roller furler jams

[steven]

i have a 1976 27' that i believe has the original furler still on the boat...i've had a terrible time trying to unfurl and furl the headsail..so, i released some tension on the jib halyard and now find that the sail will unfurl without much difficulty..once the sail is extended, i then tighten up on the halyard..but, a problem that has existed since i purchased this boat, is that trying to furl the sail from the cockpit is impossible...the line always finds a way to tangle itself on the drum, forcing me to go forward and manually turn the drum to furl the head sail..i'm thinking that possibly the drum is in some kind of misalignment, causing this tangle every time i try and furl the sail..i'm at my wit's end!!! any suggestions?

 

[Jim Logan]

You don't say what brand roller furler is on your boat, and different types have different sort of problems. Most of the manufacturers have web sites with information on them about maintenance. They are not maintenance free, at a minimum the rollers, both at the bottom and the top of the forestay, need to be cleaned reguarly and if possible, sprayed with a teflon or other dry lubricant. In some cases, the system will have sealed ball bearings, that must be replaced. Regardless, any difficulty in furling or unfurling should be dealt with immediately, as the system and associated foils are more fragile than you would think and can be damaged through forcing them to work. An excellent book for reference on these systems is Nigel Calder's "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual" available at West Marine. I have the Harken system, and have to pull it down about twice a year to clean and lubricate the upper swivel system. It is important that the angle rope enters the drum be correct. Often, a turning block must be correctly positioned to insure the correct angle for the rope to feed properly. This will vary from boat to boat.

 

[Paul R. Mitchell]

Try tensioning the furling line

Try applying a little tension to the furling line when you unfurl the sail. I find this helps with both the Furlex on my Hunter 27 and on a CDI I had on a Cape Dory Typhoon. This is easier said than done unless you have three hands ;-) The tension helps the line to furl more evenly on the drum.Hope this helps,Paul

 

[mark slifko]

apply tension when unfurling

We have a cdi on our '83 Hunter.Paul is right, you must apply tension when you unfurl, otherwise thefurling line will jam.We have a 155% jib. The larger the head-sail, the more prone you are tohaving a problem. The spool should be larger to prevent this problem butwe make it work with minimal problems.Good Luck. Mark

 

[Dave Condon]

Furling line

One other suggestion. Check the path of the furling line while exiting/entering the drum to make sure it is not snagging or entangling on any deck hardware or the drum itself