Furler/forestay

[siencyn]

I would be grateful for some advice from the huge repository of sailing knowledge you guys have. I have aquired a Countess 33. The surveyor has advised the replacement of all the standing rigging due to age concerns. The forestay is integral to the Rotostay furler. Tha is there is no seperate forestay. The foil acts as a forestay. This means I have to replace the Furler. The boatyard has quoted me a a huge price [probaly fair] for a new Selden. Am I OK to ask for just the foil and connections to be replaced? Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

 

[MrCramp]

You can just replace the forestay which is unique to the Rotostay system and you will have to buy it from Rotostay. Get a quote from them (rotostay) just for the forestay. I would be very very warey of a yard that quotes an expensive solution rather than explains to you the various options. I would certainly get at least one more quote for the work you need to do.

 

[martynlinda]

Yes I had this on my Bruce Roberts 34. The forestay is inside the aluminium extrusion so there is no need to replace the aluminium. My forestay was ss but coated in plastic cost around£50 if I remember correctly. There are 2 types of set up. In one the beraings take the load in the other it is the forestay. I found Rotastay in Chichester very helpful but I think they have been bought out.
Martyn

 

[Talbot]

Somebody is trying to hoodwink you. The foil will come off the forestay on the Rotostay, and there are some bespoke stainless items that are only available from
XW Rigging .

Take the complete system off the mast and unbolt the drum (normally 4 bolts from the top. You will be left with the foil and a stainless flange at the bottom. securely rope the foil and then apply pressure to the stainless flange -
I use a clump hammer on a bit of heavy wood. The stainless flange fits inside the foil and is the hardest part to disassemble . sometimes, particularly if it wasnt assembled with any grease it seems to be impossible. I then get a gas torch and really heat up the bottom 4" of the foil, and the flange, then really give it a hard knock - repeat until split apart. The foil then has to be slid up so that the whole of the flange comes clear of the foil. The stainless flange can then be unscrewed from the end of the forestay. The foil can then be unscrewed in sections and slid off the forestay. The bespoke fittings for the forestay are not cheap, and my rigger got XW to make up the replacement forestay complete.

I secured my foil to a tow hitch before applying force.

I use quicksilver general purpose grease with teflon on my bearings and reckon it is the best for this task.

Shout if you want more, or send me your email address and I can send an exploded diagram of my system - yours may be a slightly different one dependent on age, but the bottom works the same way anyway.

 

[neil_s]

They are called Rotomarine now. They are in Gosport, phone 02392583633. They will make up a new forestay for your Rotostay. Most rigging suppliers could do it too, since the parts are freely available. I did mine last year - the only difficult bit about getting the old forestay out is that you have to remember that the bottom of the foil unscrews from the drum with a left hand thread.

Good luck! Neil

 

[andy_wilson]

I'm not sure the forestay is exclusive to Rotomarine at all. It doesn't even need to be plastic coated but give them a ring and they will explain the situation.

 

[gandy]

Our riggers said that the bottom fitting is special, the bit that threads into the flange described above. They said it would need to come from Rotostay, but that they could swage it onto normal wire. Some Rotostay versions have a special top fitting as well - mine just has a normal eye at the top.

Did someone say that it's a left hand thread? I still haven't got mine disassembled.

 

[siencyn]

Many, many thanks all. Your notes are, lieraly, worth a fortune. I am having some intersting discussions with the boatyard who seem very helpful actually. But I feel more confident with that extra knowledge.

 

[charles_reed]

On the Rotostay

the forestay is inside the foil.

I've usually put a hacksaw through the joins, sent the bits back to Rotomarine, who supply a new plastic-covered forestay, replacement joiners and and additional length of foil to make up for that wasted in cutting through the joins.

Cost is high compared to just purchasing a forestay off a rigger, but you've replaced the bits in the foil that get worn, and the plastic covered stay is much less noisy.