Which rope for firler?

[MM5AHO]

Thinking of changing the rope of the job furler this winter. What's a suitable rope type to use? Guess that non-stretching is best?

 

[PetiteFleur]

Thinking of changing the rope of the job furler this winter. What's a suitable rope type to use? Guess that non-stretching is best?

I've just changed to a much firmer rope, Marlowbraid which was much firmer than the previous rope which nice to handle but too soft as it tended to bind up in the furling drum.

 

[KREW2]

Advice from my rigger was to use braid on braid as large as possible for comfort to pull in. To ensure it all fitted on the drum he suggested I remove about 3 meters of the core from the furler end, milk the outer core back and put a few stitches through the rope where the outer and inner core meet.

 

[boatropes]

Advice from my rigger was to use braid on braid as large as possible for comfort to pull in. To ensure it all fitted on the drum he suggested I remove about 3 meters of the core from the furler end, milk the outer core back and put a few stitches through the rope where the outer and inner core meet.

Taking that good tip further it's possible to strip the core from nearly 1/2 the length, taper and stitch lock the remaining core at the centre. By this method you can use one or two sizes bigger braid-on-braid than normal (because it reduces the rope volume by ~40%) The result is more comfortable handling without over filling the drum. I've supplied many such furling line specials to my rope buying customers but I do acknowledge Hood riggers as the original source of my technique.

Barry
boatropes@barryedwards.co.uk

 

[[2574]]

Just been advised to use Marlow Double Braid for mainsail furling line as it is softer and more flexible than Marlowbraid and goes around corners easier. We've Marlowbraid for our genoa sheets and it is relatively stiff. We found the Marlowbraid slipped a little on our winches when new but after a season's use its bedded in well.

rob

 

[PeteCooper]

I'm sure that what you are saying is correct but I thought that the strength of braid on braid was in the core - the outer sheath was there to prevent abrasion - is this not the case?

 

[Bilgediver]

I'm sure that what you are saying is correct but I thought that the strength of braid on braid was in the core - the outer sheath was there to prevent abrasion - is this not the case?

Quite right....it is......However look carefully at what they are doing. They are removing the core at the drum end. When the sail is deployed and you start to furl the drum is full and the in use rope is 100% inner and outer. As the sail furls and the sail area reduces drastically and so does load on the furling rope the length with the core missing comes into use and the braid only section can deal with this reduced load. Just do not slip the core back too far.

 

[BabaYaga]

Liros

Taking that good tip further it's possible to strip the core from nearly 1/2 the length, taper and stitch lock the remaining core at the centre. By this method you can use one or two sizes bigger braid-on-braid than normal (because it reduces the rope volume by ~40%) [/email]

Or you could buy this kind of furling line made by Liros, which seems to work in the same way:

http://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/liro...yneema-core-polyester-cover-22849-209380.html

 

[KAL]

Taking that good tip further it's possible to strip the core from nearly 1/2 the length, taper and stitch lock the remaining core at the centre. By this method you can use one or two sizes bigger braid-on-braid than normal (because it reduces the rope volume by ~40%) The result is more comfortable handling without over filling the drum. I've supplied many such furling line specials to my rope buying customers but I do acknowledge Hood riggers as the original source of my technique.

Barry
boatropes@barryedwards.co.uk

Barry has a point in using oversized rope which has been cored out. However, as an experiment I replaced ours earlier this season with some 8mm braid on braid which didn't need to be cored out, rather than using 11 or 12 mm which did.

It has worked very well indeed. The smaller diameter rope has not been a problem to handle, even in some pretty high winds. Cost about £12 in all. As I say, it was an experiment which worked for us, but some folk will always prefer a larger diameter rope for comfort of handling.

 

[boatropes]

I'm sure that what you are saying is correct but I thought that the strength of braid on braid was in the core - the outer sheath was there to prevent abrasion - is this not the case?

Good question. In most braid-on-braids about half the yarn is in the core and half in the cover. Strength comes mainly from amount of yarn so the stripped part has ~50% of original strength, still very adequate for furler purposes.

 

[Cantata]

I've just changed to a much firmer rope, Marlowbraid which was much firmer than the previous rope which nice to handle but too soft as it tended to bind up in the furling drum.

I would support this view - I removed the fairly hard braid that was probably original and used a much softer rope for the sake of my hands. But the softer rope was a disaster, had several instances of locked turns on the drum which were inconvenient to say the least.
So I washed the original and put it back on. No more problems.
So, never mind your hands, use a firm rope. My original may even be braid-on-laid, I doubt it's braid-on-braid. It's probably 8mm or possibly 10mm (this is on a Furlex, 1998 vinatge).