Fitting Plastimo Roller Reefing Advice Please.

Applescruffs

Applescruffs

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'ello shipmates !

I currently have a roller furling jib , (Wykham Martin type although made by Barton), fitted to my 19' Mirror Offshore. A couple of things: I can never seem to get enough tension on the luff and the top tends to wrap itself around the forestay when I stow the sail. I have 'swaged' till I'm blue in the face for the first point and have fitted a circle of plastic as recomended by Barton to the top of the system to stop it catching which...neither works well or looks good..

SO... with this in mind I am going to change to the Plastimo roller reefing system. It says in the bumph that the latest incarnation can be fitted without removing the forestay...I guess my question is this...has anyone fitted this and if so have you got any tips that you can pass on??

Cheers.
 
Thanks for the speedy response, but yes I did that and to be completly honest it lost me completley....what I reallty need to know if anybody has actually done it follwing the instructions, I don't want to shell out the best part of £300 and make a complete Horlicks of the thing.

Cheers.
 
Thanks for that but no 'backstay' as such on the Mirror Offshore...I've made up my mind and have decided to ditch the Barton and go for the Plastimo...as per original enquirey ....has anybody out there actually fitted one?
 
I fitted the 811 with the mast up in about an hour siglehanded, read the instructions lots of times and have all the tools to hand including sealer/adhesive to fix grub screws, you will also still need the spacer or fit a fairlead at the top to deflect the halyard.
 
Thanks Saltyleggs...(thinks...hmmm can we meet??) just the info I needed...I guess that I am a bit too blokey to read the instructions properly...If it can be done then verily it shall be done....bit of a bummer about the spacer though....I didn't think I'd need it as there will be nothing for the forestay to actually foul on once the jib has been attached to it?
 
Applescruffs said:
Thanks Saltyleggs...(thinks...hmmm can we meet??) just the info I needed...I guess that I am a bit too blokey to read the instructions properly...If it can be done then verily it shall be done....bit of a bummer about the spacer though....I didn't think I'd need it as there will be nothing for the forestay to actually foul on once the jib has been attached to it?
Click to expand...

plastimo can supply a spacer but it is very bulky, (I am based in northern Ireland).
 
Are any bearings in your existing system are running free?

I was looking at the luff on my Plastimo roller reefing) jib wandering all over the place today (fractional rig) and wondered whether tightening the top shrouds would put more tension on the luff. The pin in the bottom of the foresaty is difficult o get out if the the shrouds (as well back stay) are not slack.
 
only joking about meeting up!, ( well you've got to ask haven't you!).

Getting the gist now.....in that the jib halyard will foul with the top of the forestay as the angle is far too steep between them....(see I was paying attention !), still not liking the idea of the spacer...I have tried a 'home made' one on my current set-up and ...well...it was pants!...May just have to fork out some extra cash.......
 
Fitting Plastimo

Fitted one recently to Sigma 33.
To get right length of spar manual tells you to put line on shackle around forestay and pull the shackle up the forestay to get length. When I tried it, the shackle stuck the line broke and lost the haliard at the top of the mast.... not a good day ! Best way is to slide black plastic inner liner ( these are 1.5M each) up the forestay then the second but tape them together with electical tape (this allows you to pull them back down again). Carry on until you have liners all the way up the forestay to the top and you cant get a complete liner on measure the distance from the last liner down to the drum and thats the length of spar you need to cut.

Pushing aluminium spars up the forestay and holding them whilst fitting the next one and its liner quite difficult. Found that using a split tap wrench around the forestay as a stop worked quite well. This allowed at the end to have all the spars on the forestay and not supported by hand whilst trying to put bolt through forestay fixing at base.


Remove the 2 stainless sidecheeks from the drum by undoing the screws this allows the drum to be raised higher than it would normally get and allows you a bit more room to put the bolt through to fix the forestay. Once the bolt is through and the nut on you can adjust the forestay tension then lower the drum and re attach the side cheeks.

Fitted halyard diverter wheel at top of forestay however when only after a few furlings forestay shredded at the top and the whole lot came down. Put halyard diverter on the mast about 18" from halyard sheave so the halyard came down the mast then out to the head rollar on at the top of the spa and worked fine.

Good luck my furling works fine !!

