Tell Me Why I Made This Thing!

[rardiH36]

This post is a version of what is this "sound" or "picture" that might be on radio or TV. But instead it's on the SailboatOwners' Forum:

The item pictured below solved a problem which a local rigger suggested would cost just a few $'s for the actual part .... but lots of $'s for the many hours to install. Thinking I could instead do it myself, I ordered, payed for, and received the official replacement part. While it was en-route, I came up with the pictured Rube Goldberg alternative that radically reduced the hour time, complication, and personal risk of doing the installation.

My alternative has been installed for one year now on my boat. It's been performing great even when several times repeating the action that originally identified the original failure. Actually, I feel more comfortable with it than replacing per the manufacturer's part. But it is a DIY solution and I do have concerns about that am I doing right?

Guess away. The answer in a few days or until someone nails it. (Hint: A ways back, I posted some questions on-line about the issue.)

 

[woodster]

This post is a version of what is this "sound" or "picture" that might be on radio or TV. But instead it's on the SailboatOwners' Forum:

The item pictured below solved a problem which a local rigger suggested would cost just a few $'s for the actual part .... but lots of $'s for the many hours to install. Thinking I could instead do it myself, I ordered, payed for, and received the official replacement part. While it was en-route, I came up with the pictured Rube Goldberg alternative that radically reduced the hour time, complication, and personal risk of doing the installation.

My alternative has been installed for one year now on my boat. It's been performing great even when several times repeating the action that originally identified the original failure. Actually, I feel more comfortable with it than replacing per the manufacturer's part. But it is a DIY solution and I do have concerns about that am I doing right?

Guess away. The answer in a few days or until someone nails it. (Hint: A ways back, I posted some questions on-line about the issue.)

if i had to guess ....you were haveing trouble with your furler hanging up....so it must be something to do with solving that problem.....

regards

woody

 

[weinie]

Looks like it fits into a mast/boom sail track.

 

[Ken13559]

Mannn, you've got too much time thinking up something to wreck our brains.
My educated guess is clew outhaul contraption.

 

[zeehag]

looks like something that would FAIL on my boat....too light
good luck and have fun

 

[LloydB]

open up a jammed furler?

 

[centerline]

its obviously something specific to your boat and the particular equipment you have, so even though i dont know what it is, I would guess it is something i would never have a use for on my boat....

 

[philwsailz]

I give, bet we all do...


Why not just tell us now, or give us a clue...

 

[zeehag]

lemme guess--something to tie the tighty whiteys to the shower door......hhmmm

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Easy ......................

...................... it's obviously used for cracking walnuts .

 

[Brian D]

My guess would be a newfangled jam cleat or something to do with your main sheet. This based on research on your prior posts (I was bored).

 

[philwsailz]

IT does look an awful lot like an outhaul car...

 

[kloudie1]

Mainsail head fitting .. where the halyard attaches.

 

[rardiH36]

Maybe silly of me to do a sailboat version of charades. But thanks for playing.

Kloudie, LlloydB and Woodster surmised correct.

The piece is to prevent rotating of the part of my Profurl furler part that is designed to freely go up and down along the extrusion when removing/installing the headsail. The attached picture shows it in place. Per Profurl's design, inside the aluminum casting onto which it is mounted is a delron bushing. The bushing allows up and down movement. But it is slightly out of round, so (generally) prevents the casting's rotation on the extrusion. My original bushing had worn just enough to allow to twist out of its free movement location. It jammed which prevented bringing down my sail. I had to go up the mast (very first time ever!) with a couple of channel locks to rotate back correctly. According to the rigger, replacing the delron bushing required removal and reinstall of the whole furler assembly. (Although I did find an instruction posted by a cruising sailor about replacing the part from the bottom. The forestay had to be detatched from the bottom but the furler extrusion could remain over the loose forestay.) Actually the rigger recommended that instead I might as well buy a new furler since the labor to repair the old or install a new would be about the same.

My piece is made of marlon type plastic salvaged from a no longer used Dutchman mainsail setup. So I expect that the material should be robust enough. The two "tangs" on it match the slots in the extrusion. So no chance anymore of rotation of the bushing into the jamming position. And I didn't have to remove anything to install.

 

[kloudie1]

Nice job, Rardi..

 

[Kermit]

Maybe silly of me to do a sailboat version of charades. But thanks for playing.

Kloudie, LlloydB and Woodster surmised correct.

...

No no. That's not it. It's an out haul car!

 

[zeehag]

NO..its a tightywhitey hanger....

 

[Ken Cross]

Way to go. It looks like a nice upgrade. I'm frequently frustrated because we have become a throw-away society. When I want to buy a simple part, I can't find it because no one else seems to fix anything anymore. Granted lots of things aren't worth the cost if you were to pay shop rates for labor, but for me I just can't stand the waste and I get a sense of satisfaction knowing what ever it was isn't in a landfill.

Ken