plastimo r/reefing halyard diverter - advice please

[simon_sluggett]

Plastimo make 2 types of halyard diverter for their reefing systems.There is a white nylon wheel type and a black moulded plastic one which clamps on. Anyone fitted either one or any idea which is better.The mast is down so I could fit either, but the wheel one is a third the cost of the moulded one, is it as good? I used the reefing last season without one fitted and had no problem with halyard wrap do I even need one at all. All advice gratefully recieved!

 

[Guest]

The standard diverter works by angling the halyard enough to stop rotation of the halyard round the foil. If yours doesn't need it - then you are lucky and must have a real free system.

The person who fitted my furling gear (previous owner somewhere down the line) must have had trouble with it even with the "doughnut" diverter on top of foil. As he added a second smaller gauge line ....

So now I have the genny halyard pulling up the sail head slider ..... and genny. At same time a second line is connected to the slider that is back to mast just above where the slider should stop. So while hoisting sail - you use both halyards to pull up. Once main halyard is set-up ... tighten lighter second one to absolutely prevent top slider from wrapping halyard.
It sounds a daft idea ... but given that even with doughnuts you can still get wrap - this is guaranteed to not wrap .. as long as block or fitting is still fixed to mast ...

Last cruise around solent the block pulled out ... Malcb was with me ... and he also helped me refix the block ... he can vouch for its effectiveness ... we both said - What for ? when we saw the set-up ... but once refitted ... it worked. We even took of the old "doughnut" as the idiot had drilled it out and it slid down the foil with the slider ... when trying bto hoist - it kept twisting and jamming ... it was doing nothing anyway ... now system is even better without.....

I do not propose you alter any system to mine ... I am illustrating that there are various ways to solve halyard wrap ... mine is just that bit more certain IMHO.

 

[Malcb]

My reefing gear is Plastimo and when I had the reigging renewed, we took off the diverter wheel as it wasn't working correctly. The halyard now runs through a stainless steel fitting on the mast to ensure that the halyard keeps the proper angle to the forestay, which is what stops halyard wrap, and which is what the diverter wheel is meant to do.

It depends on the angle between the halyard and the forestay. Too small an angle will tend to wrap the halyard.

The method used on sbc's boat works, but it does involve an extra line to physically stop the top fixing rotating and wrapping the halyard.

 

[StanFolds]

I have a white nylon one complete with the black plastic centre which attaches it to the top of the foil. You can have it for the cost of the postage if you want to give it a try.
Stan

 

[simon_sluggett]

The method SBC uses may have the benefit of being able to exert more upward pulling force with the main halyard whilst the extra rope can exert as much sideways pull as required. One halyard will always be a compromise between the two in terms of the amount of tension applied in each direction.

 

[Guest]

Malcb was with me helping to refix it ... he knows it very well.

The two rope system I have is a pain when putting genny up / down as you have to work two ropes at same time. But I am happy with it as it is a positive system that exerts exactly what is needed to stop halyard wrap.

If I was to bring genny halyard down as Malcb has done - I would have problems I think as my slider is prone to getting skewed and sticking while being hoisted ... and also my furling gear is not as free rotating as his..... probably because it's not used enough. (this is cue for Steve to jump in and say - trick is to stop engine !!).

I still have the two halves of doughnut -- consigned as museum pieces now ! They will never be refitted.

All I say - is if yoy have a system that is prone to trying to wrap ... why not consider my 2 halyard system ? It works.

 

[DavidTocher]

I had a wheel type diverter for my Plastimo furler and ruined the forestay! The system had been installed by the previous owner not long before I bought the boat. The distance between the head of the genoa and the wheel determines the angle. My sail didn't come up high enough on the foil to get close enough to the wheel. I replaced it with a plain fairlead rivetted to the mast. I fitted it in situ, experimenting with various positions to get it right.

 

[Guest]

Someone told me 20 degrees minimum ...

can't remember who it was .. but they reckoned that halyard had to make an angle of more than 20 degrees via the diverter to exert influence to stop wrap. I think that is too small personally ... an angle more like 40 degrees min. would be better. But then you have trouble as the grenny slider is then being heaved up at an angle not straight .. causing it to skew and catch before genny fully raised .. This does happen on older less maintained systems if foil is allowed to get grubby etc.
I can see why a previous owner of my boat installed the second rope ... he gets around that problem in one go. But why he drilled out the doughnut such that it slipped over the foil ??? and put it on ... Much better now that it's removed.

(All I have to do now is free up my mast base sheaves that are solid with salt and crud !!)