Facnor SD130 headsail furling system

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JaysMagic

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We beleive our forestay is too slack and therfore want to be able to tension it on our Dufour 32 Classic.

We have done a quick internet search but cannot work out how to get to the bottlescrew without drilling out the pot rivets on the telescopic section on the furling foil.

All hints and tips welcome please
 
Troubadour said:
If your SD130 has the proper kit fitted for a forestay with a bottlescrew, you should be able to undo the link plate to drum attachment bolts, leaving the link plates bolted through the forestay eye, and lift the whole furler up the forestay enough to get access to the turnbuckle.
See http://www.facnor.com/uk/technical_support/technical_brochures/former_ranges/fichiers/sd_12.pdf
and http://www.facnor.com/uk/technical_...es/former_ranges/fichiers/sd_headsail_fur.pdf last page.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY.
This is what I have done with my SD165 a couple of times. Remove the genoa sail, undo link plate and using the halyard swivel (make sure you attach a line to pull it back) lift the whole furler up so you have access to the turnbuckle. If you try to lift the whole thing with your hands (ie without using a halyard pulling it at the top) the "sections" (or whatever they are called) will bend and the forestay will...dissappear inside them. Ask me how I know!
 
cmedsailor said:
EXACTLY.
This is what I have done with my SD165 a couple of times. Remove the genoa sail, undo link plate and using the halyard swivel (make sure you attach a line to pull it back) lift the whole furler up so you have access to the turnbuckle. If you try to lift the whole thing with your hands (ie without using a halyard pulling it at the top) the "sections" (or whatever they are called) will bend and the forestay will...dissappear inside them. Ask me how I know!
Click to expand...

I would be cautious lifting it just by running the swivel to the top of the foil and pulling with the halyard - the top cap and retaining plug can pull out of the top end of the foil and you need a trip up to replace them!
I don't understand your point about the sections bending and the forestay disappearing inside - you don't remove the bolt through the link plates and the turnbuckle eye, so the forestay is still under tension. You only remove the two short screws attaching the tops of the link plates to the boss of the drum.
 
Troubadour said:
I don't understand your point about the sections bending and the forestay disappearing inside - you don't remove the bolt through the link plates and the turnbuckle eye, so the forestay is still under tension. You only remove the two short screws attaching the tops of the link plates to the boss of the drum.
Click to expand...

Why I have a feeling that I was using the wrong, difficult and probably stupid method?
Ahhh, I don't believe myself. I have never thought of it this way.
In fact I want to tension the forestay a little bit more so now that it seems not that difficult I will try it.
Do I just need to drop the sail and loosen all the other cables (or at least the backstays) a little bit before tensioning?
 
Take the sail off. Loosen the backstay if adjustable. I don't think you need loosen anything else; you do your capstays up under tension and the forestay is probably less tight than those.
 
Thanks for all your replies - will look at these plate bolts when next at boat - I was warey of undoing bolts and loosing what forsestay tension I already have. Will try this weekend and let you know - or ask more questions if still perplexed. Thanks again - Jays Magic
 
As others have said usually by undoing the linkage below the drum and lifting drum, foil and all until you can access the turnbuckle.

BUT, that assumes there is enough clearance at the top of the forestay for the foil to be lifted up it. On our boats we never had enough clearance as we had our genoas cut with as much luff length as possible so the top of the foil was close enough to the top stay top toggle fitting that the foil could not be lifted enough.

We never had a Facnor unit as small as the 130 but I think they are all the same in the following - if you run into the problem where you cannot lift the drum and foil enough to access the turnbuckle adequately then you will find that the section of the foil directly above the drum telescopes into the main foil and is locked with a setscrew through the main foil. Assuming this is not seized through corrosion you can release the screw and push the telescoping section into the main foil so the drum and that section are up enough to clear the turnbuckle.

Hopefully you don't run into the same issue but if so you are now forewarned.
 
CelebrityScandel said:
BUT, that assumes there is enough clearance at the top of the forestay for the foil to be lifted up it. On our boats we never had enough clearance as we had our genoas cut with as much luff length as possible so the top of the foil was close enough to the top stay top toggle fitting that the foil could not be lifted enough.

We never had a Facnor unit as small as the 130 but I think they are all the same in the following - if you run into the problem where you cannot lift the drum and foil enough to access the turnbuckle adequately then you will find that the section of the foil directly above the drum telescopes into the main foil and is locked with a setscrew through the main foil.
Click to expand...

