Fore sail furling

[shewitt]

I currently have a Harken fore sail furling system fitted to my Sigma 41. The furling system was purchase in 1986. The problem I have is it is difficult to furl if it is under any load.. I have checked and all the bearings etc and they are ok. My question is will the newer furling systems furl under load and which is the best system.

Thanks in advance

Wayne & Sue


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Robin]

What do you mean by under load is this with wind in the sail or simply halyard tension? and how diificult to furl, do you furl by hand?

Two comments without futher information. Firstly I always release the sheet completely before furling and can pull in our genoa by hand easily, a winch is NEVER used. Secondly there are other reasons than bearings which can cause difficulty furling, like halyard wrap around the top of the foil, or excessive halyard tension perhaps caused by backstay tension being applied with an already tight halyard.

Harken is a good make and should work better than yours appears to, if it is really 1986 has it ever been overhauled? Some systems need greasing and others do not and grease actually causes problems. Saltwater on some open bearing systems can cause problems too, Rotostay for example should be washed down with freshwater regularly. We currently have a Furlex which works well, it has greasable bearings but I still hose the drum and the greasing points down whenever I can.

Be careful too if the system is really hard to use, you could be putting extra load on the forestay and its fittings, risking unwrapping the wires or undoing bottlescrew adjusters.

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[shewitt]

Robin

Thanks for the info, When I stripped it down I found the bearings etc to be ok, the friction appears to be between the foil and the forestay. I am not sure with this system if there are joints in the foil with bearings ?, I will check this week. I notice some of the newer furling systems have joints complete with a bearing every 1 1/2 meters which I assume will make it easier to furl

Regards

Wayne

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[john_morris_uk]

The amount of tension on the sheet when furling is a subject that causes much debate. Our (brand new) Furlex will easily furl the genoa with a hand pull on the furling line. I also know that a slight pressure on the sheet (and I mean slight) helps the sail roll more neatly. If we release the sheets entirely it can roll up in baggy mess.

There is a winch fitted to roll the sail - and its not normally needed unless the conditions are getting severe.

A furling gear relys on its rotating round the stay as well as its bearings. Some furling gears require grease - some require rinsing the bearing with fresh water. Hope that helps.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[lydiamight]

Just make sure that you release any tension that you might have in the backstay. Solved my problem of finding it difficult to furl the headsail.

<hr width=100% size=1>