Dropping mast with Furlex 104S

[Jonny A]

Hi everyone,

I need to drop my mast to do some maintenance, the boat is equipped with a Furlex 104S and I haven't done this before. It isn't clear from the manual (at least to me) what the procedure is for disconnecting the Furlex from the boat, can anyone help please? I guess I need to do the installation procedure in reverse, i.e. slide the drum up to clear the rigging screw and then release it but what do I need to watch out for?

The boat is a Contessa 26 and I've never dropped a mast on anything bigger than a dinghy before. I'll have yard staff helping with a cherry picker but I'd like to have the correct order for loosening off shrouds and backstays clear in my mind before we start - does anyone have any general advice please?

Thanks in advance

 

[lustyd]

on mine I didn't need to change the rigging screw. Remove all other standing rigging and tie with cord to keep the mast upright but loose (cord replaces each bottlescrew essentially until you're ready for the drop). Then the tension on the furlex is gone so you just take out the pin. I tied a rope to the furlex and through the anchor roller to keep it straight through the drop. My Vivacity was small enough that I walked the mast down by hand but your method there may differ.

 

[ProDave]

What work are you doing?

for winter we drop the mast with the furling jib still attached and it stays attached all winter unless that is the reason for dropping the mast.

 

[Stemar]

What work are you doing?

for winter we drop the mast with the furling jib still attached and it stays attached all winter unless that is the reason for dropping the mast.

+1

If you do need to remove the Furlex, it's far easier to do it with the mast down and resting on a couple of saw horses. Just keep an eye on the furler as the mast comes down, so you don't kink the foil. It's quite hard to damage it, but it is possible

 

[KevinV]

As above, slacken off the backstay (I used the topping lift to replace it). Then I used the spinnaker halyard to replace the forestay, which you can then just undo with the pin at the bottom. Tie a piece of string round the pin before you remove it - they're stupidly expensive.
Once loose I found it best to chuck the furler over the bow rather than leaving it on deck - to prevent it putting pressure on the foil. Worth wrapping in a towel too, to prevent marking the deck (as I didn't do, and had a lot or scrubbing to do afterwards).
Once down I supported the foil with a broomstick where it extends beyond the mast foot. Easy peasy to service when it's right in front of you.

 

[Refueler]

I drop mast on my 25ft'r with an A frame .....

Basically I set up A frame with spinnaker halyard temsioned to allow me to release forestay .... the genoa has been removed from furler, genoa halyard then used to raise furler drum enough to allow access to the bottle screw.
Once A frame has tension - all stays side are slacked - with forward leading stays released ... the aft led and cap shrouds slacked but still able to stop mast falling to side.
Backstays are slacked just enough to stop pulling against A-frame ..

Lower mast taking care to keep mast aligned central and not swing to side. The furler as you see conveniently lays in the X of the A frame ... yes it curves - but once mast is down ... the furler is carefully lain along mast and lashed in place.
I've done this many times and furler has not suffered any problems.

 

[lustyd]

Also, since there was once a very urgent thread on the topic...remove the tabernacle bolt last!

 

[BabaYaga]

I'll have yard staff helping with a cherry picker but I'd like to have the correct order for loosening off shrouds and backstays clear in my mind before we start - does anyone have any general advice please?

What is the cherry picker supposed to do and how do you plan to get the mast from vertical to horisontal in a controlled way? Is the mast hinged at the foot?
I am not sure of the weight and length of a Contessa 26 mast, but I take down the mast of my 29' masthead sloop every year and on this the forces would be considerable if something went wrong. I would not dream of doing it without a mast crane.

 

[andsarkit]

On the 26 the lowers will hold the mast while you remove the shrouds furler and backstays. A strop around the mast under the spreaders will support the mast while you incline it and lower to the ground. The most difficult part is keeping the furler foil straight. Ideally you want a couple of people to support it along the length as you lower it. If it gets horizontal while just supported at the ends it will get bent.
Alternatively use a halyard in place of the forestay when you remove the pin under the furler (slacken the backstays first to take the tension off the pin). Remove the lowers first and the shrouds and backstay after you have the strop on the mast.
Unless you are going to replace the rigging, make a note of the measurements on all the rigging screws so you can set them up initially when the mast goes back up.
I have done this on my own (same boat) using an H frame of aluminium scaffold poles. Not difficult apart from keeping the furler foil straight.

 

[Tranona]

If you are paying the yard staff with a cherry picker to take the mast out, leave them to it and watch how they do it. They have probably done more masts than you will ever see in a lifetime and what you have is simple.

 

[Jonny A]

Thanks for all the replies. I expect the yard staff will know exactly what they're doing, but I always like to be able to visualise things ahead so I can anticipate any problems - after all, she's an old boat with the original (I think) Proctor rig.

Once down the mast will go into the mast shed, where it will be properly supported. I am going to replace the standing rigging so unfortunately I'll have to disassemble the furler once the mast is down.

 

[KevinV]

I am going to replace the standing rigging so unfortunately I'll have to disassemble the furler once the mast is down.

They're not that complicated, just have a good look at the diagrams and work with a muck bucket beneath it, with something soft in it - you're bound to drop something (and you'll be really cross if it bounces back out of the bucket)

 

[andsarkit]

You only need to undo the Sta-Lok fitting under the furler drum to remove the forestay. Full instructions are in the Selden handbook but you should ideally replace the cone with the new rigging and also use the recommended Loctite.
It is very important to get the new forestay exactly the same length as the old one. There is no adjustment on the 104 and any differences will affect your mast rake.
The yard is probably experienced but this is not always so. Watch them carefully and stop if you see anything that concerns you.
Do you have a plan for disconnecting the VHF coax and masthead lights?
When the mast is replaced don't let the rigger tighten all the rigging to the usual15% of breaking strain. This is fine for a fractional rig but on the Contessa with 9 stays you will depress the mast step which is a common problem on these boats.