Catalina Forestay Woes

silverhe · #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2001

Just hauled my Catalina 30 for the winter and had the mast unstepped. To my surprise the top end of the forestay is partially "unwound" (from friction with the roller furling gear I suppose). It''s the original standing rigging from 1988 so I don''t mind replacing it, but HOW?? Removing the Hood Seafurl 810 looks like a herculean task. Has anyone ever done this? Is there anyone in upstate NY who will come to my boat to tackle this job? I''d ship the whole thing to BOATUS or WESTMARINE but I don''t have a fifty foot box! Thanks for your help.

hamiam · #2 (**permalink**) 10-23-2001

I have not dealt with the Hood System, but I am sure that my ProFurl is similar. You did not mention what sort of end fittings you may have. Depending on the fitting, it may slide through the furling system. If this is not possible, you can cut the fitting off and then try to slide the headstay thru. If this does not work you will need to disassemble the furling unit and remove the wire. It not all that hard but you might want to contact Hood for some technical advice. Any local rigger or sailmaker should be able to handle this task. Good luck.

silverhe · #3 (**permalink**) 10-23-2001

Excellent suggestion! I had thought about cutting the upper swaged end off the forestay and trying to slide the foil off the cable. But I was worried I might dislodge the roller bearings in the furler extrusion and have to disassemble it all in the end anyway. I like your idea of contacting the mfr. directly. Hopefully my local yard (which caters more to powerboat repairs) knows a rigger in the area.

dlahlers · #4 (**permalink**) 10-30-2001

where do you keep your boat?

tiz_1 · #5 (**permalink**) 11-09-2001

On the Hood 810 your best bet is to remove the existing rivets from the foil and dis-assemble the foil. Bring the headstay to a rigger to be replaced and then get new rivets from Hood and rebuild the foil. If you remain organised it is not hard.

The key is to prevent the HALYARD from wrapping around your headstay when furling. That is why the top was unwound and it will happen again and ruin the new headstay.

There are a variety of fixes for that problem. Ask the folks at Hood what to do and they will probably be able to fax you an illustration. I had the same set up on my C-30 #91.

--Kevin

pkkiley · #6 (**permalink**) 06-13-2006

Just came across this thread. I know these were posted 5 years ago, but anyone out there dealt with this issue successfully? I'm a newbie and just bought my 1988 Catalina 30 with original Hood furler, and second-time out shredded the Halyard. Went up to run a new halyard and noticed the forestay wire was starting to fray. The rigger at the yard said I probably furled too-tight and wound the extrusion around the forestay. 1 new forestay and several rigging hours later, I will be back on the water this week but want to make sure this doesn't happen again. Any advice?

jared · #7 (**permalink**) 06-13-2006

"Went up to run a new halyard and noticed the forestay wire was starting to fray. The rigger at the yard said I probably furled too-tight and wound the extrusion around the forestay. "
Could partly be from having a 18-year-old forestay, they DO wear. And if the rigging tension has been too tight for a long time, that will make strands pop faster. You should get a Loos tension guage so you can check your rigging from time to time. And while you've got that rigger in the yard, ask him to show you hands-on how much tension is enough for the furler. Generally, all you want to do is roll up the sail--not fight it when you are winding it.
Might pay to check the other stays while you are at it. If you run a cloth (skin hurts) up and down the stays and "meathooks" tear at it, that means the wire is breaking down and should be replaced.

sailingdog · #8 (**permalink**) 06-13-2006

If you have access to the top of the mast, via a lift or a crane, then it really isn't much of a deal. You can generally use your spinnaker or genoa halyard to hold the mast in place, while you swap out the forestay. Provided you have access, you could do this relatively easily yourself. If not, most riggers will do this for a fairly reasonable fee.

Saying what region your boat is in would probably lead to more suggestions for riggers in your area.

trantor12020 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-13-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by jared

"Went up to run a new halyard and noticed the forestay wire was starting to fray. The rigger at the yard said I probably furled too-tight and wound the extrusion around the forestay. "
Could partly be from having a 18-year-old forestay, they DO wear. And if the rigging tension has been too tight for a long time, that will make strands pop faster. You should get a Loos tension guage so you can check your rigging from time to time. And while you've got that rigger in the yard, ask him to show you hands-on how much tension is enough for the furler. Generally, all you want to do is roll up the sail--not fight it when you are winding it.
Might pay to check the other stays while you are at it. If you run a cloth (skin hurts) up and down the stays and "meathooks" tear at it, that means the wire is breaking down and should be replaced.

I've a selden furler on my H326 headsail and is wondering how I can use the Loos Gauge to check the forestay tension? Any suggestions?

sailingdog · #10 (**permalink**) 06-13-2006

This page has good info on using the older Loos Gauges.

http://www.loosnaples.com/howto/90-91gauges.htm