Roller furling issue

[lsavocchi]

I have a 1985 catalina 25 with a roller furling jib. I’m new to sailing still and a new boat owner. I was trying to open the jib today, winds were very light. I pulled on the sheet to help unroll the sail and it felt like something broke off the top of the roller furling so i rolled it back up. It had only opened about 25% by the time I started to roll it back up.

when I got back to the mooring I realized nothing was holding up the roller furling except the jib halyard. So I let down the roller furling by letting loose tension on the halyard and the whole roller furling came down. I took off the sail and tied down the furling.

I’m not sure what the top of the roller furling is supposed to attach to on the mast but the pictures attached show the top of it. It looks like something broke off that attaches to the mast.

will I need a whole new roller furling system or does this seem fixable? Looks like I’ll need a new piece for the top of the roller furling at least and will need to bring it to the marina so someone can reattach it to the mast.

any thoughts on what happened?

 

[dlochner]

What brand fuller?

Almost all modern furlers have the forestay running through the middle of the foil. The fuller wraps the sail around the foil which rotates around the forestay.

The first thing to do is determine the brand of the furler. Next get the installation manual see how to install it.

 

[jssailem]

As Dave has shared, it is not clear which furler you have or if it was properly installed.

WHAT IS THE Furler BRAND on your boat?

It does not look like the current images of the CDI furler that are popular on Catalina 25 boats.

You took the furler down, what is holding the mast to the bow of the boat? If a forestay was used did you remove the furler from the forestay?

When you look up the mast is there damaged parts still up on the mast?

The end you show appears to the an extrusion with a screw in the end. That is something I have not seen in other manufactured systems.

You may need to lower the mast to repair this properly.

 

[Hollyberry]

The broken bit looks like a plastic foil with the slot for a rope luff.. I sure hope there was a forestay running down the middle of it and I'm assuming you have double lower shrouds or the mast could have fallen over....

 

[danooxnard]

I have the same furler on my Cat-22 it is made by shaefer and is a c 500 or c700. It looks like the pictures are of the top of The furler. If so, it has a small black plastic cap held with two screws that keep to from over extending the length of the foil by hyperextending the roller that raises the jib. There is a forestay that goes though the center of the foil. If the Forestay snapped off it may hade pulled down into the foil and cannot be seen. Check where it attaches at the bow. is there a forstay attached? It looks repairable but you will need a new forestay and the cap. Forestay cannot be pre-fabricated since it will not fit through the foil. The foils once snapped together cannot be seperated and re- used.
Good luck! I will post a picture of mine later today.

 

[jssailem]

Using @danooxnard 's brand information. This would be the part listing for the SnapFurl CF700.

Part#15 appears missing from your image.
The screw in the top of the extrusion may have been securing the "Top Cap" (part #15).

If the smaller CF500 was installed, this is the parts list used to build the furler.


If shortcuts were taken or damage occurred in use, that may have caused the problem you are experiencing.

Practical Sailor has an article about furlers and the challenges riggers experience.

Furlers: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down - Practical Sailor

Since 1974, Practical Sailor’s independent testing has taken the guesswork out of boat and gear buying.

www.practical-sailor.com

 

[lsavocchi]

Thanks everybody. I checked with the previous owner and it is a Shaefer. I’m going back on the water today to check the model.
The only other thing I noticed was a cable hanging at the top of the mast probably about 6 to 8 inches long that I’m guessing would have attached to the forstay and that’s where it snapped off

 

[dlochner]

Thanks everybody. I checked with the previous owner and it is a Shaefer. I’m going back on the water today to check the model.
The only other thing I noticed was a cable hanging at the top of the mast probably about 6 to 8 inches long that I’m guessing would have attached to the forstay and that’s where it snapped off

Are you saying you don't have a forestay? If you don't have one, take the jib halyard and secure to the bow until you can get the mast down before it falls down. Then get a rigger or very knowledgeable local sailor to help you sort this out before you have a much bigger and more expensive problem.

 

[Hollyberry]

I suspect the wire you see at masthead is what’s left of the forestay… it likely parted. Mystery is where is the rest of it??

 

[dlochner]

I suspect the wire you see at masthead is what’s left of the forestay… it likely parted. Mystery is where is the rest of it??

