Seafurl Unit hard to furl in.

[ChrisHunter]

I have a 92 Hunter30, where the Seafurl unit is below deck. Most times it is difficult to furl in the headsail. I have had the Centering Clamp assembly replaced, but it's still difficult to furl. I have removed the , thinking this might loosen the assembly but no luck. I have even replaced the furling line, using the specs provided by Hood.
As this design did not last long, Hunter moved the furling unit above deck, I am wondering if it is a design issue with this boat.

Would like to get a few opinions.

 

[richk]

Had a Hood below deck furler on previous boat (H35). Had it replaced with above deck Furlex 200s. Meant shortening forestay and filling in holes where continuous line penetrated for Hood. Worked much better. Also had to replace headsail.

 

[JohnVTX]

Try loosening the halyard just a little.

 

[walmsleyc]

I have and still use the 810SL on my 35. It's often hard to furl in a blow. The most important adjustment you can make is to ensure that the outer casing of the the lower section does not rub against the upper casing. If they rub just a little, it can really increase the friction. Secondarily, the rotational orientation of the lower casing must be just about perfect to ensure that the furling lines do not rub on anything - particularly when under load and furling IN. Both of these adjustments should be checked under load (at a dock with a modest breeze).

The lower section is adjusted with an allen screw and both clearance to the upper casing, and orientation are adjusted at the same time. I remove my furling line each year when I drop the mast, so I have made a mark so I can get it back together the same way each year.

On my unit, either the upper or lower casing is a little cockeyed, and I need to have a 1/8-3/16 clearance to ensure they don't rub while under load. If you have them too far apart, the plastic stripper might fall out, and the furling line stands a chance of getting caught in the gap.

Having said all that, I would like to some day replace it with a single line furler that I can safely use to reduce sail. Hood sells a single line replacement unit, but I've never been convinced it will fit below deck (which is sort of nice). Harken now has some nice below deck units, but it still looks like a big project to retrofit for one of those.

Chris

 

[Warren Milberg]

Are you heading upwind or downwind when furling? I've found that blanketing the headsail with the main while on a very broad reach results in easier furling of the headsail.

 

[walmsleyc]

Getting the load off of the sail certainly helps. That being said, I usually furl the jib, and head to wind to drop the main in a single maneuver.

 

[Ken Cross]

I have the same problem here. Lube helped slightly. I thought it was just me.
Something else I learned: Where the lines penetrate the deck, the holes aren't sealed well for weather. I ended up with water wicking into the deck there. It's now sealed with thickened epoxy and the deck no longer shows internal moisture. 1989 H30.
Ken

 

[walmsleyc]

Apparently most hunters of the "below deck furler" era had problems with moisture getting into the core due to lack of sealing the core for the thru-deck holes. Mine too. Some later owner sealed up the exposed core already.

I do have a pair of harken thru-deck ball-bearing leads:

That I plan on installing them in combination with some better blocks in the anchor locker to help it all run smoother (if I keep the furler). The current thru-deck guide plates, while polished SS, add a lot of friction when under load.

Chris

 

[ChrisHunter]

I have removed the sail and the unit is still difficult to furl in. As I will be at the boat this weekend, I will try to wash the furler down and apply a small amount of lubricant. If that does not do the trick, I will look at the casing to see if it's rubbing.

Since the unit is below deck and I am not as limber as I was 20 years ago, I'll see what options I have to review the upper/lower casing units.

Thanks

 

[walmsleyc]

While it still requires a certain amount of limberness, you can detach the complete lower assembly from the furler tube (removing a single allen screw and two half sleeves at the joint) , and also from however it's attached to the boat to keep it down (mine has a odd contraption that holds it down to a cross bar in the inner bowplate). After doing that, you can slide the whole drum/lower unit up to a workable height for inspection/cleaning (the furler tube then rests on the forestay turnbuckle and the drum will slide up and down freely).

If you do that, you can better inspect, and test how freely it all spins.
Chris

 

[Ken Cross]

All good stuff, Thanks guys
Ken