I purchased a 1993 Legend 37.5 and planning to buy a new jib sail. I am not having a problem now, but am curious about the jib drum position. On other boats, the jib furler line has occasionally jammed in the drum, requiring some messing around with the line at the drum. Hunter buried the drum in the anchor locker, which makes access to it more difficult (especially in rough seas). What are the pros/cons to raising the drum above the deck?
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Tack Pendant Length
For the short term, if you want to buy a new jib and want it now, one thing you can do is to specify a tack pendant length that can work on your existing furler and can also be shortened depending on what furler/configuration you eventually wind up with. This would allow you time to think the situation over without having to go into crisis mode. Our H-35 had the continuous line system Hood system which worked fine for 13 years but due to poor maintenance on my part (lack of flushing of the bearings) the lower end finally wore out. I bought the single line retrofit kit that Hood has available and solved my problem with the bearings. The problem I have now is the single feed line has chafed on the fitting where it feeds through the deck and on the drum edges (due to my improper alignment of the line). When I have a spare moment and I'm not working or sailing I have to adjust the blocks to give the line a fair lead and replace the chafed line with a new one. The pros of keeping the drum below deck is there is more protection from sun and salt water; the con is there is a problem with cleaning it with fresh water as this can cause water to get into your V-berth. The chain locker is a drop-in "pan" and is not factory sealed at the top where it meets the deck; consequently water can go over the top of the pan and down the hull to the V-berth. Since I like to clean everything with a pressure washer this is what happens to me. Another way the water gets in the V-berth is by pounding into a sea which allows water to collect in the chain locker faster than it can drain out. If you race there is better performance with a deck sweeper jib foot but if you don't there is better visibility under the jib with a higher foot and a slight loss of performance.
For the short term, if you want to buy a new jib and want it now, one thing you can do is to specify a tack pendant length that can work on your existing furler and can also be shortened depending on what furler/configuration you eventually wind up with. This would allow you time to think the situation over without having to go into crisis mode. Our H-35 had the continuous line system Hood system which worked fine for 13 years but due to poor maintenance on my part (lack of flushing of the bearings) the lower end finally wore out. I bought the single line retrofit kit that Hood has available and solved my problem with the bearings. The problem I have now is the single feed line has chafed on the fitting where it feeds through the deck and on the drum edges (due to my improper alignment of the line). When I have a spare moment and I'm not working or sailing I have to adjust the blocks to give the line a fair lead and replace the chafed line with a new one. The pros of keeping the drum below deck is there is more protection from sun and salt water; the con is there is a problem with cleaning it with fresh water as this can cause water to get into your V-berth. The chain locker is a drop-in "pan" and is not factory sealed at the top where it meets the deck; consequently water can go over the top of the pan and down the hull to the V-berth. Since I like to clean everything with a pressure washer this is what happens to me. Another way the water gets in the V-berth is by pounding into a sea which allows water to collect in the chain locker faster than it can drain out. If you race there is better performance with a deck sweeper jib foot but if you don't there is better visibility under the jib with a higher foot and a slight loss of performance.
above deck conversion
I moved the drum on our PAssage 42 above deck two years ago. I have a ProFurl system so the process is probably a bit different. I had longer link plates fabricated from stainless. The drum could them be slid up the foil easily. I had already had a 110 jib made to replace the 130 that came with the boat was a deck sweeper and a bit much to handle if the wind came up and I was out alone or with just my wife. It was equipped with a long pennant for the furling modification which was to come later. Everything works very nicely and the drum is much easier to get at and clean and I don't worry about having to get down into the well to get at it if it ever jams.
I moved the drum on our PAssage 42 above deck two years ago. I have a ProFurl system so the process is probably a bit different. I had longer link plates fabricated from stainless. The drum could them be slid up the foil easily. I had already had a 110 jib made to replace the 130 that came with the boat was a deck sweeper and a bit much to handle if the wind came up and I was out alone or with just my wife. It was equipped with a long pennant for the furling modification which was to come later. Everything works very nicely and the drum is much easier to get at and clean and I don't worry about having to get down into the well to get at it if it ever jams.
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