Deep inside the foil.

 

[lsavocchi]

Yes, the forestay must have snapped off and got coiled in the roller furling. I just tied off the Jib halyard at the bow. There’s also 6 middle shrouds so there’s good support.

It looks like I can see the metals filings of the forestay if I look down the end of the roller furling where it broke off. I also took a picture of the mast from the bow but can’t really see much.

so from all this info it seems that the forestay broke off and got coiled in the roller furling. The cap of the roller furling will need to be replaced and so will the forestay I’m guessing. And I’ll have to have a rigger secure the forestay and roller furling to the mast again.

 

[dlochner]

On a 25 foot boat, the rigger may not want to climb the mast. You'll need to take the boat to a yard and unstep the mast. Another alternative is to use a man lift, like they use on buildings if the boat can be tied to wharf.

A question to ask before replacing all the parts is why did this happen? Was the furler installed correctly? was the forestay failing on its own? You really don't want to repeat this experience.

 

[jssailem]

You got the mast stabilized. Good.

Repairing this while up in the air is a big task. It can be done. Give it some thought. This failure is one that has been brooding for some time. No one saw it coming as no inspection of the furler was an ongoing priority.

Your statement of being a Novice, implies that this was a new purchase for you from previous owner or owners. As the current owner I would want to know that everything on the mast is up to the task of safely sailing the waters around Northport, NY. The sound can be calm and peaceful or it can get stirred up by wind and weather. You want a strong rig for such stirred times.

I would lower the mast to the ground and work on it, inspecting all of the mast parts. Cleaning up, repairing or replacing any item that might be suspect.

You may need a rigger to provide assistance/guidance. This is a great time to build your skills and get to know your boat.

 

[danooxnard]

pics of what it should look like

 

[garymalmgren]

Hi Isavochi
Well you can thank your lucky star that your forestay let go and you still have a standing mast.
Incredible luck.
You are looking at a furler rebuild and a forestay replacement.
Or furler and forestay replacement.
Welcome the (never-ending )world of sailboat maintenance

gary

 

[Hollyberry]

pics of what it should look like

If that cap on the extrusion is aluminum it may have corroded and / or had some electrolysis happening- I’d bet the forestry failed right where that cap was.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I'd not be surprised if all the standing rigging is original and close to 40 years old. If that is the case and you plan on sailing LIS (and the boat is worth the expense), I would replace all standing rigging and the furler. You dodged a bullet at least once already ...

Riggers would recommend new rigging in salt water at about 10 years. Every boat I shopped in the northeast never even changed rigging after 20 years. Sooo many sailors never even think about upgrading the standing rigging for the life of the boat. You could get away with it, too, but why take the chance? I replaced all standing rigging on my boat right after the 1st season I owned it. I had the mast down to replace the stem fitting that was iffy. Rigging that was 20 years old by that time, with a lot of nautical miles under her .... despite no apparent defects, I'll still take peace of mind over $$$.

 

[Caboteur]

This is a 25 footer... you don't need a crane or other paraphernalia to take the mast down. Two knowledgeable people should be able to lower the mast and carry it to ground and put it on sawhorses to work on!

 

[AaronD]

Catalina Direct carries pre-made standard rigging kits for your C-25; well made and reasonably priced. E.g., the kit for a standard rig: Standing Rigging KitC-25 Standard Rig Before you buy, be sure you know which rig you have - standard or tall, and that your measurements match the stock lengths.

I have the Schaefer CF-500 furler on my C-22; I think the CF-700 would be standard on a C-25 (but no guarantee that your system is standard…) The plastic foil comes in 2 parts and snaps together around the stainless forestay. But it’s not intended to ever come apart. I’ve not tried personally, but the instructions claim it’s a 1-time operation; it was pretty difficult to get it snapped together, and seems pretty solid so I’d be hesitant to pry it apart and expect to ever get it back together right.

So, I think you’ll need to push a new forestay into the foil (while it’s still snapped together into one piece). And that means using a bare wire (on one end) and putting an end fitting (eye) on the wire after you get it through the foil. There are a few manufacturers of good quality user-installable fittings that you could add once you get the cable through the foil. E.g., Hayn, Hi-Mod, etc. - all discussed at Any experience with Hi-Mod / Hayn Marine?.