Replace Forestay on 35.5 w/Hood 810 furler

Aug 15, 2013
193
Hunter 35.5 Legend 003 San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
So I just discovered that the wire at the top of the forestay on my boat is 50% broken. Luckily I had sent someone up to inspect before I sailed the boat for the first time (new to me boat - 1990 35.5). So we did not get to sail on our first vacation with the new boat. My boat is in Mexico, so this will be a little challenging as I will have to order hardware and take it down. We have some guys that are decent with rigging down there but I need as much information as possible to be sure this all gets done well. I have a few questions for anyone that has experience in this specific area.

My plan will be to have a machine swaged fitting at the top and cut the cable to the appropriate length and do a compression fitting (staylok or Noresman - suggestions - recommendations?) down below. However, the Previous Owner installed a winch and this limits my access to the base of the furler. This is going to be a hassle getting the bottom fitting off if I can't slide the drum up. I have not worked on a roller furler before this. I have the 810 manual, but it is not a big help for work after and initial installation. I will have a picture soon, but I was wondering if anyone has any actual personal experience with replacing their forestay. The furler is a Hood 810, continuos line furler with the drum below the deck.

Any experience with what it takes to move the drum and access the connection point at the base?

What about oversizing the forestay to increase the robustness of the forestay since this problem was obviously caused by the furling process over time?

Has anyone used compression fittings on the base, will they fit in that small area or do I need a machine swag at the base and a compression on the top? I don't see a turnbuckle on the forestay - nor do I see anything regarding this in the Hood Manual. Is it hidden inside the furler hardware just above the drum?

Will I need to loosen other rigging to do this? My boat has an adjustable Backstay, I thought these boats did not have backstays because of the swept back spreader design. Do you think this was an add-on by a past owner?

I will post info once I complete this project so any help to get me through this would be appreciated.
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Steve:

I would contact Seco South. They did a lot of the original rigging on the Hunters. They have excellent prices and service. You can order the stay from them. The can swedge on the fitting for the upper end and you can use one of the reusable fitting for the lower end.

Some of vendors would be Hayn, Sta-lok, Norseman, HiMod etc.
 
Jan 21, 2009
260
Catalina 30 Lake Perry, KS
Question: can you pull the fore stay through the furler extrusions or must you drill out the rivets and take it apart? I want to replace my stay and have had various opinions on this.
 
Aug 15, 2013
193
Hunter 35.5 Legend 003 San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
That's a fair question, that is the kind of in formation I am looking for. The rigger I talked to (not formally trained - a guy that has been trained by someone - who knows the level of knowledge) but he is all I have access to in the area I am in and me going up the mast is not an option at this time. I get concerned when people wave their arms and say there is nothing to it..... He seems competent and he works on some large boats... He is young and being trained by a guy that is wanting to retire. He seems to think you take a collar off and the bottom part slides up the fairlead assy. He says you don't have have to take the furler completely apart, just snake cable through, hence the compression fitting on one end. He also cautions to by a couple extra feet to make the cable feed easier. I saw him finishing up on a Norseman in the field and it looked perfect in comparision to the pics I have seen on assy. I have not determined if this can be done while he is on the mast or if the furler has to come down to do this operation. The one he was working on had the entire mast down so the furler was down at the time.

I was hoping to find someone that has actually performed a replacement and get whatever notes they had, even if it was just anecdotal. I am willing to do an article when I do mine and post it for future people. It's a hassle to go down to Mx just to fix the stay, but I want to see it done since it is so critical.

So is there a turnbuckle hidden under that furler assy?

I have sent in a quote request to Seco-South for a cable.

Any feedback on that backstay question? How important is that backstay? The cable is a little iffy, but without the experience to insect it other than visually I am inclined to let it be for now - make it a B-list item. I do not plan to race so don't care about tuning the Rake.
 
Jan 21, 2009
260
Catalina 30 Lake Perry, KS
My mast is down and the stay seems to move easily through the extrusion for about 6-8 inches. I think I will connect the male swage to an electricians snake with some stainless wire. I think it will move along fairly well. I will probably call Hood and ask for some tech help before proceeding. Have to wait for a break in the weather before trying it.
 
Nov 25, 2010
50
hunter 35.5 catawba island
I recommend you call Pompanette in Ft. Lauderdale. They have a lady on staff who is very knowledgable about the Hood 810. You should also inquire about their upgrade kit for making your furler a normal drum type. There is a pin below the drum which releases the whole unit. It is difficult to pullout. I had to loosen the aft stays to relieve tension on the forestay. I also had the yard steady the mast with a crane so it would not fall backwards. It is not something I would look forward to repeating. They have better drawings then was supplied in my Hunter manual which they can email you. This would be a good time to change out bearings or other worn parts.
 
