roller furling & trailering

[glocke17]

Ok it's been three months, rigging all replaced and tuned. Inside is better on my 71 Venture 25, good enough to try things out anyway. Motor should be ready next week, so here is my question.
This boat has roller furling, and Lake Mead is 45 miles only 10 on the highway. Is there any way to wrap the sail for the trip or should I just wait and place it on the lake?
Sure would be easier to raise and wrap on a calm day at home then just raise the mast at the lake and off I go.
My McGreggor didn't have this so sails were just raised after launch, any suggestions?

 

[Joe11688]

Ok it's been three months, rigging all replaced and tuned. Inside is better on my 71 Venture 25, good enough to try things out anyway. Motor should be ready next week, so here is my question.
This boat has roller furling, and Lake Mead is 45 miles only 10 on the highway. Is there any way to wrap the sail for the trip or should I just wait and place it on the lake?
Sure would be easier to raise and wrap on a calm day at home then just raise the mast at the lake and off I go.
My McGreggor didn't have this so sails were just raised after launch, any suggestions?

Your Mainsail can be left furled to the boom with the cover on it and stowed in the cabin. I've done this for years when I trailered my boat, but I'm relatively new to furlers as I've only had my CDI Furler for about four years now. I would be more worried about the weight of the furler luff with the sail on it and the effect that it can have on the fore stay where in connects to the mast tang. Will the weight of it bend or kink the stay? I worried about the weight of just the luff having an adverse effect on the stay near the mast while the boat is being transported to the ramp. What I did was use a 5/16' Marine eye fitting, a regular toggle strap, and a rigging pin at the end of my fore stay where it connects to the mast tang. This makes it easier to leave it disconnected from the mast tang while I'm trailering to the ramp. I connect it back up before I raise the mast. I also tie my furler to the Gin Pole using a lineman's "Rolling Hitch." This keeps the roller furler from flopping around when the is being raised or lowered. Where I have a mooring at the club and the boat stays there the whole season, I would much rather put my Gennie on the luff after the mast is raised. Could I raise the mast with the Gennie on it? I don't know, I've never tried it. Here are some pics.
Joe

 

[sailingdog]

Take the jib off the roller furling unit. I also recommend that you put a padded bag over the drum and lower end of the furling unit. This will protect the drum from road debris, as well as protect the boat from the drum as you raise the mast.

 

[Doug J]

I trailer my Mac26S with the CDI furler and 150 genoa sail rolled up, all the time, as do many others I know of. It does make it a little more difficult to raise the mast. But I use a mast raising system, which makes it not a problem.

I keep everything laying on top of the mast, secured with ball bungees. I use an 8 foot length of PVC gutter to keep the overhang from bending, also lashed with bungees. In doing so there is no sidways pressure exerted on the top of the headstay.

 

[Sumner]

Your Mainsail can be............... I also tie my furler to the Gin Pole using a lineman's "Rolling Hitch." This keeps the roller furler from flopping around when the is being raised or lowered............Joe

Thanks Joe, I like the idea of putting the furler on the gin pole. We bought a CDI over the winter, but still don't have the boat outside and I have to have a new forestay made up, but like what you did with the toggles at the top. I know some of the guys leave the furler attached at the mast and support the front overhang, but I think we will remove it like you do while trailering, since we trailer so far.

I'm also thinking I could add a short side extension to my gin pole and then tie the furler to it a little above the top of the gin pole, so that as the gin pole and forestay come down to the deck the furler is held up off the deck. Probably not a big deal to you as you don't go on and off the trailer as much. Also my gin pole is shorter and comes down to the deck well aft of where the forestay pins.

Anyway thanks for the pictures and ideas,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

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[Joe11688]

Thanks Joe, I like the idea of putting the furler on the gin pole. We bought a CDI over the winter, but still don't have the boat outside and I have to have a new forestay made up, but like what you did with the toggles at the top. I know some of the guys leave the furler attached at the mast and support the front overhang, but I think we will remove it like you do while trailering, since we trailer so far.

I'm also thinking I could add a short side extension to my gin pole and then tie the furler to it a little above the top of the gin pole, so that as the gin pole and forestay come down to the deck the furler is held up off the deck. Probably not a big deal to you as you don't go on and off the trailer as much. Also my gin pole is shorter and comes down to the deck well aft of where the forestay pins.

Anyway thanks for the pictures and ideas,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

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Sum,
On that toggle strap set up; you will need to use your Dremel Tool to grind the strap a little so that the rigging pin will act as a toggle from a turnbuckle.

For the furler drum support; I took a piece of 2" PVC and cut it in half lengthwise and screwed it togother to shaped wood blocks. My late friend Walter got that idea from the Mac site.

You won't need to add anything to your Gin Pole to hold your furler luff if you use a lineman's "Rolling Hitch". You're going to have to make the call on tying it around the furled Gennie though. Dog brought up a good point about using a bag around the furler drum while the boat is enroute to the ramp, but I would even go a step further and bag the whole sail too, or cover it with something like a long sock.

