PVC Furler for the financially challenged

[r.oril]

While searching this sight for info on home built pvc furlers, I found caguy's post dated 4/09. I then went out sailing with Frank, watched how his PVC Furler worked and decided to make one of my own.
It was very easy and the video shows how well it works. I put groves in the couplers to keep the zip ties in place and used a plug at each end with a hole just big enough for the wire to go through. I used SS washers on the bottom. The spooler is 2 - 4" caps cut down and a hole drilled in the middle just big enough for the 1" pvc pipe to slide through.
It is my belief that this pvc furler will spread out the stress of the Genoa on the forestay. Any input on this subject of stress would be great.

Side note: Now I can use the jib halyard as a down haul for the main and with the quick furling of the genoa makes it easy/safer for me to solo.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sfc.oril/PVCFurler#

 

[Hermit Scott]

If you use the jib halyard for something else, how do you tension the luff of the jib?

 

[r.oril]

The 135% Genoa is firmly attached to the pvc at the top and all the way down the pvc furler. I streached it out pretty good before attaching to the bottom. Thinking that I will most likely be partly rolled up for normal sailing and only totally unfurled when going down wind. I will pay real close attention to how it works.
Thanks for the input.

 

[mel22]

There was quite a discussion concerning pvc furlers on the Com-Pac owners site. Most people over there liked them. It will be interesting to see how you like the set up on a larger boat. Please keep us posted on how it works for you.

 

[r.oril]

mel22 - Thanks for the site info.
My goal is to make my MacGregor 26D as safe as I can. I sail solo allot, not by design, but we are "working retired" and my wife can't get away like I can. I have a boom brake and climbing out on deck to change sails is not my favorite thing to do. If the winds get to be to much, I can furl the Genoa, reef the main and never leave the cockpit.
I hope this pvc furler works as good as caguy's. I plan to take some video and will update my post.

 

[rgranger]

Nice post.

It looks like a professional quality job.

I tried to make a PVC furler about 5 years ago. I had problems with the connectors. They were brittle and would break easily. After a few attempts I gave up on it.

Also, I trailer my boat around a lot and I would need to be able to take mine down for travel.

But your post has inspired me to think about it again. Maybe I can figure a way to quickly bend and strike the sail from the PVC.

 

[philwsailz]

Wow, I really like what I see in your videos!

What would keep someone from using a continual piece of PVC? To me I see a way to make it where the sail is easily removable, addressing the need to bend and strike as rgranger suggests. Here is my thought:

Slit a length of PVC tube, (or aome other tube) entirely down one side. Now, exactly opposite the slit, mill slots for the hanks of the sail. Use a ring or a snap shackle at the top of the tube. Install the homemade furling drum permanently at the bottom and the cap for the top, but have both of them AND the PVC tube cross-drilled slightly off-center so that they can be pinned together without the pin rubbing on the forestay. The top cap and the furling drum stay on the forestay. The bottom of the sail would clip in to a shackle on the furling drum.

To install the sail, start by clipping the top of the sail onto the shackle at the top of the slitted tube. drop the top cap onto the tube and thru-pin it. Now raise the tube onto the forestay through the lenth-wise slot, hanking the sail on as you normally would, through the slots you cut for the hanks. The sail's bolt rope or bolt cable will prevent the slotted tube from coming back off of the forestay once hanked on. Repeat going upwards until you have the sail and the slotted tube fully up and on the forestay. Lower the tube to the furling drum and pin it.

Done this way, I see the hanks carrying the load of the sail on the forestay, just as with a fully hanked system. The slotted tube does not support the sail, it only provides a drum surface to roll up on. It cannot come off, as the sail is now hanked on in the only direction the tube can come off. The the bearing surface for the furling drum would be the same as with r.oril's system. The limitations I perceive would be friction of the hanks on the forestay making it hard to roll in and out, and a possible length issue where the forestay was not sufficiently long with respect to the sail to allow the slotted pipe to be lifted high enough to drop into the furling drum collar.

Thoughts?

 

[Sea22]

Phil,

I like your idea. I think the slits would have to be the right size and shape to keep them from twisting and fouling the system. I don't think the second issue is a problem on c-22s, but it might be on others. I would say to rig the furler just before stepping the mast, at least for is trailer sailors and that might do the trick. Now, where are you going to find a piece of PCV tubing long enough? Or will you just permanently spice with couplers?

