My 1984 25.5 has a Hood double line roller furler. I know that most current technology favors a single line with a drum but I am in no hurry to buy a new one. Mine does not run smooth all of the time. the drum is held down by a turnbuckle which allows it to rotate a little. I think that it needs to stay stationary for the line to run smooth. sometimes it seems to hang up and then after a strong tug it will go. How can I make it run smooth. When I furl the genoa in part way for strong winds I am getting virtical wrinkles at the lower part of the sail near the tack. Is this normal or how can I improve sail shape. I've sailed all my life but this is my first roller furler. Jeff
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foam luff
Jeff, Check into having foam luff tape sewn onto the luff of your genny. It helps make the center of your luff fuller when you roll up your sail giving it a better shape....Ron
Jeff, Check into having foam luff tape sewn onto the luff of your genny. It helps make the center of your luff fuller when you roll up your sail giving it a better shape....Ron
Furler Line
Furler Line: The next time it "hangs up" or becomes hard to pull, see where the line splice is. If the splice is slightly larger than the rest of the line it could hang up where the line goes through the deck, or perhaps, in the drum. A solution might be to take a strand or two out of the core in the splice to make it smaller. Furler bearings: At both the head and tack, these should rotate smoothly and without resistance if everything is hooked up right. The manual says to flush with fresh water after every use - but how many of us do that? Hence, see how they turn and if they're stiff they might need some cleaning. Sail wrinkles: This is normal then the jib is partially furled as in a reefed condition. Sailmakers can mostly solve this problem by installing a foam luff (or equivalent). The problem with this is it can mess up the telltales or ones ability to read the luff. The good part is one has better sail shape in higher winds when you need it. If the sail is used in a reefed condition it would be better to be made of a heavier sail cloth to prevent stretching. Since the boat is a *.5 it is about a decade old and the sail could be stretched already, especially if it has been used in high winds, and that may be why you want to reef - just guessing. If it feels like the boat wants to heel a lot or doesn't point well then too much draft can be the problem. A recut could fix the shape problem somewhat.
Furler Line: The next time it "hangs up" or becomes hard to pull, see where the line splice is. If the splice is slightly larger than the rest of the line it could hang up where the line goes through the deck, or perhaps, in the drum. A solution might be to take a strand or two out of the core in the splice to make it smaller. Furler bearings: At both the head and tack, these should rotate smoothly and without resistance if everything is hooked up right. The manual says to flush with fresh water after every use - but how many of us do that? Hence, see how they turn and if they're stiff they might need some cleaning. Sail wrinkles: This is normal then the jib is partially furled as in a reefed condition. Sailmakers can mostly solve this problem by installing a foam luff (or equivalent). The problem with this is it can mess up the telltales or ones ability to read the luff. The good part is one has better sail shape in higher winds when you need it. If the sail is used in a reefed condition it would be better to be made of a heavier sail cloth to prevent stretching. Since the boat is a *.5 it is about a decade old and the sail could be stretched already, especially if it has been used in high winds, and that may be why you want to reef - just guessing. If it feels like the boat wants to heel a lot or doesn't point well then too much draft can be the problem. A recut could fix the shape problem somewhat.
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