406S Furling Gear

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atelford

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I have a L17SL. I bought Plastimo 406S Furling gear. Have just tried to put it up but cannot understand how it connects to the chainplate ?.. My chandler said it should fit over the existing bottle screw setup that the forestay was in but It doesnt fit.... can anyone tell me how theirs is attached ? The bottom of the furling gear as 5 holes. I have clevis pinned the forestay to one.... now how do I make up the difference to the chain plate ?
 
The 5 hole coupling plates are not long enough ~~ right?

Are you fitting them over the existing bottle screw?

There are 11 hole plates as an alternative. Presumably you could shorten them to what length you need with the aid of a hacksaw.

I suggest you revisit your Chandler
 
The forestay needs to remain as before, ie - you must use the bottlescrew to secure the forestay.

The plates on the furling gear need to resist the pull from the halyard, and resist the turning forces from the furling line.

You need to ensure that the drum doesn't jam on the bottlescrew and attempt to turn the bottlescrew.

In the ideal situation the plates would be long enough to sit alongside the bottlescrew, and fit to another hole on the forestay chainplate. From memory, this was the situation on my L17.

With the shorter plates that you have, you could bolt them through the bottlescrew if it is the open cage type. If it is the enclosed type as often found on the L17, you might be able to bolt it through the adjuster hole. The big danger with bolting it to the bottlescrew is that it might cause the bottlescrew to turn and come apart.

To reinforce my first point - do not rely on the plates to take the forces in the forestay.

Are you a member of the LOA ? With the number of 17's around, there will a member near you, or someone willing to send you a photo.

Ash
 
I have a 406 (no “S”) unless it is different You connect the original forestay with the original bottle screw to the original chain plate, the two stainless strips with 5 holes can be pinned to the bottom of the forestay or the bottle screw, and they merely stop the bottom of the drum revolving. The foil revolves around the forestay; therefore it is very important that you lock off the bottle screw, so that it cannot come undone.
I actually bind mine to the bottle screw as they snag the anchor chain if left loose at the bottom. You could cut them off below where you anchor them to the forestay/ bottle screw, I have left mine full length as I use them to raise the mast by and hold it in place while I attach the bottle screw.
Hope this helps, I seem to remember there used to be a diagram in the instructions.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I seem to remember there used to be a diagram in the instructions

[/ QUOTE ] The instructions are HERE but they are not the worlds best. The "S" stands for single groove. There are twin grooved systems as well coded with a "T"
The couping plates should transmit the pull of the halyard directly to the stem head.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The forestay needs to remain as before, ie - you must use the bottlescrew to secure the forestay.

The plates on the furling gear need to resist the pull from the halyard, and resist the turning forces from the furling line.

You need to ensure that the drum doesn't jam on the bottlescrew and attempt to turn the bottlescrew.

In the ideal situation the plates would be long enough to sit alongside the bottlescrew, and fit to another hole on the forestay chainplate. From memory, this was the situation on my L17.

With the shorter plates that you have, you could bolt them through the bottlescrew if it is the open cage type. If it is the enclosed type as often found on the L17, you might be able to bolt it through the adjuster hole. The big danger with bolting it to the bottlescrew is that it might cause the bottlescrew to turn and come apart.

To reinforce my first point - do not rely on the plates to take the forces in the forestay.

Are you a member of the LOA ? With the number of 17's around, there will a member near you, or someone willing to send you a photo.

Ash

[/ QUOTE ]
Ash is correct in saying dont let the side plates take the tension of the forestay, but if your side plates are long enough try to get them to align with the lower end of bottle/ rigging screw and using a longer clevis pin, fit it through plates lower hole and lower end of rigging screw, with a plate each side of the rigging screw.
If this is the way you are going to do it, use a clevis pin without a head, but with holes for split pin at each end, then if you need to adjust the rigging screw at any future time you remove the two plates, slide the reefing gear up a bit, adjust the rigging screw, then reasemble as before.
A forked lower end terminal in the rigging screw would mean that when you remove the split pins to pull off the side plates the rigging screw cannot come away as long as the clevis pin stays in position.
My side plates are actually bridging the gap between end of forestay and bow roller plate, ie, they are holding the forestay attached to chain plate, but I made up two more plates twice the thickness of the original and they are doubled up with the side plates on the furler drum, it just means I dont have any adjustment on the forestay.
I actually thought this was the way they were supposed to be fixed as it was this way when I bought the boat, and am surprised that it wasent picked up on the previous survey.
Cheers, C_W
 
[ QUOTE ]
Ash is correct in saying don't let the side plates take the tension of the forestay

[/ QUOTE ] The instructions appear to offer the alternative to dispense with the bottle screw by pinning the bottom of the forestay to the coupling plates near the top and the coupling plates to the stem head by the bottom holes.
The position in which the forestay is pinned of course must match the original length of the bottle screw.
There will then be no adjustment possible of the forestay and the tensioning will have to be done with the backstay (but then it would be anyway).

I don't understand why you say the forestay tension should not be taken by the coupling plates.
 
I have had 2 boats with 406s. One had a very thin type tubular bottlesecrew and the other had no bottlescrew. Both had the forestay attached to the coupling plates 2 or 3 holes from the bottom then the coupling plate bottom holes were attached to the chainplate (this is one arrangement shown in the instructions).

I think I would prefer no rigging screw because (a) it is not easy to adjust and (b)it may come loose.

I think if it were my boat I would check the required forestay length (without roller) then get a new one made up slightly shorter with no bottlescrew. You can always adjust the length by attaching the forestay to different holes in the coupling plates.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Ash is correct in saying don't let the side plates take the tension of the forestay

[/ QUOTE ] The instructions appear to offer the alternative to dispense with the bottle screw by pinning the bottom of the forestay to the coupling plates near the top and the coupling plates to the stem head by the bottom holes.
The position in which the forestay is pinned of course must match the original length of the bottle screw.
There will then be no adjustment possible of the forestay and the tensioning will have to be done with the backstay (but then it would be anyway).

I don't understand why you say the forestay tension should not be taken by the coupling plates.

[/ QUOTE ]
My last boat had Plastimo RR fitted fitted in this way by a big rigging company and I have seen a number of others fitted the same way. My current boat also has one. It is the reason for choosing the chainplate version. If you want to leave the bottlescrew connected to the bow fitting then you should choose the turnbuckle version.

From the Plastimo website:

20573on.jpg
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you want to leave the bottlescrew connected to the bow fitting then you should choose the turnbuckle version

[/ QUOTE ] Your comments help to clarify the two coupling plate lengths.

The descriptions on this webpage explain the difference. In a nutshell short plates if the rigging screw is not used, long ones if it is used. But if it is not used a longer forestay wire will almost cetatinly be needed.
One of the attractions of the Plastimo gear must surely be that it can be fitted to the existing forestay without removing it from the mast. Assuming that's what Trio is doing he should have been supplied with the version with the longer chainplates.
 
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