Forestay

[PabloPicasso]

How does one replace the wire inside a forestay furler?

Once the mast is down and stays removed from the mast, is it easy to slide the wire out, and a new one back in?

How is it connected to the end fitting, does it need to be hydaulically pressed in?

Can I DIY, or do I need to hire a pro?

 

[vyv_cox]

The lower fitting is a compression type, Sta-lok or Norseman or similar. The upper one is usually a swaged type. Have the replacement made up with a bare end, push through the foil, then remake the lower fitting.

 

[Refueler]

Most furlers have two parts to each section .... an inner plastic and then the outer alloy extrusion.

Replacing a stay in a furler - if mast is unstepped and you can access mast head as well as base should be easy.

You could disconnect the extrusion sections after removing lower drum ... they then slide off the stay ... alloy then plastic. You could leave all connected except for lower drum - but then you are trusting that furler extrusion / plastics are staight etc .. to feed the stay though. Best is to separate and feed on each section ... re-join and finish.

common form of extrusion joint :

Here's joint opened showing plastic inside etc ...

 

[fredrussell]

How does one replace the wire inside a forestay furler?

Depends which make of furler you have. On my ancient Rotostay, you can install furler ‘around’ new forestay (with top AND bottom fittings installed). If you tell us which furler you have, someone on here will have done the same I’m sure.

 

[ash2020]

Its very unlikely you'll be able to withdraw the forestay from the furler. They usually have nylon spacers or, as above a plastic figure of eight section that keeps the forestay from bashing against the aluminium tube. You certainly won't be able to insert the new forestay with swaged ends. I've literally just finished rebuilding my Plastimo a couple of days ago. Some foil sections are screwed together but most are riveted. If you carefully dismantle and remantle (if that's a word!) it's an easy job. Drill out the rivets and re-rivet with aluminium rivets. My forestay was around £50 from Jimmy Green, so a cheap and easy job.

 

[Pye_End]

Harken Mk1 - moused the foil whilst drawing out the stay, and pulled through new one. Didn't need to dismantle (apart from taking off the drum).

 

[Cerebus]

I have done it exactly (to the letter virtually) as Vyv wrote in his reply.

The forestay is usually the first thing I replace on a new to me second hand boat and in my very first I used thicker rigging than was used elsewhere and thicker than probably specified.

Rigging supplier did the top swage.

I did the rest.

 

[Roberto]

FWIW, I dismantled/refitted my Profurl furler a few times without cutting the cable, the end swage was small enough to slide through the aluminium tubes, I was looking for a new headstay and had to hop in a few different places with the coiled wire before I could find it. Eventually, I bought the new swaged wire cable at the correct length and then slid the tubes and drum around it.

 

[fredrussell]

Its very unlikely you'll be able to withdraw the forestay from the furler…

…You certainly won't be able to insert the new forestay with swaged ends…

See my post #4 - you certainly can on some furlers. Just done mine.

 

[PabloPicasso]

Depends which make of furler you have. On my ancient Rotostay, you can install furler ‘around’ new forestay (with top AND bottom fittings installed). If you tell us which furler you have, someone on here will have done the same I’m sure.

I will check what type of furler it is next I'm aboard

 

[geem]

I will check what type of furler it is next I'm aboard

I recently replaced the wire on my Profurl. They don't have an inner plastic liner. If you pull out the old wire, you will have a devil of a job inserting the new wire. I asked a rigger how he did the job on the Profurl. He explained that you remove the stalok fitting from the bottom ( you can actually do this after you have removed the wire). You then grind off the old swaged fitting from the top of the furler. You then grind off the outer wires from the old wire, at the top, about 40mm from the end. This then leaves you with the central core of wire only. You do the same on the new wire. Butt the two wires up and tie the ends together. Wrap the string that ties them together with tape. When you pull the old wire out, it pulls the new wire in. The pinch points are the extrusion joining sections between each extrusion. If the wire is too fat, it won't pull through. It worked great

 

[Refueler]

Having fitted quite a few furlers .. I find it interesting that some claim you cannot pull stay through the extrusion ... most as long as you reduce stay ends to minimum can be.

Of course you cannot pull the body of a bottle screw / turnbuckle through .. but its usual that in sections .... basically stay slips into plastic guide .. allow extrusion slid over ... then next .. then next ... then next ... riveting / self tappers as you go ...

The stay ends should pass through the alloy extrision ok ...

 

[Refueler]

I recently replaced the wire on my Profurl. They don't have an inner plastic liner. If you pull out the old wire, you will have a devil of a job inserting the new wire. I asked a rigger how he did the job on the Profurl. He explained that you remove the stalok fitting from the bottom ( you can actually do this after you have removed the wire). You then grind off the old swaged fitting from the top of the furler. You then grind off the outer wires from the old wire, at the top, about 40mm from the end. This then leaves you with the central core of wire only. You do the same on the new wire. Butt the two wires up and tie the ends together. Wrap the string that ties them together with tape. When you pull the old wire out, it pulls the new wire in. The pinch points are the extrusion joining sections between each extrusion. If the wire is too fat, it won't pull through. It worked great

The Profurl I had was nothing like that ... in fact like many others - you could slide each section up stay while stay still rigged at top to mast ! Keep sliding on sections - joining ... till reach last bottom section which you then sort for length. and fit drum. I even wrote a description of the install for the Dealer with photos.

 

[ash2020]

I've done two types. The first one had these spacers in every section and it was not possible to thread the new stay in without dismantling the foil sections. I had to 3D print some new ones in nylon.


The other type, just completed, had these the full length, again preventing the new stay with fittings going in without separating the foil sections. I had to print more of these too.



It's very easy to separate the foil sections though, so no worries.

 

[Refueler]

I've done two types. The first one had these spacers in every section and it was not possible to thread the new stay in without dismantling the foil sections. I had to 3D print some new ones in nylon.View attachment 195816


The other type, just completed, had these the full length, again preventing the new stay with fittings going in without separating the foil sections. I had to print more of these too.

View attachment 195818

It's very easy to separate the foil sections though, so no worries.

Exactly ... separate the sections and feed each set on and move on to next ...

Its a good idea anyway to separate - as over time you often find with tension / curving of foil - that are hard spots at joints when hoisting genny ... gives chance to sort the joints

 

[geem]

I've done two types. The first one had these spacers in every section and it was not possible to thread the new stay in without dismantling the foil sections. I had to 3D print some new ones in nylon.View attachment 195816


The other type, just completed, had these the full length, again preventing the new stay with fittings going in without separating the foil sections. I had to print more of these too.

View attachment 195818

It's very easy to separate the foil sections though, so no worries.

Yep, mine is the first one. Totally different to my Furlex that has a continues tube running inside. Super easy to just pull the wire out and push a new one through.

 

[geem]

The Profurl I had was nothing like that ... in fact like many others - you could slide each section up stay while stay still rigged at top to mast ! Keep sliding on sections - joining ... till reach last bottom section which you then sort for length. and fit drum. I even wrote a description of the install for the Dealer with photos.

You can still push them onto the wire if you have each section separate. It's when you have the whole system built and you want to run a new wire in that you need to be careful. Using the old wire to pull in the new wire worked a treat

 

[harvey38]

A very disappointing post........until I re-read the post title again

 

[PabloPicasso]

Okay, so my system is a Seldon Furlex 104S.

Will I be able to pull the stay through?