Help! Roller Furling Line not Man Enough?

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jaminb

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My genoa roller furling line snapped yesterday whilst sailing in some sporty conditions yesterday. Just gave way whilst underway with about 50% reefed. I recently (last season) replaced with 8mm (not the 6mm I previously stated in this thread Furling line replacement).

Do the forum consider 8mm man enough for this job? I had not inspected the furling line for any wear or damage but I almost hope this is the case as it has been furling beautifully.

thanks
 
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A quick Google suggests 6mm has a breaking strain of 1100 kg. The only way to snap that on a furler would be if the line is getting cut ?
I use 6mm as any larger would not fit on the furling drum having a 6.8m foot.
 
RE; Do the forum consider 8mm man enough for this job?

More than adequate.

Something is wrong somewhere!
Is this de-cored line?
Is there signs of cutting or chafing at the break point?
Are the sheaves in the lead blocks for the line actually rotating?


RE whilst underway with about 50% reefed.

This would indicate that it broke in the middle. In an area that is usually in the drum when the sail is furled.
Any strange snags inside the drum?
Check the lot.

gary
 
I have a big genoa for an 8m boat - 150%, maybe more, but I find a 6mm line to be plenty. It takes a good pull to start it furling in lively conditions, but certainly not enough to break it. I'm getting on a bit now, but even at my strongest, I wasn't that strong!

8mm rope shouldn't let go before a couple of tonnes of load. If you need more than a few tens of kilos pull to furl, either you've got a very big boat, or a problem with the furler.

I have to think that either the line was damaged or was faulty to begin with, which seems unlikely. As a first step, I'd examine its route for possible sources of that damage.
 
Ah yes sorry 2006 11.3m AWB with 120%ish genoa. Sheeves down the ports side stanchion provides a nice fairlead terminates with a clutch. The previous 10mm line lasted at least 4 years before it snapped. I assumed this was wear or damaged and replaced with the 8mm.

Is all 8mm equal? The stuff i used I found on the boat and looks a bit like this

Boat Rope White 8 mm 50 m Polypropylene : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors


Thanks all
 
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I only replaced original from 2005 8mm polyester furling line two years ago as it was not looking very smart. Suspect your line was not polyester, and had UV damage as well as possibly something chafing it somewhere. If you didn't buy the line yourself it could be cheap polypropylene.
 
jaminb said:
Ah yes sorry 2006 11.3m AWB with 120%ish genoa. Sheeves down the ports side stanchion provides a nice fairlead terminates with a clutch. The previous 10mm line lasted at least 4 years before it snapped. I assumed this was wear or damaged and replaced with the 8mm.

Is all 8mm equal? The stuff i used I found on the boat and looks a bit like this

Boat Rope White 8 mm 50 m Polypropylene : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors


Thanks all
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That's to cheap and it's polypropylene that isn't normally particularly strong. Invest in some "proper" rope.

Jimmy Green Marine is a good starting place. Yacht and Sailboat Control Lines | Jimmy Green Marine
 
Boathook said:
That's to cheap and it's polypropylene that isn't normally particularly strong. Invest in some "proper" rope.

Jimmy Green Marine is a good starting place. Yacht and Sailboat Control Lines | Jimmy Green Marine
Click to expand...
Yes, from a safety perspective the furling line is one of the most important ropes on the boat. Use decent quality new rope, not unknown scraps / cast offs.
Consider dyneema core if want to beat upwind when reefed.
 
jaminb said:
Ah yes sorry 2006 11.3m AWB with 120%ish genoa. Sheeves down the ports side stanchion provides a nice fairlead terminates with a clutch. The previous 10mm line lasted at least 4 years before it snapped. I assumed this was wear or damaged and replaced with the 8mm.

Is all 8mm equal? The stuff i used I found on the boat and looks a bit like this

Boat Rope White 8 mm 50 m Polypropylene : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors


Thanks all
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You have to be careful with polypropylene for UV stability.

Choose some polyester from a decent make/chandlery. The only rope I have had trouble with has been 'cheaper' sourced.
 
RE: 10mm line lasted at least 4 years before it snapped

WHAT??????
This story is getting stranger and stranger.
How on earth could 10 mm line give way as a furling line.
I have 10mm sheets that are 10 years old. Yes they should be changed out, but they are taking way higher loads than a furling line.


Back to the original post.
So, you used crappy cheapy line.
Is there signs of UV degradation?

I think the quality of your lines could well be your problem.

gary
 
Was there any sign of damage to either of the lines which snapped? A furling line should last almost indefinitely.

Easy way to tell whether the line you used was polyprop, it will float.
 
If a 10mm line snapped .... something is definitely wrong ......

Judging by the rope quoted - I'd hucker on down to chandlers and get some decent 6mm line ... 8mm if really insist ....

My race boat (11.4m) has 6mm furling line on the Furlex 2000 .... no signs of that ever giving up !
 
Polyprop is cheap and nasty and, IMHO, has no place on a boat, as it's not very strong and, after a few years in the sun, is liable to failure at well under its original strength.

Refueler said:
udging by the rope quoted - I'd hucker on down to chandlers and get some decent 6mm line ... 8mm if really insist ....
Click to expand...

Me too. Even lazyjacks should be too strong to break when it's just a human pulling, and if you need a winch to furl the genny on a boat that size, something's wrong, and it's time to talk to a rigger.
 
Bearing in mind the importance of the furling line, cruising dyneema is the best choice. It’s one rope, if it costs a few bob, the consequences of failure should remind ypu what good value it is. We might die if that happened to ours. We are pretty careful to inspect it regularly.
 
jaminb said:
Ah yes sorry 2006 11.3m AWB with 120%ish genoa. Sheeves down the ports side stanchion provides a nice fairlead terminates with a clutch. The previous 10mm line lasted at least 4 years before it snapped. I assumed this was wear or damaged and replaced with the 8mm.

Is all 8mm equal? The stuff i used I found on the boat and looks a bit like this

Boat Rope White 8 mm 50 m Polypropylene : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors


Thanks all
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Consequences of buying rubbish rope. Not surprised when that costs only about 1/5th of the proper braid on braid. I would not hang the washing out on that!

Just because it looks like the real thing does not mean it is.
 
Tranona said:
Consequences of buying rubbish rope. Not surprised when that costs only about 1/5th of the proper braid on braid. I would not hang the washing out on that!

Just because it looks like the real thing does not mean it is.
Click to expand...
That's not the rope he used, he just said it looked similar.
I suspect there is a chafe point somewhere. Worth checking for that before buying new rope.
 
Good morning sailors. Furling line now replaced with some proper 6mm from the marina shop. On closer inspection the old line appears to have chaffed on the edge of the roller drum. The drum does not have any sharp edges just thin metal, I think the angle the furling line was at when reefed must must have caused it to wear through.

I have also noticed that the last block on the pulpit is acting as a slide rather than rolling and has worn down to the pulley axle. Is it possible to buy replacement wheels rather than replace the whole thing?

Thanks for all your comments.
 
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