause of the problem. I will check it out when I remove the sailSteve

 

[smcmanus]

Another problem seems to be the outhaul car/track

thanks for your comment about the drum on the furling mechanism for the main sail. Had an interesting conversation with a Beneteau dealer regarding the outhaul car. My problem seems to be the car. With the force exerted in an upward direction by the clew of the main sail, the car will not slide along the track. The dealer is with Winter's near Philadelphia. His recommendation was to install a low profile T track from Harkens, with end stoppers, and use a Harken "small boat, high load, car." This was at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, so I then went over to the Harken's booth to speak with them. The rep at the booth agreed and, apparently, this is not an uncommon problem. An alternative, although slightly more expensive, is to use a mid-size outhaul car and with that particular car, he was not sure of the track would have to be replaced.The dealer also recommended squirting Joy or Palmolive dish liquid on the track and sliding the car up and down several times. This removed any grease and dirt build-up on both the track and the car's bearings. Then rinse with fresh water. He recommended those particular dish liquids because they with lather with salt water. He recommended the same for the bearing in the mast furling mechanism.