Dismantling Rotostay E

[MINESAPINT2]

Trying to work out how to take my Rotostay E apart and found a video on youtube with a guy using a huge pair of stilsons. He does say his Rotostay is an "E" and I have recently been told mine is also an "E" but there are differences between them. In particular mine has a slot in the drum as per the attached photo whereas the one on youtube does not have this slot. The slot on mine coincides with a locking nut attached to what I believe to be the threaded end on the stay. Hoping to replace the stay.

Look forward to any advice

Thanks

Mike

 

[Chiara’s slave]

My experience of taking roller reefing apart has usually ended with using a chainsaw or similar. Just to manage your expectations. Universally they are a right bastard.

 

[Rafiki]

I also have the same Rotastay, but without that slot in the picture. About 3 years ago I had the standing rigging replaced. A couple of the people I spoke to about doing it said that removing the Rotastay was very difficult and to beware that some riggers will simply not take it on ( obviously want to sell you a new Harken Roller Reefing ) the very experienced old-boy who I finally got to do the job warned me that it might break ! But he did get it apart and replaced the forestay. I'm not sure how he did it, but it involved cutting the forestay and threading the new forestay in from one end ( I know he did this as I helped thread it in). Sorry not much help, but tell me where you are based and maybe my rigger can help you if he is still working.

Regards

 

[neilf39]

Mine is like yours and took it apart easily when I did my rigging. I came at it with two stilsons but the drum and foils came apart with little effort. Just remember it is reverse thread. Once those are separated you can get at the top of the turnbuckle to loosen the top locknut. There is a circlip that needs to come out to take it all apart. I have the instructions if you want them.

 

[MINESAPINT2]

Thanks for replies,

I am from Whitby - quite a way from North Bucks! - thanks anyway.

Yes please send me the instructions - I will send you my email.

I contacted Barry Locke who holds spares for the Rotostay furlers and he advised It is not possible to have a new stay made up remotely and then fit it. He advises the bare wire must be threaded through then a fitting swaged on in situ. It was Barry who advised me from photos I sent to him that it is a Rotostay E although as I indicated there are at least a couple of obvious differences between mine and the one I have viewed on youtube.

Thanks

Mike

 

[neilf39]

Thanks for replies,

I am from Whitby - quite a way from North Bucks! - thanks anyway.

Yes please send me the instructions - I will send you my email.

I contacted Barry Locke who holds spares for the Rotostay furlers and he advised It is not possible to have a new stay made up remotely and then fit it. He advises the bare wire must be threaded through then a fitting swaged on in situ. It was Barry who advised me from photos I sent to him that it is a Rotostay E although as I indicated there are at least a couple of obvious differences between mine and the one I have viewed on youtube.

Thanks

Mike

Email sent. You can thread a new forestay through with the swaged fitting on as I have done it. Pull a messenger line through with the old stay. Jimmy green made up a new forestay for me. I will dig out the spec.

 

[neil_s]

I have this model of Rotostay, too. Please note that if you are having a new forestay made, the wire should be plastic coated. I have found that if you use plain stainless wire, it gets very hard to reef after a season or two. The Rotostay does not have plastic bearing inserts in its foil like more modern furlers. Plastic coated 1x19 6mm is very hard to come by these days, but I have found that sleeving the plain wire with 7mm plastic pneumatic tube does a good job. I just measured the length needed, bought from e-bay, gave it to the rigger and asked him to slip it over the wire before he put the swages on.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Thanks for replies,

I am from Whitby - quite a way from North Bucks! - thanks anyway.

Yes please send me the instructions - I will send you my email.

I contacted Barry Locke who holds spares for the Rotostay furlers and he advised It is not possible to have a new stay made up remotely and then fit it. He advises the bare wire must be threaded through then a fitting swaged on in situ. It was Barry who advised me from photos I sent to him that it is a Rotostay E although as I indicated there are at least a couple of obvious differences between mine and the one I have viewed on youtube.

Thanks

Mike

All furlers, pretty much, need the fitting done after assembly. Spencers in Cowes supplied mine, and advised a swageless fitting so that it could be cut precicely on site to the right length. Heart in mouth I assembled it, torqued the fitting as per instructions. 3 years later it’s up there, and I’d forgotten I did it til now. No idea what your boat is, but it’s unlikely to be more stressed up than mine.

 

[MINESAPINT2]

Major breakthrough!.

After Neilf sent me the instructions I had a much clearer idea of what I am facing. Additionally from the instructions it is clear there are several versions of the Rotostay E. Some have the slot in the drum some do not. Mine does. This slot gives spanner access to the locking nut on the top end of the turnbuckle and once the nut had been loosened I got my little helper to turn the stay round at the top of the foil while I observed through the slot in the drum to see the threaded stud undoing from the turnbuckle.

I was told it was not possible to have a new stay made up remotely (it needed to be done in situ) but realised I had told the guy I was unable to remove the screws holding the 2 sections of the foil together. Having now got everything sorted I can confirm it is not possible to thread a made up stay through the foil with the jointer in place (the stud will not pass through the jointer) however I had another and another go at removing the screws in order to remove the jointer and eventually succeeded. You will see from the attached photo the jointer is slotted which does enable fitting a new stay that has been purchased remotely.

So at this point I risked it and completely unscrewed the stud using the top of the stay and extracted it completely as you can see in the photo.

I think my wire is 1 x 19 X 7mm. No idea what thread size?

Hope to get this confirmed at local chandlers tomorrow.

Mike

 

[Rafiki]

Thanks for replies,

I am from Whitby - quite a way from North Bucks! - thanks anyway.

Yes please send me the instructions - I will send you my email.

I contacted Barry Locke who holds spares for the Rotostay furlers and he advised It is not possible to have a new stay made up remotely and then fit it. He advises the bare wire must be threaded through then a fitting swaged on in situ. It was Barry who advised me from photos I sent to him that it is a Rotostay E although as I indicated there are at least a couple of obvious differences between mine and the one I have viewed on youtube.

Thanks

Mike

Boat is on the Orwell, rigging replaced at Pin Mill