Running furler line back to cockpit

[Joe5893]

Hi all,

I am adding a CDI FF4 to my Oday 25 this spring. I tried searching the archives and looking in the owners modification area to find pics of how other owners have ran the furler line back to the cockpit area. To avoid confusion, I understand you use the jib sheets to unfurl the sail, I am taking about the line used to furl the sail back up once you are done sailling.

Does anyone have any pics they can share on this topic?

Thanks,

Joe

 

[Joe11688]

Hi all,

I am adding a CDI FF4 to my Oday 25 this spring. I tried searching the archives and looking in the owners modification area to find pics of how other owners have ran the furler line back to the cockpit area. To avoid confusion, I understand you use the jib sheets to unfurl the sail, I am taking about the line used to furl the sail back up once you are done sailing.

Does anyone have any pics they can share on this topic?

Thanks,

Joe

Joe,
I've been told that the furler control line isn't supplied with the CDI Roller furlers. So if you have to buy the line, make sure that you get enough to go back as far as your stern rail. I think you need to have so many wraps of line on the drum when the sail is pulled out, and when you reef your Gennie you'll want to be able to snub your control line on a cleat somewhere convenient to reach. Whatever you do, don't mount the cleat before the Gennie winch because the sheet will get caught on it when you go to tack. Just picture your Gennie luffing as you swing the boat through a tack, and the sheet shaking rapidly from side to side.
I'm just as new to roller furlers as you are and when I mounted my horn cleat on the combing, I had to mount it in a place where I thought would be convenient, so I thought at the time. I didn't have enough line to go back to the stern rail, so I mounted it on the combing, before winch. Big mistake.
Originally, the O'Day 222 had a horn cleat on the back Starboard side of the cabin and I removed it because I didn't think it was a handy place for a control line for single handing, and also the cheap Schaeffer Furler that came with that boat was so useless that I removed it and went to a conventional Gennie snaps.
At any rate, Last year,I removed the cleat that I installed and I too haven't figured out what I'm going to use and where to place it. I'll probably place it somewhere near my stern rail. As for what to use; I'm not certain yet what I'll wind up installing. I may use a horn type jam cleat. I like the idea of being able to quickly set up or release this control line when reefing and still be able to cleat the line permanently when I leave my boat at the mooring. If a storm comes up, I don't want the line to get free and have my sail flapping to death in the wind all night but then, I always tie a short 1/4' braid line around my furled Gennie when I leave the boat at the end of the day anyway.
So these are my thoughts and maybe someone else can chime in with some good advice on what to use and where to install it.
Joe

 

[Dakartimm]

My 25 came with the CDI FF4 . I used blocks that clamped on the the stantions .The furling line terminates on the port coaming about a foot in front of th genoa winch. Ther are two issues that must be considered for you to really get the benefits of the furler.
The first issue is the angle that the furling line leaves the drum. The instructions are pretty clear that the angle must be 90 degrees . Many people have not done this and have been very frustrated with the furling system.It took some trial and error to find the magic angle .
The second concern is minimising the friction of the furling line itself. Initially I used dead eyes.or fairleads .I changed over to blocks and used a Ronstan swivel base deadeye and cam cleat .Part number rf58 . Spend the extra money up front .

 

[bria46]

I'm using 3 Harken #7403 on my O'Day 272. They clamp onto your stanchions and allow you to run your furling line on the outside of the stanchions back to the cockpit. Schaefer and many other manufactures make clamp-on blocks. Attach the clamp on block from the drum to your Bow Pulput clamp-on block then back to the cockpit thru the 7403s.

 

[Joe11688]

Hi all,

I am adding a CDI FF4 to my Oday 25 this spring. I tried searching the archives and looking in the owners modification area to find pics of how other owners have ran the furler line back to the cockpit area. To avoid confusion, I understand you use the jib sheets to unfurl the sail, I am taking about the line used to furl the sail back up once you are done sailling.

Does anyone have any pics they can share on this topic?

Thanks,

Joe

When I first set up my roller furler, I used a couple of existing fair leads that were on my deck with a small single sheave attached to the Starboard base of my bow pulpit to get the 90 degree angle needed to feed the drum. Then I discovered that the control line was eating into the fair leads, so I removed the fair leads and installed a couple of single sheaves to the bails on the bases of my lifeline stanchions with small shackles and this seems to work well.
You should experiment in locating a handy place for the control line cleat where nothing will get snagged on it, particularly the Gennie sheet. This may not be the case on your boat, but it certainly was on mine, and you want to have to drill the holes for the cleat only once.
You could omit the cleat for now because when the sail is furled, you can tie it off temporarily to any cleat on the deck until you decide where to put the permanent cleat. I'm seriously thinking of extending my control line and installing a jam cleat for it. I just haven't decided where to put the cleat yet. I'll do that this spring. Good luck.
Joe

 

[Pat]

Hi all,

I am adding a CDI FF4 to my Oday 25 this spring. I tried searching the archives and looking in the owners modification area to find pics of how other owners have ran the furler line back to the cockpit area. To avoid confusion, I understand you use the jib sheets to unfurl the sail, I am taking about the line used to furl the sail back up once you are done sailling.

Does anyone have any pics they can share on this topic?

Thanks,

Joe

Joe, here is a suggestion. Very early on, when we got the 272, when reefing the headsail on windy days that sometimes it was not possible to roll the sail all the way in because the spool would not hold enough line....Then I learned in a racing clinic that you can get good quality line for the furling line and have West Marine or anyone, remove the core for the first 20 ft. that wraps around the spool when reefing or furling in completely....but don't remove the core as far back as the winches...because you want that line to be secure in you hands or supple and handling a core only is hard on hands.....so go back to the 3/8' inch or whatever size furling line you want to use.....that way your hands will get a good grip and you sail will always furl completely. Even on windy days....a good quality line will handle this well....we did it about 8 to 10 years ago and it was a great tip.
Has made our lives easier...

 

[sPk]

I am in the same boat. I installed an FF4 last spring but haven't mounted the cleat yet for the furling line. When it is very windy, I really wished I had a cleat and a way to keep the line from running out and ripping through my hands. I like the idea of a jam cleat.

Dakartimm, have you had issues with your furling cleat placement being in front of the winch? Do you have picture of placement?

sPk

 

[Joe5893]

Thanks for the advice guys. Spring can't come soon enough!

Joe

 

[Dakartimm]

Hi I'll post photo's hopefully tommorrow