No, they are not all the same, you are making assumptions, as stated by the OP and as you can see in the manual I posted, the telescopic section on the SD130 is pop riveted. I can also confirm this by looking at the SD130 on my own boat! (I had an R150 and that did have a screw.)
Pop rivets are easier to drill out than corroded screws anyway.
If it has been installed in line with Facnor's instructions, with the correct link plates for the turnbuckle kit, there will be room to lift it and adjust it. My boat has the turnbuckle link plates (but no turnbuckle) presumably to raise the drum higher see https://picasaweb.google.com/106544940609481176193/Troubadour#5564921287310395874
I'm a bit surprised that Dufour would fit a turnbuckle as standard - maybe it's a later add-on.
 
Troubadour said:
No, they are not all the same, you are making assumptions...
Click to expand...

Goodness me what has got into you. As I made very clear in my post I was assuming they were all the same so you do not have to act as if I had not made that clear. If pop rivets rather than a screw then what the hell, as you say drill them out and the exact same solution applies (probably easier) so I am unsure of what your fretting is all about.

I also made it clear that the inability to lift issue was only a possibility and that I had mentioned it just in case he ran into it and got unexpectedly stumped on the day he got to do the job.

By way of explanation; all our Facnor furler/reefers were installed as per the Facnor instructions using the standard link plates for the turnbuckle case and despite what you say and as I said it was not possible in our cases to access properly the turnbuckle if the minimum top clearance (which is allowed to be quite small) between the halyard deflector and the top toggle fitting was used (as I said we always maximised luff length). I doubt that you have better knowledge of our boats than I do myself.

In the case of our later small boats (our current big boat is obviously quite different) over the last 20 years or so where we always used telescoping rigging screws (that is of the type where there is only the top swaged screw into two barrels, no bottom screw, which to adjust one has to have access to the flats on the top of the swage to hold with a spanner) rather than turnbuckles the situation was even more so as one could not see let alone access the grip part of the swage screw fitting after lifting the drum and foil.

It also may be that in the cases where the telescoping section is held by a screw(s) (as we have both experienced) that has been the rigger's choice to ease the job of lifting the drum to access the rigging screws and having had a cruise now to Facnor's web site that is likely the case.

So you see, your claims seem to be along the lines that all boats are rigged like yours and are perhaps blinkered by limited experiance across just a few boats. Perhaps a point of difference is that we have had many cruising boats over the years, all new custom builds for us, and have also campaigned serious competitive boats and had experience on others so have likely had alot more experience across different builds than you have and are thus more aware of the potential for differences between boats.

But, for myself, I have not made the same mistake of the kind that you appear to have by claiming the OP's boat is like any of ours have been, it is quite likely they are not. I have not inspected his boat. As I made clear I am just pointing out that such a possibilty may or may not exist in which case he is forewarned. If he does have enough clearance to lift the foil then that is just the greatest outcome possible as far as I am concerned and will be smiling too.

Of course, my comments may help someone else along the way who runs into the same problem that we encountered.
 
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Sorry if you thought it was a bit sharp but the OP had said in his first post it was pop riveted.
The photo of my boat was just as an example, not assuming all are the same at all (as I said mine's a bit odd in having the link plates but no turnbuckle). Your condescending comments are quite unnecessary. I don't know how many boats you've had (or how big) any more than you know how many I've had.
The drawing at http://www.facnor.com/uk/technical_support/technical_brochures/former_ranges/fichiers/sd_12.pdf gives a choice of 3 different lengths of link plate for the turnbuckle kit. It seems reasonable to assume that the intention is to choose the length that allied with the turnbuckle geometry and the amount of float at the top (for which they specify 30mm minimum) will allow you to adjust it, otherwise the object of having the turnbuckle seems somewhat defeated. This could conflict with an aim of maximising luff length; you'd have to choose.

Other than that I've had my previously perfect gel coat b***ered this week by excessive blasting by the firm that claims to be the best in the business so I'm not at my sunniest I must admit. :mad::mad::mad: I'm having to epoxy it all.
 
Adjusting the forestay length is generally only used to change the rake of the mast. If you want more tension on it you should look elsewhere first.

If the boat has swept spreaders then:
look at how much bend is in the mast, if it quite a lot then tension lowers and inters (if this tensions up babystay a lot then slacken this off), if there is a small amount of bend then tension caps also

If it is in line spreaders then:
Tension up aft lowers and backstay.
 
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