What's my reefing arrangement called?

T

TonyBuckley

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15 May 2006
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Boat is in Brighton Marina
www.icloud.com
Hi,

My genoa reefing line is a continuous loop; there is no winding drum, just a line clutch of some sort.

Seems to work great.

I can't see any makers name and wondered if there is a name for this and if there is anything to watch out for?

Thanks,

Tony
 
OP here. Genoa reefing is def SailSpar and was excellent until yesterday when it failed. Looks like the bearings in the sail lifting block (is that what its called?) have had it. Can't turn when under any load and grind when turned by hand.

**EDIT: Lifting Block = Halyard Swivel**

I'm going to attack it with a screwdriver tomorrow (three screws on the swivel) to see if that will open up the bearing cavities.

Are bearing rings always just that - rings - which means dropping the forestay to fix with much hassle. Or... is it possible they could be half rings (or something else) that just slot into place?

Thanks,

Tony
 
Last edited:
TonyBuckley said:
OP here. Genoa reefing is def SailSpar and was excellent until yesterday when it failed. Looks like the bearings in the sail lifting block (is that what its called?) have had it. Can't turn when under any load and grind when turned by hand.

**EDIT: Lifting Block = Halyard Swivel**

I'm going to attack it with a screwdriver tomorrow (three screws on the swivel) to see if that will open up the bearing cavities.

Are bearing rings always just that - rings - which means dropping the forestay to fix with much hassle. Or... is it possible they could be half rings (or something else) that just slot into place?

Thanks,

Tony
Click to expand...
Hi watch out unscrewing on the foil,the ball bearings will drop out .The balls should be stainless but sometimes they look a little rusty,if they haven't been cleaned in a while .If you load the halyard swivel too much ,you can jamb the thing up all together.If you can undo the torque tube screws you can drop the drum off the foil and take the swivel off that way .
Cindy
 
TonyBuckley said:
OP here. Genoa reefing is def SailSpar and was excellent until yesterday when it failed. Looks like the bearings in the sail lifting block (is that what its called?) have had it. Can't turn when under any load and grind when turned by hand.

**EDIT: Lifting Block = Halyard Swivel**

I'm going to attack it with a screwdriver tomorrow (three screws on the swivel) to see if that will open up the bearing cavities.

Are bearing rings always just that - rings - which means dropping the forestay to fix with much hassle. Or... is it possible they could be half rings (or something else) that just slot into place?

Thanks,

Tony
Click to expand...

I agree with Cindy, don't start unscrewing things at random, you could end up with a shower of ball bearings.
It's well worth speaking to Sailspar first, they are very helpful and can supply you with diagrams so you can see what can be or needs dismantling.
 
Thanks guys. Sailspar say the forestay has to come down and they suggest the bearings are lose balls and it's a very fiddly job.

I did get the three grub screws out but the parts wouldn't separate.

They want upto 200 quid to service!! <gulp>

But the rigger is on the case!

Tony
 
Is there a generic halyard swivel?

OK - I'm getting miffed over this.

Why isn't there a generic genoa halyard swivel? It's just a slidy swivelly thing of a certain diameter with a top hole for the halyard and a bottom hole for the sail.

I am told such a thing doesn't exist and I have to stick with the system's unit, but I can't see what makes it unique to fit a pole.

Is this true?

Tony
 
Most of the roller furler manufacturers use their own section for the actual foil. The halyard swivel needs to be a very close fit on the foil to prevent it 'tilting' against the foil and jamming. So, yes, you are generally restricted to using the manufacturer's own halyard swivel.
 
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