Colebrook Roller Furler

[Jokani]

My Westerly Centaur has a Colebrook Roller Furler fitted, see picture.

I would like to service this over the winter but I cannot find any information relating to Colebrook furlers online at all, and certainly nothing like a service guide.

Can anyone point me in the right direction.

The method off attachment also looks suspect, is it normal/correct to attach using shackles in this manner?

Thanks in advance.

 

[DanTribe]

Colnebrook ? Long defunct.
Mine spat all it's ball bearings over the deck and I failed to find any spares. I decided to cut my losses and go for a new Sailspar system. Sorry, that's probably not what you wanted to hear. I never had any info for mine.
For what it's worth, the remains of mine are laying in a spar rack in Burnham. [as far as I know] You are welcome to any useful bits.

 

[donm]

My Westerly Centaur has a Colebrook Roller Furler fitted, see picture.

I would like to service this over the winter but I cannot find any information relating to Colebrook furlers online at all, and certainly nothing like a service guide.

Can anyone point me in the right direction.

The method off attachment also looks suspect, is it normal/correct to attach using shackles in this manner?

Thanks in advance.

View attachment 45813

I took mine apart and serviced it a year or two ago. Had plenty of problems dismantling the foil and ended up using an impact screwdriver - with very great care. Another tip - when you take the bottom roller apart, do it in a bucket to catch all of the bearings as they will spew out everywhere. Take plenty of photographs during the process. Clean everything thoroughly and re-assemble without grease on the ball bearings.

 

[VicS]

My Westerly Centaur has a Colebrook Roller Furler fitted,

The method off attachment also looks suspect, is it normal/correct to attach using shackles in this manner?

Rather unsatisfactory.

I take it the wire is the halyard. Not the best of arrangements with the halyard coming back down the spar but thats how many were made at one time.

Mine is a Cooney, similar to the Colebrook but simpler and cheaper with a rope halyard and nylon bushes rather than ball bearings.

A lashing on either the halyard or the sail tack ( or both) will enable you to do away with the chains of shackles and provide a means of adjusting and tensioning the luff.
"Bow string effect" rather limits the extent to which the luff can be tensioned though

 

[Half Dozen]

Don't want to hijack the thread but we have recently becoming proud parents of a Westerly Centaur that needs complete refurb. It has Cooney roller reefing (boat completely de-rigged at the moment) and can't find any info on the web about it - am trying to work out how it attaches as forestay with norseman fitting runs through the drum and assuming that attaches to bow roller? There is also a metal D ring that may have been welded to the bottom of the drum as it appears as though there is some other metal attachment that has sheared off. Again I'm assuming this attaches to the bow roller as well. Do have a random piece of kit which was tied to the roller reefing line which looks like it may have something to do with attachment (see pic). Any info/pictures would be very gratefully received thank you

 

[alahol2]

Do have a random piece of kit which was tied to the roller reefing line which looks like it may have something to do with attachment (see pic). Any info/pictures would be very gratefully received thank youView attachment 49911

The random bit of kit is a toggle and a pair of mounting plates. The Norseman fitting will fit into the toggle with a clevis pin. The mounting plates will fit either side of (one side of) the bow roller.
Can't help with the 'D' ring sorry.

 

[xeitosaphil]

Don't want to hijack the thread but we have recently becoming proud parents of a Westerly Centaur that needs complete refurb. It has Cooney roller reefing (boat completely de-rigged at the moment) and can't find any info on the web about it - am trying to work out how it attaches as forestay with norseman fitting runs through the drum and assuming that attaches to bow roller? There is also a metal D ring that may have been welded to the bottom of the drum as it appears as though there is some other metal attachment that has sheared off. Again I'm assuming this attaches to the bow roller as well. Do have a random piece of kit which was tied to the roller reefing line which looks like it may have something to do with attachment (see pic). Any info/pictures would be very gratefully received thank youView attachment 49911

When I had my Colnbrook Furler fitted to my boat, it was fitted with one of these under the drum which I think they were factory supplied with. It fitted direct to the Stem Head fitting.


It was still serviceable when it was removed from the boat, only upgraded because the riggers were not prepared to remove and re-instate it, to replace the Fore Stay on a full Rig replacement. It’s still available if anybody is interested, complete with all the foils for a 30footer.

 

[mickywillis]

Have just refurbished my Colnebrook furling mechanism. If you want to PM me I'm happy to give you a few heads up on how to do the refurb.
Looking at the point where the large aluminium collar joins the foil sections, has yours been welded? If so, you may have a bit of an issue with dismantling.

