Rotostay - what can fail?

[contessaman]

So I'm just getting the good ship ready to come ashore for the whole winter this year. Was mulling over this winters worklist (boo!) as I removed my genoa and I couldn't help but think about my rotostay furling gear.

Its just sat there on the end of the bowsprit, crashing through waves, working faultlessly year after year with no attention from me. (well I do hose it in freshwater when im back in the marina)

Looking at the now very old and yellowed instruction leaflet that came in the boats history folder it says it must be a model D, E or F. It seems to have a swivel at the top near the mast and presumably a swivel in the furling drum assembly. Do I need to be concerned about these swivels failing? or are they designed sort of fail safe so that even if the bearings go and they wont turn, it wont compromise the strength of the forstay? Is there any maintenance I should be carrying out to the furling gear?

As I say, its working just great but Im planning to take the boat down to the scillies next year and with my luck im bound to get caught out in the nasty. I always do. This winter I plan to address things that make me worry when im out in heavy weather - my rudder to rudder stock joint being a big one. my cooker gimbals are another. Should I worry about my rotostay or should I employ the 'if it aint effin broke then dont fix it' rationale??

muchos gracias in advance as always

p.s. I know they are cracking little boats but I dont want to fit a new anderson22 to my furling gear for my trip west

 

[alahol2]

Have a look at this page... http://www.troppo.co.uk/odds/odds.htm there are diagrams of the top and bottom swivel assemblies for the Rotostay type D+. May or may not be the same as yours. I took mine apart to check the roller bearings and to re-grease a few years ago. They were fine but it seemed worth doing.
The only other 'maintenance' that was suggested was to lift the lower foil off the drum every year to ensure it doesn't corrode in place. I had the forestay replaced last year and the rigger needed his special slide hammer to get the foil off the drum (I found it impossible to shift). From now on I will break the joint each year to ensure I can always get it apart. Oh, the only other suggestion was to drill a new drain hole in the lower foil lower down and occasionally ensure it's not clogged.

 

[Dipper]

I have a Rotostay E and when I dismantled the lower bearing assembly (I have no idea now why I did that) I found a broken circlip. My Rotostay is 1995/1996 vintage.

 

[alahol2]

Just had another thought. If your forestay is the same age as the furler (30+ years?) it may be due a replacement?

 

[neil_s]

I would second replacement of the forestay. Or, if not too old, pull it out, give it a clean and put it back with a good squirt of your favourite dry lubricant.

 

[contessaman]

nah the standing rigging is 9 years old have receipts with the boat. But the rotostay gear looks a lot older than that so somebody must have fitted a new forstay to it. probably been done a few times during its life.

I wasnt planning to drop the masts this winter (ketch rig with a triatic its a pain in the bum and expensive). I suppose I could rig a halyard fwd and take the stay off but thats an epic job. I was wondering more about the make up of the swivels - ie failsafe or not. It sort of looks captive in the diagrams that you provided a link to. cant be exactly sure though. Im not worried about it failing to turn or the forstay breaking just worried about the swivels -are they a weak link? I can set a staysail on the inner so with the ketch rig and the engine bhp im packing loosing use of the genoa would only be an inconvenience. loosing the mast on the other hand.......

 

[alahol2]

I can only speak for my own Rotostay D+ but I can't see anything in the design that I could point to as a weak link. If the bearings collapsed totally the forestay may go slightly loose but the mast wouldn't fall down. If the swivels totally seized and you put the furling rope onto a winch and hauled I suspect it would be the mast tang that might give up.

 

[contessaman]

I can only speak for my own Rotostay D+ but I can't see anything in the design that I could point to as a weak link. If the bearings collapsed totally the forestay may go slightly loose but the mast wouldn't fall down. If the swivels totally seized and you put the furling rope onto a winch and hauled I suspect it would be the mast tang that might give up.

cool. this is what I wanted to hear. if it siezed I would let fly and orbit the boat in the same direction until it was furled! or lower the halyard if it siezed all the way out. Im going to study those diagrams again when im not so tired to try and be sure!!