To tie the lineman's "Rolling Hitch" you take about six CW turns around the luff, hold the wraps and come down under the standing part of the rope and back up, and then tie two or three half hitches around the luff. You can move this hitch up or down by grabbing the wraps, but once you put a strain on the standing part, that hitch tightens up and won't move. You can tie this hitch to anything like ropes, lifelines stays, and spars including the mast. When you tie this to your furler luff to raise or lower your mast, tie it about a foot or two above your Gin. Then tie it to your Gin Pole about 2/3s of the way away from your mast. I usually pull it tight to the Gin and use a Round turn and two half hitches. Then I take the same line and go around the luff and tie a couple of more half hitches around the Gin Pole entrapping the furler luff to the Gin Pole. I'm adding some pics so that you can learn this hitch. I assure you that it's a hitch that you'll use over and over again and it's so simple to tie.
Joe

 

[Sumner]

Sum,
On that toggle strap set up; you will need to use your Dremel Tool to grind the strap a little so that the rigging pin will act as a toggle from a turnbuckle........... I'm adding some pics so that you can learn this hitch. I assure you that it's a hitch that you'll use over and over again and it's so simple to tie. ......Joe

Thanks Joe for all of that. I'll practice that knot. It does look like it will come in handy. If we do our planned trips this year the boat will be on the trailer for over 6000 miles, so we plan on having the genoa on the furler and the main both in socks. We don't want to have all of the road grime on them. Ruth will sew them up. Nice thing about a smaller boat is all of this stuff is also smaller .

Hope to be up your way the following summer (2011),

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

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[Joe11688]

Sumner,
You're a man after my own heart! I've always wanted to trailer my boat to far places like the Chesapeake. I really envy anyone who can do that. Even if I had the funds to do it, being a "Geezer" I don't have the energy anymore. So I guess I'll keep doing overnighters on my boat out on the bay until I run out of energy and have to swallow the anchor.

 

[Sumner]

Sumner,
You're a man after my own heart! I've always wanted to trailer my boat to far places like the Chesapeake. I really envy anyone who can do that. Even if I had the funds to do it, being a "Geezer" I don't have the energy anymore. So I guess I'll keep doing overnighters on my boat out on the bay until I run out of energy and have to swallow the anchor.

Hey I'm 66 and Ruth is.....well lets just say she is a little older . We actually spend less money on a trip than we do at home as we sleep in the boat on the road and always anchor out. At home we are on the phone ordering parts and stuff for the boat and that is the expensive part :cry:.

On the road I just push on the gas pedal and let the Suburban handle the rest . Get out there and take a trip, heck were you are you can go a long ways without needing a trailer ,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

Mac Links

 

[watercolors II]

E-bay

Remove roller furler from forestay.

Put hanks on headsail, you've done it before is it that much work?

Spend more time sailing than rigging and de-rigging.

Sell furler on E-bay.

Use money to buy extra sails.

 

[Joe11688]

Hey I'm 66 and Ruth is.....well lets just say she is a little older . We actually spend less money on a trip than we do at home as we sleep in the boat on the road and always anchor out. At home we are on the phone ordering parts and stuff for the boat and that is the expensive part :cry:.

On the road I just push on the gas pedal and let the Suburban handle the rest . Get out there and take a trip, heck were you are you can go a long ways without needing a trailer ,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

Mac Links

Sum,
We're the same age! How come I still feel like a "Geezer?" My wife Dolores and I used to trailer the boat to Mattapoiset Ma. back in the late 80s and early 90s and we would sail across Buzzard's Bay to the Elizabeth Islands and Cuttyhunk Island. We'd spend a couple of days there and then sail up on the back side of the Islands to Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard and spend the rest of the week anchored in the harbor. We never rented any moorings either. We anchored everywhere we went. On the way back we would go into a place in Wood's Hole called Hadley Harbor. You would love it in there. It's absolutely beautiful. Since my wife swallowed the anchor years ago, I sail with my First Mate, Penelope Pitbull. Today, a trip to the Bristol RI area and Prudence Island is enough to keep me happy. Have a great sailing season Sum!
Joe

 

[cephius (Dave)]

The first time I saw a CDI Flexible Furler it was rolled up in a big loop in the marine store. I figured if the manufacture did that for shipping, then it was safe to do for storage.

I leave the jib on, remove the furler from the mast after it has been lowered, then roll the furler/jib into a big three foot loop, secured with the sheets. It then fits in the cabin. This adds about 15 minutes to the rig, de-rig process.

I won't sail without a furler anymore, so its worth the time investment.

 

[Joe11688]

I'll never go back to sailing without a roller furler or an autopilot. I'm spoiled and I'm staying that way.

 

[Doug J]

The first time I saw a CDI Flexible Furler it was rolled up in a big loop in the marine store. I figured if the manufacture did that for shipping, then it was safe to do for storage.

I leave the jib on, remove the furler from the mast after it has been lowered, then roll the furler/jib into a big three foot loop, secured with the sheets. It then fits in the cabin. This adds about 15 minutes to the rig, de-rig process.

I won't sail without a furler anymore, so its worth the time investment.

Here's a couple excerpts taken from the CDI installation/operating instructions.

