Rigging a roller furler

[Hayden Jones]

I have a new boat and for the first tinme a roller furler. I need some help in rigging the roller furler. There appears to be an up haul line to pull the sail into the slot on the furler. That being the case, what do I do with the jib halyard?When I put the sail onthe furler, I assume the line on the drum is all the way out and then I manually roll the sail around the furler. Correct?The concept is simple, this sailor may also be simple. Any help offered will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Doug T.]

Furler

What brand & model of furler did you get?I had a CDI furler that had it's own internal halyard. This being the case, the regular jib halyard becomes extraneous -- just secure it somewhere and don't use it.When you first put the sail on, the line needs to be all the way ON the drum, not off the drum. You pull the line out to furl the sail, not unfurl the sail. It's a bit of trial and error to figure out how much line you need to put on the drum when getting started. You want just enough to furl the sail completely with perhaps one or two extra turns to wrap the sheets around the sail. If you have too much leftover, it just has a higher propensity for the line to jam. Depending on the model of furler you have, you might be able to detach the drum from the extrusion (after you've furled things up all the way) and remove any excess line from the drum.

 

[Hayden Jones]

Thanks Doug, I believe it is a CDI.

It came with the boat...........

 

[mike]

is a shackle used?

How is the head of the sail connected to the internal halyard on the CDI unit?Is a shackle used or is the halyard tied directly to the head of the sail?mike

 

[Smokey]

CDI Furler

I have a CDI furler on a Lancer 28, the previousowner didn't do any work or repair / replace anything on this boat forever! all he did was tie the halyard to the headboard of the jib.Because the sail is furled vs raised and lowered that would work just fine (unless your planningto change headsails often). My plan at this time is to splice in a shackle when I replace the halyard. Almost forgot!!! if you go to CDI's web page you can down load an owners manual for your furler, they will even explain to you how to figure out what model furler you have. Also FYI if you call them to order parts they are not very friendly or helpful, they told me I could do that on the internet. (nice guy's!!)Fair winds! Smokey s/v GAIA

 

[Doug T.]

Old CDIs

If you have a particularly old model, they may not have any spare parts. I asked them to send me 10 new nylon stay bearings and the sent me "the last 6 in the world". The original manufacture destroyed the die years ago -- can't even make any more. Oh well -- it was a piece of junk anyway.