How do you break a foil?

wragges

wragges

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 Nov 2005
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Location
Nottingham, UK
www.minstercomputers.com
Hi All,

Have an original Rotastay foil on the jib of our Westerly Seahawk 34. Just noticed that the foil is almost cracked in to two pieces, about 1/3rd of the way down from the swivel.

It was made in two pieces in the first place, but how on earth does a diagonal crack get there?

More importantly, can you just get a replacement foil, or is it better to cough-up and get a complete new furling system?
 
it's probably been mishandled when stepping, unstepping or storage. If the foil is bent it will break. PM sent re foils
 
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it's probably been mishandled when stepping, unstepping or storage. If the foil is bent it will break. PM sent re foils

[/ QUOTE ]What on earth is there that you can say about foils in a PM that you can't share publicly?

Bl**dy PM's should be banned. What's the point of a forum to share knowledge if people do it privately by PM?
 
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Bl**dy PM's should be banned. What's the point of a forum to share knowledge if people do it privately by PM?

[/ QUOTE ]
I think you're out of order. I merely PM'd him to say I had a couple of foils to sell. I actually PM'd a few people today pehaps I should have asked your permission.
 
Anyway, on with the show /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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how on earth does a diagonal crack get there?

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If it could be described as 'spiral', then this is characteristic of a torsion failure - have you had a halyard wrap? Seized top swivel? Needed to use the winch to furl / reef?

Dunno otherwise.

Andy
 
The other possibility is metal fatigue - if the forestay is subjected to continuous vibration which flexes the foil year in year out the alloy will eventually fatigue. You can get spare lengths of foil from XW Rigging (the owners of Rotostay) but if it is an old section then it will be secondhand because there are no new stocks. They offer a part exchange scheme for old models if you replace with a new one.
 
I think Ian Cochrane is still the chap at Rotostay. He has been very helpful to me in the past. I am sure you will find foil sections somewhere - perhaps put a post on the wanted forum ??
 
The problem with older foils is getting them apart .They sort of 'glue' themselves together , oxidation or some such reaction.
My rotostay foil started to split inside the luff groove which resulted in another part of the groove closing up making it impossible to hoist the sail. On the basis that this was likely to happen to the rest of the foils over time ,I bought a new model rotostay.
As always in life, an improvement followed soon after I had fitted it when Rotostay launched a new drum with a slot to take lower clewed racing type sails.
XW will be very helpful but the advice will be replacement and they did offer an attractive trade in policy.
 
The top of mine looked like it had been through a mangle - only need about 1m to replace (Harken MK1) but design is out of production so another £1600 to replace the whole thing!
 
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Bl**dy PM's should be banned. What's the point of a forum to share knowledge if people do it privately by PM?

[/ QUOTE ]
I think you're out of order. I merely PM'd him to say I had a couple of foils to sell. I actually PM'd a few people today pehaps I should have asked your permission.

[/ QUOTE ]If you'd posted - "I might have some foil for sale - I'll PM you", I wouldn't have got cross. My apologies if I upset you.
 
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