Roller Reefing Stiff

[forgotmyfrekinuserid]

My mast has just gone back on and the Rotastay roller reefing is stiffer than it used to be - to the point that i was really having to work to get it moving. I've oiled every moving bit I can see but it won't come free. Any suggestions ?
Thanks.

 

[ksutton]

Fore stay over tensioned?

 

[Ceirwan]

Shouldn't make a difference, from what i remember rotostay rotates around the forestay.

 

[forgotmyfrekinuserid]

That was my first thought, but I think Ceirwan is right and it rotates around the forestay. I havent got the rigging tuned yet, so i'll play with that as an idea but as grateful as I am for the suggestion, I dont think it's right.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Do you have a turnbuckle on the forestay? If I don't offset mine, so there is more thread showing on the upper part, the body begins to jam to furler. Now, Vic is about to write, you shouldn't have a turnbuckle on the forestay, but Vic will know I have a cat and some things are different, some tasks have different solutions.

Last season, I changed all my blocks on the furling line route, I fitted holt ball bearing jobbies, the difference even surprised me, it has changed from a wrist breaking exercise to being about to put my sail away like I watch other boats managing it.

The other thought, as you stepped, did you take the line off, have you wound it back the wrong way? It sounds daft, but is easy to do and easy to forget which way your furler used to turn..

 

[VicS]

Sorry to disappoint you. Don't know much about Rotostays. Have noticed several different designs though.

The only one I'm at all familiar with has a sort of bottle screw built into it. Tension adjustment any way. Don't even know if there's forestay inside it. Assume there must be.

 

[dt4134]

I'd suspect the forestay was too slack rather than over-tight. If you have an adjustable backstay try yanking that on and see if the furler is easier to budge.

 

[JonJon]

Can only speak for my Rotostay set up so Check for "Halyard Wrap", if the halyard exit angle from the swivel at the head of the sail is too parrallel to the fore stay sometimes the halyard tends to wrap around the foil instead of being kept stationary by the swivel and it jams the foil. It could be that you have slightly different fittings on than you had before thus moving the sail down a bit changing the exit angle and increasing the tendency to wrap.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Too much tension on the halyard is the usual cause - puts excessive pressure on the bearings - or isn't the sail up yet?

 

[forgotmyfrekinuserid]

Sail isn't up yet - I've emailed Rotostay for some advice. I'll share that on here as i can't be the only person every to suffer this. Thanks to all so far...

 

[Gazza]

Have just had this problem today on our HP27 fitted with Rotostay. There's an angled shackle on the upper fitting , and I put it on with the angle facing away from the fitting. This meant that when there was tension on the furler, the shackle jammed against the upper fitting, making it very difficult to operate. Turning it around solved the problem.

Might be worth a look in your case..............

 

[forgotmyfrekinuserid]

Fingers crossed it's something simple like that...now we have light evenings destiny see's me being in trouble for going to the boat on my way home from work whilst I sort this out...

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
There's an angled shackle on the upper fitting

[/ QUOTE ] Thats like (most of ) the Plastimo furlers, Very important on those. If the shackle jams agaist the top of the fitting the top can become unscrewed. Not noticed that the Rotostays used a bent shaclke though. Certainly not the one I know.

Refueller in the days when he called himself sbc reported his problems in detail partly due to a normal shackle having been fitted.

In the case thats the subject of the thread no shackles, halyards or sails are involved yet. The spar all on its own is stiff.

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

I had a similar problem a year or two ago.

I had over tightened the genoa when hoisting it.

I just slackened off the halyard, and all was well.

Hope your problem is as simple to resolve.

edit,,,,

Sorry should read the whole thread first!!

 

[PLEIAS]

If you don't solve the problem with the answers above try to get the roller drum out and check the ball bearings inside and grease or replace if needed. I've had a similar problem a couple of years ago and after trying everything else i did just that and now it's as good as new.Pm me if you need more info and sorry for not replying earlier.

 

[status]

Could any of the foil sections got kinked while the mast was down causing them to rub internaly on the forestay?

Just had this problem on a Furlex.

Status

 

[forgotmyfrekinuserid]

After 10 days, Rotostay hadn't come back to me with any help (or even any reply). I mailed them again saying i would be unlikely to darken their doors once more, and they almost instantly replied asking me to call some one. On the assumption that they must have seen the original email, I'm less than happy with their after sales service.

Given that it is all moving (albeit stiffly), I'm going to wait until she is back in the water and then will play around with the forestay tension to see if I have any joy that way.

Thanks again to all.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
replied asking me to call some one

[/ QUOTE ] Then call someone!

A few minutes meaningful discussion with someone on the dog and bone will probably be worth more than half a dozen emails.

Don't phone them and you have no basis for any further complaints.

Past indications have been that Rotostay have always been very helpful.

 

[forgotmyfrekinuserid]

I agree - was cutting my nose off to spite my face I guess. I'll get on the phone tomorrow !