Forestay Size

[purplerobbie]

I have 8mm rigging on my boat and someone has just offered me a roller reefing system for it.

The forstay at the moment is 8mm but the reefing system is 7mm but it is the right lenght.
Will it make any difference?

The boat is cutter rigged so there is an innerstay which is 7mm.
The boat is 34ft x 11ft and weighs 12t if you need it

Rob

 

[sailorman]

change to 7 m/m Dyform

 

[savageseadog]

yes you get about 30% more SWL for a given size.

 

[purplerobbie]

[ QUOTE ]
change to 7 m/m Dyform

[/ QUOTE ] That was sugested in the shop but someone said for rotostay it has to be a special plastic covered wire?
Rob

 

[sailorman]

http://www.rotostay.co.uk/index.html

phone them

 

[savageseadog]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
change to 7 m/m Dyform

[/ QUOTE ] That was sugested in the shop but someone said for rotostay it has to be a special plastic covered wire?
Rob

[/ QUOTE ]Rubbish, or well I've never heard of such a thing. As it's a Rotostay ring up Rotormarine (I think). Very helpful

 

[Dipper]

Funnily enough, I have just removed my Rotostay forestay for renewal and it is (heavily) plastic coated.

 

[roly_voya]

The crucial question is whether the rig is origional spec or upgraded. Common practice if going offshore is to go up one size in wire for security. If this is the case then going back down to 7mm could be just about acceptable for coastal, if not then its asking for trouble. At 10ton 34 (presumably over deck) 8mm sounds about right and if preparing for a long voyage I would be inclined to go up to 10mm for a furling headsail as the comination of wear and inacessability of the headstay when encased by a furler makes it more vunerable. Its not worth risking the mast for a cheap furler. In fact if planning a long passage I wouldn't be happy with an old furler, they can be enough of a disaster when new!!

 

[savageseadog]

That is very strange, mine certainly hasn't got plastic coating. I thought plastic coating of guard wires was ruled out because of crevice corossion. 7mm Dyform would be as strong as 8mm 1x 19 but I would speak to Rotomarine.
Rotomarine Limited,
Unit 17 Haslar Marina, Haslar Road,
Gosport Hants PO12 1NU
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)2392 583633 Fax: +44 (0)2392 583634

 

[Dipper]

Mine's a Rotostay E which is 11 years old. Perhaps it's different now?

 

[savageseadog]

Mine's a Rotostay2 also old

 

[srm]

I seem to remember hearing that one should go up a size if fitting roller reefing. My boat has 6mm standing rigging with 7mm for the RR forestay. Rig includes an inner stay with hanked on sail. Previous boat was a monohull sloop displacing 11 ton, all 8mm standing rigging with twin forestays and twin backstays. No roller reefing but had I fitted it I would definately have increased the forestay diameter.

 

[Dipper]

Whilst discussing my replacement forestay with Rotostay, I mentioned this thread to them and received the following email reply:

"Rotomarine has been producing furling system for over 35 years and if your forestay diameter is 4,5,6 or 7mm and the luff foil rotates around the stationary forestay inside, it should have PVC coated wire. If the forestay is not PVC coated, on these models, as the luff foil rotates around an uncoated forestay the wire will grind aluminium particles from the inside of the luff foil and they will work their way down the luff foil and settle on top of the drum bearing. These particles will then work their way into the bearing, corrode, oxidise and swell and seize the drum. Also, rotating the luff foil around an uncoated forestay would create a lot of friction."

 

[chewi]

Copy that, in fact when I removed/replaced my forestay you could see the aluminium even in the pvc coating. Goodness knows what uncoated stainless would do to it.
I took their advice and did PVC coated.