Many may already be aware of this, but for those who aren't I'll post the info anyway.
Our 310 furler has always been somewhat hard to turn, going in or out, since we bought the boat used. It's been getting worse, and since we just ordered new sails, I figured it was time to sort it out.
I've flushed it with fresh water often, but on these older drums it's hard to get water into the bearing area. Manufacturer recommends no lube, as it can attract gunk and grit.
I called Schaefer, the first person suggested rinsing it with a warm Simple Green solution. I wasn't a fan of this, since regular simple green is a bit corrosive to bare aluminum and needs to be thoroughly rinsed. But I have the non corrosive version for use on aircraft, so I tried that, removing the cage and drum end plates to try for better access.
Another several rounds of rinsing, and it was better, but still not right. Turning it by hand I could feel the roughness.
I went through the manual and the parts listing, trying to figure out how to replace the bearings in the drum.
I called Schaefer back, spoke to a different person and when I inquired about buying bearings, I found out they sell the drum assembly with new bearings for $250. As much as I enjoy fixing vs. replacing, thinking about the hours I'd spend trying to remove bearings from a likely corroded drum and installing new ones, I placed an order.
Watching this video from Schaefer, it looks relatively straightforward. And it shows that the new style drum has holes for flush water to get to the interior of the drum.
Waiting for it to arrive, hopefully before the new sails!
Our 310 furler has always been somewhat hard to turn, going in or out, since we bought the boat used. It's been getting worse, and since we just ordered new sails, I figured it was time to sort it out.
I've flushed it with fresh water often, but on these older drums it's hard to get water into the bearing area. Manufacturer recommends no lube, as it can attract gunk and grit.
I called Schaefer, the first person suggested rinsing it with a warm Simple Green solution. I wasn't a fan of this, since regular simple green is a bit corrosive to bare aluminum and needs to be thoroughly rinsed. But I have the non corrosive version for use on aircraft, so I tried that, removing the cage and drum end plates to try for better access.
Another several rounds of rinsing, and it was better, but still not right. Turning it by hand I could feel the roughness.
I went through the manual and the parts listing, trying to figure out how to replace the bearings in the drum.
I called Schaefer back, spoke to a different person and when I inquired about buying bearings, I found out they sell the drum assembly with new bearings for $250. As much as I enjoy fixing vs. replacing, thinking about the hours I'd spend trying to remove bearings from a likely corroded drum and installing new ones, I placed an order.
Watching this video from Schaefer, it looks relatively straightforward. And it shows that the new style drum has holes for flush water to get to the interior of the drum.