Aug 15, 2013
193
Hunter 35.5 Legend 003 San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
Unfortunatley I don't have a chance to be near my boat to look into a few new questions that are popping up as I learn more about the forestay and the furler. My time was limited on my last visit. Please provide information if I state something that can't be done. I do not have any experience with furlers or large boats but neccessity is the mother of education.... So it appears there is a turnbuckle cover (I think the manual calls it that), the solid piece just above the drum. Is it practical to remove that (2 screws?), and loosen it and slide it up to gain access to and loosen the forestay turnbuckle? I am assuming there is a turnbuckle in there because it would be insane to not have one. If so, I would think you could steady the mast with a halyard (or install a temporary rope-type stay assuming I had a guy up the mast that could perform these tasks), loosen the forward stay turnbuckle and release the stay. Lower the foil using the topping lift or thread the cable from the top of the mast down through the foil using the old cable as a pull-cable, thread a new cable through, attach the compression fitting, then re-assemble the turnbuckle. This assumes a couple things. That there is space in the turnbuckle housing to contain a compression fitting, and that the turnbuckle exists....

I will contact Pompanette in Ft. Lauderdale and ask about the additional drawings. I have a manual, but it does not show the typical rigging inside the drum assy so that is where I am lacking in information. It may seem basic for you more experienced guys, but this furler thing is very new to me. The upgrade is attractive, I will consider it but I need to choose how I use my boat bucks very closely... My jib is a 110, so it will either be in or out, so I am not too worried about reefing the jb at this time. Maybe in the future when I upgrade my sail as well.

Does this make sense?
 
Jun 9, 2008
1,803
- -- -Bayfield
First of all, it is recommended that you stick with the same size forestay because if you go larger, then you will be changing the size of the clevis pin needed. The bigger size will have a pin that will not fit into the hole at the top of your mast or on the stem head fitting. To remove the furling system, assuming it is on the boat and the mast is stepped, you have to run a halyard forward to support the mast when you disconnect the forestay from the stemhead fitting. You have to be able to either loosen the forestay turn buckle, or possible loosen the backstay turn buckle to make the forestay loose enough to be able to remove the bottom clevis pin. The Hood 810 has some up and down play, but is currently held in place with a shackle that is attached to the grommeted hole in the furling base. Remove that shackle and lift up the furler until it stops and then use a locking vise grip to attach to the stay or turnbuckle to keep it in an up position. Or, if you have a second halyard or a topping life available, then attach that to the furler and pull it up that way. Then you should have access to the turnbuckle to loosen it. If that doesn't work, then loosen the backstay so it becomes slack and that should make the forestay loose too. You can also crank on your halyard that ran forward with a winch handle which will help you in loosening the forestay. Anyway, once the bottom of the forestay is detached, then the guy up the bos'n chair at the top of the mast (did I forget to mention you have to put a guy aloft?), can detach the clevis pin at the masthead. But, before he does that, he should tie a line at the top of the furler (and secure it with duct tape) and then he can lower the top of the furler safely to the deck with the help of someone walking the bottom down the dock. Now, with the furler on the dock you should be able to work on it to slide out the old forestay and have your local rigger make up a duplicate.
 
Aug 15, 2013
193
Hunter 35.5 Legend 003 San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
Hey Bill, thanks for the reply. You have confirmed what I am thinking I have to do. I will take some pics on dis-assembly and write up some notes when I do it in Jan/Feb so we have a nice process documented for the next novice like me. The mystery for me was where the turnbuckle lived and how to access it. Googling 810 furler brings up quite a bit of info, but sometimes the most obvious things go unmentioned and for someone new to this type of hardware it can be a challenge.
 
Sep 9, 2012
55
Hunter Legend 35.5 Trenton, ON
I am replacing my Seafurl 800SL with a 707SL as a result of a long and informative discussion with Pompanette in Florida. The person you want to speak with is Marty Barnett, Hood Yacht Systems/Pompanette Air
Customer Svc. & Technical Rep
813-885-2182
813-888-7421 Fax

I live in Canada and she took the time to answer a multitude of my questions on how to go about replacing my entire furling system on my 1990 Hunter Legend 35.5.

I can't recommend her enough to you.

Best of Luck,
Rob

ps...my measurements along the forestay for the system are 44'4" for the system (this is why she recommended moving from the 800 series to the 700 series system). She sent me a complete system upgrade that was worth $2,000 for $900 under the auspices of an upgrade system. You may wish to consider this option.

pps...I'm like you I think -- a visual type of guy with the need to know all aspects of what I'm about to do. The drive assembly will come off the forestay and the foil will slide off the forestay as well. There is a turnbuckle on the forestay, but it is removed after moving the drive assembly out of the way. You just need to disengage the mechanism holding the drive assembly and slide it up over the foil to expose the turnbuckle. If your mast is down, this is a no-brainer -- if it's up, then a halyard to hold the mast in position is the trick (loosening the backstay is also recommended) while you replace the system. Of course, all of these comments pertain to my previous, and replacement, system.