"TRAILERING WITH YOUR FLEXIBLE FURLER
​

​

Your Flexible Furler is designed to take a lot of abuse.
However, if you plan to trail your boat, there are some
precautions that will help avoid problems not normally
experienced while sailing.
If you leave the furler lashed along the mast while trailering,
do not let the furler sag in the middle or at the ends. Pay
particular attention to the bottom end as it will probably
overlap the bottom of the mast and tend to bounce. To support
the drum/cup assembly, lash an extension to the bottom of the
mast and tie the bottom of the furler to the extension. Do not
bend the furler on itself to prevent whipping.
Never lash or store the furler in such a way as to cause a
sharp bend. The luff will “remember” the bend. If this
inadvertently happens, it is not covered under the warranty,
but can be straightened by bending the luff in the opposite
sense until it comes straight. Another option is to put the luff in
a pipe or tube outside in the sun for one to two weeks to​

straighten it."

"When storing for prolonged periods, it is best to strap the furler
along the mast, supporting the furler to avoid any potential
sagging at the ends as well as in the middle. Do not allow it to
drape over the spreaders or any other fitting as the plastic will
creep and the luff will kink. Luffs must be stored flat and​

straight, or warranty is void."

 

[Sumner]

I'll never go back to sailing without a roller furler or an autopilot. I'm spoiled and I'm staying that way.

We just got the furler and really look forward to it. The extra little time to rig it will be well worth it we believe over the rest of the days we are out.

No autopilot yet, well I kind of have that covered as Ruth is on the tiller most of the time .

Now about the "Geezer" deal. You are only as old as you feel or think you are, so sounds like you need to work on that . I googled where you live and it sure looks like you are in a great place to sail and explore. I drove by there way back in the early 80's. My sister is down in Conn., but we hope to sail Long Island Sound some south of you.

Have a good summer,

Sum and Ruth

 

[Joe11688]

I wish you and Ruth a great sailing season too, Sum!

Ahoy!
Joe

 

[dscribner]

Glocke17,

I haven't read all the posts so this might have already been said.

I put my jib on the roller on the first day and take it off on the last day.graphscr
dehme59074

 

[dscribner]

Wow, how did
As I was saying, I leave it on. The problem is the drum weighs a little bit so it will want to sag as it cantilevers over the pulpit. To help this, you'll want to use a piece of wood or something stiff to help out. Or, let the roller furler and jib sag onto the deck, thereby shortening the end. Be sure NOT to kink the foil. It will want to stay that way.

I'm a newbie, and a designer by trade. Not always a good combination. This winter/spring, one of the gadgets I've made for the boat is a mast cover. The idea is that all the straps for the mast and support for the furler are combined into one easy-to-install, easy-to-store package. It's almost done, a few more straps and final fitting. I've included a couple of photos. Maybe it will inspire you . . . or make you laugh. Not sure. The headsail isn't on the fail and not everything is tight yet, that's why it crooked. But the blue fabric and all the black straps are sewn together. No more bazzillions of bungees, straps, ropes, sail ties and the odd hank of duct tape for me.


Remember "Flashdance"? "I have to dance"? We'll . . . "I have to design". My house is filled sketches, projects and bad ideas.

Fair winds!

Don

 

[Sumner]

.... one of the gadgets I've made for the boat is a mast cover. The idea is that all the straps for the mast and support for the furler are combined into one easy-to-install, easy-to-store package. It's almost done, a few more straps and final fitting. I've included a couple of photos. Maybe it will inspire you . . ...........Don

Don that is a great idea. You can probably expect to see that copied by us . We now use ......

....the bungees with the balls on the ends and that is fast and easy and what I would use if we were trailering a short distance. I can put all of those on in less than a couple minutes and they keep everything in place.

Our problem is we always have to trailer a long ways and now we will have the furler up there and I'd like to keep the genoa on it to free up the cabin area as we sleep in the boat on the road. I'd also like to keep the main on the boom and start keeping it up above and out of the cabin also.

To keep road grime off of the sails we were thinking of making socks for them, but your idea takes care of covering the sails and securing all of the standing rigging at the same time.

Another project for Ruth and if we do it I'll post pictures also. She also likes it a lot. I know what it is like to have those ideas flying through your head. I have a lot more than I'll ever build :cry:.

c ya and thanks,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

Mac Links

 

[dscribner]

Sum,

If you did copy the idea (I'd be flattered) the biggest problem I had (other than typing) was finding a barrel the correct size for the furler. I ended up getting some scrap Plexiglass from work, heating and rolling it myself. I put the oven at about 225, and waited for the material to slump. Then quickly removed it and rolled it around Mother's favorive vase. Hey, it was the right size, only glass! I tried to use her sugar Tupperware container but there was no wiggle room in it.

Another thing that I got this winter was a backstay adjuster. Not one of those very expensive hydraulic units, just a stainless lever with a locking mode. Costs about $65 but allows the mast to come several inches past proper to allow the roller furler pin to be installed. The, you push back on the mast and reef down on the lever until it closes, slide in the pin and the mast is secure and propely tensioned . . .in theory. I need to replace the fitting on the end of the backstay to accept it, but it suppoed to make stepping the mast quicker, easier and safer.