Rotostay: how to rig?

[mogmog2]

Hi, our new old boat (Centaur) has a Rotostay furler as shown. Haven't yet identified which model.

Can anyone advise how the sail should be rigged please? The boat has been floating for two years with bare poles & the halyards are a bit of a mess as some have come loose & tangled up. To add to the confusion, there is rigging for a spinnaker, so much more string than I grew up with.

There is a wire (halyard?) which I have yet been unable to investigate and may be involved in this? . Does this go back down to the drum? And if so how is it tensioned? Is it obvious when I get back to the boat (this wasn't the focus of what I was doing on the last trip)
Many thanks

 

[VicS]

It looks like a very old model of Rotostay without a sliding swivel on the spar.

If so these may be the instructions you need

http://www.catamaransite.com/rotostay_furler.html

If there is sliding swivel then its a later type

BTW some diluted Patio Magic, Aldi's Path, Patio and Decking Cleaner currently on special offer, or Polycell 3 in 1 Mould Killer will kill all the algae on the running rigging

 

[mogmog2]

Thanks VicS
That seems to cover it. Just need to get it working again (I'm researching that too) but it's a job for when the boat is moved to its pontoon berth - soon.

All the running rigging is like that...and the boat is covered in lichen.
When we get her moved, all the running rigging will be scrutinised & washed at home/replaced as necessary. I ran the mainsheet though the washing machine, in an industrial laundry net bag & it came up quite well. A fair amount of it is headed for the bin as there is a lot of chafe. This is a shame as it isn't at all old, just suffered from unavoidable neglect by the previous owner.

FWIW, as I understand it Patio Magic & other products containing Benzalkonium chloride should not be used where runoff into an aquatic environment can occur, although I suspect most people gaily slap it all over their boats...I was going to do this until I found this out.

 

[merlin3688]

I think this is the Rotostay that has a fixed point at the top and the wire goes up to the top, round a sheave and back down to the drum, tensioned with a rope.
If you ever need to replace the Forestay this information is handy.

To remove the drum place the foil tightly in the length of the v section jaws of a workmate bench with the drum as close as possible to the edge , put a screwdriver to the right flat on the workbench insert blade through the eye used to connect the tack of the genoa at the base of the foil.

Gently heat the drum with a blow torch then fit the strap wrench and turn clockwise (reverse thread) with alot of pressure the screwdriver should be tight to the surface of the workmate to stop the foil from twisting.

I used a 150 mm strap wrench from B & Q ( £9.99) which had sufficient leverage,
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/handtool...-Q-150mm-Strap-Wrench-11247648?skuId=11758353

Unscrew the drum and move the foil up a couple of inches to expose fore stay , put a set of molegrips on the flat on the fore stay hold and use open end spanner to release drum from fore stay. Then use a set of bolt croppers to cut through fore stay so that damaged foils can be removed.