DanTribe
Well-Known Member
Sailspar endless line system.
Problem solved.
Problem solved.
Tidying up the furling line...
- Thread starter WestWittering
- Start date
Conachair
Guest
What I did, to keep things tidy, was to cut the excess off so that there then wasn't enough rope to fully deploy the sail and the knot sticks in the bullseye fairlead. This may not work for everyone, or, frankly, me.
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
Not sure if its helpful to you, but to answer the OP's question. Our genoa furling line has its own dedicated winch. The furling line gets made off on the cleat next to the winch, coiled and hung over the winch to store it. It sort of hangs down into the corner of the cockpit where the winch is situated next to the helm. The main has its own winch on the opposite corner and the mainsheet is coiled and hangs on that winch to make the whole boat/cockpit look nicely symmetrical. But the last bit strays into the 'too much information bracket...' 
Simondjuk
Well-Known Member
You could turn a boat upside down and shake it, and there's no way a good sized coil cow hitched to a rail will fall off. The unerring forces of gravity and friction prevent it.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
To each his own ---but isn't it odd how many people get their own ropes caught in their prop. Perhaps their cows got unhitched!!
WestWittering
Well-Known Member
Not sure if its helpful to you, but to answer the OP's question. Our genoa furling line has its own dedicated winch. The furling line gets made off on the cleat next to the winch, coiled and hung over the winch to store it. It sort of hangs down into the corner of the cockpit where the winch is situated next to the helm. The main has its own winch on the opposite corner and the mainsheet is coiled and hangs on that winch to make the whole boat/cockpit look nicely symmetrical. But the last bit strays into the 'too much information bracket...'
Can you send me a photo? Just want to see how big the winch is. But I am leaning towards the cow hitch or the bag tbh. Cow hitch is free (and is how it is at the moment, just didn't know what it was called), bag is cheap & easy to install, winches = days of faffery & quite possible tears too, but I want to get the old spool off, so I could install a winch while I was there). But to be honest KISS is calling out to me.
Di
Seajet
...
Di,
do have a look at the ' Blue ' products, they make line tail / bino's/ winch handle etc stowage bags for cockpit bulkheads or guardrails - no connection.
I'd post a pic if I could get this **** new format to do it !
Andy
do have a look at the ' Blue ' products, they make line tail / bino's/ winch handle etc stowage bags for cockpit bulkheads or guardrails - no connection.
I'd post a pic if I could get this **** new format to do it !
Andy
WestWittering
Well-Known Member
Andy, you are a very BAD boy. I have just looked at their website and found that I am in want of a hammock, a freestyle sun shade (could possibly double as an umbrella, stuff for the inside, stuff for the outside & just stuff in general. A simple blue bag could end up costing £1,000s now I know of this website.....
I will stuff my furling line inside an old Ocado carrier bag, held to the guard wire with a clothes peg!
I'm off now - back to the Blue website....
Di
Seajet
...
Di,
welcome to sailing and anything with ' Marine ' just before the ' £ '
!Andy
Conachair
Guest
I have the furling line going through a little ratchet pulley at the back of the cockpit, not quite a winch but really helps. You don't need to hold the full tension all the time when furling, I do it singlehanded, one hand easing the sheet, the other taking up the furling line as it eases. If it's a bit wild it's easy to put the furling line round a spare winch.
Then spare into a bag, works well and keeps the cockpit tidy.
Seashoreman
Well-Known Member
I sewed a small square canvas patch onto dodgers as I dont like rope hanging around in the cockpit. Furling line is cleated off first, never felt the need for any winches etc as it is easy to ease out and pull in. I use the surplus line to tie-off tiller when moored which seems to work well.
dulcibella
Well-Known Member
Good thinking! However, nothing in sailing is foolproof. A friend of mine had a crisis at sea with his Sailspar endless line system (reefed at night, suddenly whole genoa was out with jammed furler bearing, twisted stainless straps at the bottom end and a broken furling line. He started the engine, motored round in circles to put the genoa away and motored for over 24h to the nearest harbour, arriving knackered. When us new crew arrived we and the skipper had an interesting job repairing the bearing and metalwork and end-splicing a well-weathered braid-on-braid furling line to make it endless again. A jammed bearing appeared to be at the bottom of it. This raises another issue: we are always advised not to lubricate roller furling gear bearings as this attracts grit and salt (turning the lubricant into a grinding paste) but simply to hose it with fresh water regularly. Fine for short trips, but scarcely practicable on long ocean passages.
Simondjuk
Well-Known Member
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
I'll have a look for one when I get a minute. Remember its 39' of centre cockpit big fat cruising boat so our solution might not apply to you.
JayBee
Well-Known Member
Slight thread drift:
We used to have a Sailspar furler. If you ever need to replace the line, splicing IS difficult. Also, the two parts of the furling line needed to be under some tension and were run outboard of the cockpit, through double stanchion blocks . To furl or reef the genoa meant leaning out of the cockpit and pulling on the loaded part of the line at a very uncomfortable angle. Not such a problem in light weather, but at an angle of heel in reefing conditions it was just plain awkward.
We now have a much better Furlex single line system. When the genoa is furled, the line is made into a large coil and cow hitched to the pushpit rail. It is as secure as can be, ready for instant use and also looks seamanlike.
All IMHO, of course.
chewi
Well-Known Member
Better still, add a strop around the genoa when leaving, independent of both sheets and furling line.
Takes seconds, and is independent of the chafe that can happen to the furling line.