Nigel
 
I have fitted the Barton Furling gear and can't see how the top wraps around the forestay on yours. It's close, but still about 2" away.
To tension the furler I put a rigging screw at the bottom and get as much as possible on the halyard. Then tighten the rigging screw. When the halyard has taken tension from the forestay I know it's pretty tight. Dynema halyards would prevent stretch I suppose.
(You do have a wire luff in the jib?)
I had the Plastimo roller reefing before and it was much more trouble with halyard wrap. The Barton furling gear has been superb.

furlingdrumriggingscrew2.jpg
 
Nigel, many thanks...this was exacly the reply I was asking for, from someone who had actually done the job!

As you explain it, it all seems straight forward...esp now that you have oulined the pitfalls, but however does the 'roller' part of the gear fit over the forestay without having to remove it..the forestay that is??? Confused???? Mois??...not arf!
 
saltylegs said:
plastimo can supply a spacer but it is very bulky, (I am based in northern Ireland).
Click to expand...

As you have problems with your present roller reefing wrapping the halyard round the forestay you will have exactly the same problems with a plastimo,

You need a divertor on the mast such that the halyard does not run parallel to the forestay when it is above the sail. this pulls the hayard back towards the mast and it then runs up parallel to the mast rather than to the forestay.

You can get two types of divertors one with a wheel and one without.

It is quite easy to fit a Plastimo roller reefing with the forestay in position. Just make sure that all the sections on the foil are fixed together correctly before you push each new section up the foil.

Iain
 
You can get two types of divertors one with a wheel and one without.

It is quite easy to fit a Plastimo roller reefing with the forestay in position. Just make sure that all the sections on the foil are fixed together correctly before you push each new section up the foil.
Click to expand...

I you are fitting a Plastimo reefing spar with the mast up you have to use the wheel type of diverter that fits around the the stay immediately above the top of the spar:
Halyarddiverter.jpg

If you have the mast down you can fit a fairlead such as the one below, or a roller failrlead, to the front of the mast.

25677.jpg
 
Last edited:
Lakesailor said:
I have fitted the Barton Furling gear and can't see how the top wraps around the forestay on yours. It's close, but still about 2" away.
To tension the furler I put a rigging screw at the bottom and get as much as possible on the halyard. Then tighten the rigging screw. When the halyard has taken tension from the forestay I know it's pretty tight. Dynema halyards would prevent stretch I suppose.
(You do have a wire luff in the jib?)
I had the Plastimo roller reefing before and it was much more trouble with halyard wrap. The Barton furling gear has been superb.

furlingdrumriggingscrew2.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, at the top of the mast the fore-stay and lets say..jib halyard, are only a matter of inches away but as the jib furls , technically a genoa I know, the diameter of the furling jib on the halyard increases and enevitably fouls the forestay...not 'every' time but 'enough'....and yes I have a wire Luff...these are brand new sails cut 'to original spec' by Jeckalls.

I originally tried putting a rigging screw into the equasion as you have to help tighten the luff...but mine unscrewed whenever I pulled on the sheets and parted at the most inconvenient moment in a F5 crossing the Thames Estuary , (maybe I put mine on upside down ?) any way who wants to frigg about tightening bottle screws at the pointy end any way...surley that's the whole point of roller reefing etc.....so it can all be done from the cockpit?
 
Strathglass said:
As you have problems with your present roller reefing wrapping the halyard round the forestay you will have exactly the same problems with a plastimo,

You need a divertor on the mast such that the halyard does not run parallel to the forestay when it is above the sail. this pulls the hayard back towards the mast and it then runs up parallel to the mast rather than to the forestay.

You can get two types of divertors one with a wheel and one without.

It is quite easy to fit a Plastimo roller reefing with the forestay in position. Just make sure that all the sections on the foil are fixed together correctly before you push each new section up the foil.

Iain
Click to expand...


Thanks for that,

I really was trying to get away from using the 'diverter' but it looks like I'm going to have to.....but I guess that's what these forums are all about....learning from others..cheers
 
Applescruffs said:
who wants to frigg about tightening bottle screws at the pointy end any way...surley that's the whole point of roller reefing etc.....so it can all be done from the cockpit?
Click to expand...

Did you see the video?
You only have to do the rigging screw once. Then it works a treat just using the furling line. Can't say why yours came undone. Mine never has.
 
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