 

[wklein]

Pretty sure it's colnbrook not colnbrook. Might explain difficulty searching

 

[Trident]

I have photocopies of the original manual (all 2 pages of it) that I can email you if you want to PM me an email address

Servicing really consists of pouring boiling water in to the cleaning hole and oiling through the same

My understanding is that these don't have bearings but a phosphor bronze bush instead - as posters above have mentioned bearings being spat out it seems there may be more than one model

Mine is about 30 years old and still works perfectly - just a monthly clean with boiling water and a few drops of 3 in 1 keep it freely moving

 

[Half Dozen]

Mine is a Cooney, similar to the Colebrook but simpler and cheaper

Sorry realised I should have quoted this bit in my original post - was hoping to get some more info on cooney system. Thank you for for all helpful replies...if anyone has cooney would be grateful for any info...

 

[Half Dozen]

I have photocopies of the original manual (all 2 pages of it) that I can email you if you want to PM me an email address

Servicing really consists of pouring boiling water in to the cleaning hole and oiling through the same

My understanding is that these don't have bearings but a phosphor bronze bush instead - as posters above have mentioned bearings being spat out it seems there may be more than one model

Mine is about 30 years old and still works perfectly - just a monthly clean with boiling water and a few drops of 3 in 1 keep it freely moving

Sorry if I've managed to confuse everyone as thread was originally re colnebrook but as there was reference to cooney (which we have inherited on our centaur) was hoping to get hands on manual for cooney system. Trident is your manual for cooney or colnebrook?

 

[mickywillis]

Deleted

 

[mickywillis]

When I had my Colnbrook Furler fitted to my boat, it was fitted with one of these under the drum which I think they were factory supplied with. It fitted direct to the Stem Head fitting.


It was still serviceable when it was removed from the boat, only upgraded because the riggers were not prepared to remove and re-instate it, to replace the Fore Stay on a full Rig replacement. It’s still available if anybody is interested, complete with all the foils for a 30footer.

I'd probably be possibly tempted by the furling setup, depending on price, but I guess the main issue would be getting it from Devon to either Langstone or Epsom?
Presume the foils are appx 2-3 mtrs each in length?
Any ideas on how much you may be looking at for the setup?
Would be useful to have spares in case mine goes belly up in the future! Just fitted all new stainless rigging to theboat along with the running stuff, but the furling system is probably the original? (1980 Westerly Griffon Mk1)
Let me know.

 

[mickywillis]

BTW, if its a Seareef system you have, see here:
http://s46.photobucket.com/user/SnowPetrel/library/Colnebrook Seareef?sort=3&page=1

Does look like Colnebrook is spelt with an E as well!

 

[xeitosaphil]

I'd probably be possibly tempted by the furling setup, depending on price, but I guess the main issue would be getting it from Devon to either Langstone or Epsom?
Presume the foils are appx 2-3 mtrs each in length?
Any ideas on how much you may be looking at for the setup?
Would be useful to have spares in case mine goes belly up in the future! Just fitted all new stainless rigging to theboat along with the running stuff, but the furling system is probably the original? (1980 Westerly Griffon Mk1)
Let me know.

PM sent

 

[oldharry]

Snow petrel of this parish helpfully posted this a couple of years ago:

http://s46.photobucket.com/user/SnowPetrel/library/Colnebrook Seareef?sort=3&page=1

I have a Colnebrook on my boat. Spares are now non-existent. Very good reefing system, kept simple and not a lot to go wrong, but if anything breaks - that is that unless you can get a part made up as a one off.

 

[twohats]

Don't want to hijack the thread but we have recently becoming proud parents of a Westerly Centaur that needs complete refurb. It has Cooney roller reefing (boat completely de-rigged at the moment) and can't find any info on the web about it - am trying to work out how it attaches as forestay with norseman fitting runs through the drum and assuming that attaches to bow roller? There is also a metal D ring that may have been welded to the bottom of the drum as it appears as though there is some other metal attachment that has sheared off. Again I'm assuming this attaches to the bow roller as well. Do have a random piece of kit which was tied to the roller reefing line which looks like it may have something to do with attachment (see pic). Any info/pictures would be very gratefully received thank youView attachment 49911

That looks similar to mine (1980 vintage), which I have never yet identified. I'll try and get some photos at the weekend.

 

[mickywillis]

Replied to! With thanks.

PM sent

 

[zambra]

Do these help with the original roller furler question? I just bought the plastimo 609s to replace the Colnebrook on my Westerly Centaur as the Colnebrook kept jamming despite lots of TLC.. Not sure if it was the original furler but its done its time. The advice is to wash it regularly with some clean water and give it a light oil but this wasn't working for me.