 

[caguy]

Nice video Bobby.
When I made mine I used a twenty foot pvc pipe and about a four foot piece cut to the length of the luff. I used pad eyes to zip tie through to keep the ties from sliding down. The thought that I had in using couplers at each of the hank-on grommets, was to position them just below the grommets so that the shoulder of the couplers would support the zip tie. This would eliminate the pad eyes and any possible chafe the might cause. Incidentally after 4 yrs there has been no chafe from the padeyes.
I would still use the padeyes at the top and bottom, but I would use 1/8'' nylon rope to secure the tension. The zip ties at the top only lasted 2 yrs because they are exposed to the sun.
The beauty of the system is that the load is distributed over the length of the of the pvc on the forestay and is less susceptible to wear on the for stay than the concentrated forces of the individual hanks. For that reason I did not use a cap at the top with a hole but instead reinforced the pipe with another coupler.
There is no need for a halyard. I used the halyard to raise the zippered sheath that covers the rolled up sail. BTW zippers can be purchased online at Ucan zippers for $1.15 / yd for #5 plastic.
The pipe and rolled up sail can be run up the forestay after the mast is stepped. I use the furler line 1/4'' line as a messenger line to pull on the forestay while the pipe is pushed up the forestay. When the furler is removed I again tie the line to the forestay to pull the line back through, ready for the next time it is raised. This eliminates the weight for the furler when raising or lowering the mast.
As an after thought I would glue each of the couplers except the middle or one of the upper one so that it can be broken down for travel without having to remove the sail or having to support the part that would otherwise extend over the length of the boat. That coupler I would use a small screw to secure the coupler.

 

[r.oril]

caguy - Good call on the pad eyes. Went out yesterday for a test run. Furler worked great. Later in the day the top zip tie failed so I rolled it up about 3 turns and continued. I will post some photos tonight.

 

[caguy]

Did you use the 1/2" zip ties? They shouldn't have failed this quickly.

 

[RECESS]

Is there something more stout than Zip ties? I am very interested in this, but I just keep thinking there has to be something more capable than wire ties. I like the idea of using the jib halyard for a zipper cover.

 

[caguy]

The 1/2'' zip ties have held up well, except on the ends where they are exposed. Even there they lasted a couple of seasons. When they did finally break I replaced them with 1/8'' cord, only because I am too cheap to buy a full package for jist two ties. I like them because you can really cinch them tight and they lay flat for no chafe. Don't forget that when the wind pipes up over 15 kts you are going to want to furl it in which will put several wraps on the pipe reducing any stress on the covered ties.

 

[r.oril]

One great advantage of this furler is that it raises the bottom of the sail so I can see under it better.
The zip tie at the top just slipped off the top coupler but I am changing it for a pad eye as caguy mention. I will watch for any chaffing also.
When I was out cruzing around the lake in very light 4 - 6 kt winds, I was showing 4 kts on my gps and when I turned down wind I could butter-fly the sails with ease and no whisker pole.
It was no harder to step the mast. For transport I bungeed it to the mast and the spooler just cleared the front attaching point. I will make sure to take photos of it in transport position.
Sure is nice to be able to change the amount of sail with just a pull of the rope.
Thanks to all for the nice comments.
Bob

 

[Mac]

Great video's of the Furler!

I'm going to make one of these for sure. Could you post how you made the spool? You said something about lids, could you explain this for us? thanks again, great job!

 

[r.oril]

Re: Great video's of the Furler!

Jerry - I took two 4" pvc caps (Lowes), used my table saw to cut the excess cap but left about 1/2". Then I used a set of drills to make a hole in the center just big enough to slide over the 1"pvc pipe and fit up against the pvc coupler. This took some time but was worth it. (Oops my bad, they are 4")

 

[r.oril]

PVC Furler on the lake

Here are some pictures of the new furler on the lake. I thought I was far enough back to get the whole sail but not. Today I have some time off and can fix the top attaching point that came loose. I will also take some closer pictures of the spooler.

 

[r.oril]

The zip tie at the top just slipped off the top coupler but I am changing it for a pad eye as caguy mention. I will watch for any chaffing also.

I found my box of goodies from the PBO and installed a Pad Eye with a hook? The screws go into the coupler and into the plug but not through the plug. I put two zip ties just for my peace of mind.