Replacing headsail furling gear

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Sheff

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I need to replace my problem-riddled Rotostay II furling gear on a Westerly Tempest this Winter.

Yes, I've searched previous posts on this topic which appeared to cease at the start of this sailing season. So questions for updates are:

1) Anyone encountered problems with Brightlingsea's Sailspar furling gear (local to my Tollesbury base, expensive but allegedly quality, aluminium drum in stainless casing??)

2) Does anyone recommend Plastimos 810S or 810T which is approx. a third of the price of the above.

3) any other recommendations/ approx. prices

Cheers,
Paul.
 
Have had a Sailspar for 14 years. No corrosion, no problems, very good quality and easy DIY fit. Oh and its British. The continuous line is a very good idea.
 
ALso have Sailspar on GL... around 10 yrs old, except some muppet cut the continuous line. Very smooth to use on GL despite her having been stationary in Dover Marina for two years plus and exposed to all the road muck.
 
If you are having trouble with a Rotastay system, you should contact Rotastay themselves. The system is generally very good and should be trouble free. Call Ian Cochrane (the MD ) on 023 9251 3553. He is very helpfull. There should be no need to go to the expense of a complete new system.
 
I changed to a Sailspar reeing gear two years ago & can confirm that they are a good piece of kit. A big advantage is that the drum is smaller than other types so is less in the way when anchoring and also gets the jib tack lower.
The furling line is a continuous loop so you don't have heaps of spare line in the cockpit. With the genoa half reefed there is less tension on the furling line, so less risk of the genoa suddenly unrolling.
It is not cheap but is high quality and Sailspar are very helpful people to deal with.
 
New Furlex fitted this season in replacement for Plastimo 608s. Lovely mechanism but very expensive and extremely fiddly for DIY or professional fitting; two pages of tables for measurements of forestay/extrusion cutting and no tolerance for error- a nightmare I found
 
I also had to decide between Sailspar and Plastimo, and, as usual, got it horribly wrong. The Plastimo is cheap to buy, cheap to look at, and horrible to work with. I have a 805. The furling line comes off the drum despite, or perhaps because of , my best efforts to avoid this. The whole thing is cheap and nasty. Sailspar seem to be an excellent company who make quality gear. I bought the Plastimo because it was half the price, but expressions which include the words ships, spoiling and tar, spring to mind. Go for the Sailspar. If fitting is a problem, give me a PM, I have a contact who can help in your area.
 
We had a new Sailspar system fitted eraly this year and it should - and I believe will - work very well. Do make sure, however, that you get it properly fitted and ensure Messrs. Sailspar liase with your yard. There was a gross communication problem between our sailmaker & yard, in an East coast port which shall remain nameless, and Messrs. Sailspar. During our first voyage, round to the new mooring on the Beaulieu River, the system jammed in a force 8 through the Goodwins and several times we had to use the furling line round a winch. On returning to said East coast port (by car!), the yard "found" a box of bits, including the blocks and instructions, under a table, which had be given them by the sailmaker. Messrs. Sailspar had fitted the forestay sleeve, drum &c. but were unable to fit the blocks for some reason no one will admit to. Needless to say, no one will take responsibility and all blame the others - typical! Having said that, Sailspar were very good and helpful with their advice albeit from a distance. I refitted the system myself but contuniued to have huge problems through the season due to excessive slack in the furling line and a bad angle into and out of the drum. On another occaision the furling line managed a riding turn inside the drum with the genoa a quarter furled in a force 7 whilst entering Bembridge - hairy! We anchored offshore, unfurled the genoa manually, which is quite a job in a force 7, and took it of before entering under power.

Having said all that, I believe we've now sorted the system and hope to gain the benefit throughout the winter. It should, as other comments herein atestify, prove more reliable and convenient than single line systems. Just make sure you get it fitted properly and don't rely on others from a distance!!!

Good luck /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you are having trouble with a Rotastay system, you should contact Rotastay themselves. The system is generally very good and should be trouble free. Call Ian Cochrane (the MD ) on 023 9251 3553. He is very helpfull. There should be no need to go to the expense of a complete new system.

[/ QUOTE ]

Both bearings need replacing at top and bottom of forestay. Also aluminium/stainless corrosion problem just above furling drum preventing system coming apart (previous owner didn't flush out each season). The forestay is 13 years old and wants replacing anyway. I have spoken to Ian Cochrane who is , as you say, very helpful and they will refurbish the whole unit for approx. £700 but will still leave me with the design fault of having the bearings as part of the forestay and therefore taking full load under sail. Thanks for input but I think you can see from the above why I have decided to bite the bullet and replace with a new system.

Paul.
 
Thanks for the responses.......... they all seem to be pointing in a similar direction!!

I've been quoted £1353 (including new forestay) for Sailspar's 8M 130 system and another £250-ish for them to fit it.

I will probably attempt to fit myself in order to provide much amusement and prolonged entertainment to the members of my local sailing club who I am sure will in turn provide valued advice and encouragement /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Whatever system you choose, don't buy a Selden 200 series. I have gone through 2 units in 2 years. There is a fundamental error in the insructions which leaves a gap in in the internal spacers, allowing the sections to part.

All the torque loads are concentrated on a bit of plastic and two weedy bolts. Having had one unit fail and jam 1,000 miles offshore is no joke. Any one who want the full story PM me.
 
Contiuous furling line ...

I don't think it would be too hard to reeve a continuous furling line to any gear ? As long as turns are made to the drum and kept reasonably tensioned ......

This post is only a comment - not a Blue Peter - here's one I made earlier !!!
 
We fitted a Furlex 200 series a few years ago and my experiences certainly don't match those of michael_w, or one of the previous posters.

Have found it to be totally reliable, although, I think like all systems, they do need sufficient forestay tension to work properly. In terms of fitting, as the mast was down, the whole process took me half a day - I'd already filled in the tables for calculations etc. Also, having spoken with a rigger who is not a selden agent, the warranty really does live up to expectations - in his experience, if anything does go wrong, they'll sort it. I know thats not much good if you're a 1000 miles offshore, but I've not met anyone who has had a problem.
 
What about a Profurl system ??

Had one before ... excellent ....

Present boat has ancient Rotastay ... takes abuse, salt / spray etc. .... always works .... might have to give it a knock now and again to get some of the crud out of it .........
 
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