Bought a furler - Install tips?

[Sometimesbrilliant]

So I have taken the (pricey) plunge and picked up a roller furler for the headsail. I have bought a Schaefer CF-700. While on the topic of shopping... Local marine store (Brewer's in Hamilton): $850 (cdn) West Marine $1289(usd) ouch! I guess it saves to shop local!

Anyhow, I am going to be installing the furler this weekend. I'm studying the install booklet and readying tools and such. In the meantime I thought I'd ask this community for any hints, tips, gotchas and such you have encountered installing a furler?

Thanks :-)

Dan

[T34C]

Read the directions.

Seriously, read and reread the directions. Take the parts out and see how they go together as described in the directions. It will make the actual installation on the boat go much smoother if you already know how all the parts work together.

[sailingdog]

Are you replacing the forestay? If not, you probably should be, especially if it is more than five years old.

Dry fitting the pieces or at the least, laying them out and making sure you have a good idea of what order they assemble in is a very good idea. If you have to cut the foil to match your forestay... measure twice, if they don't match... measure again... then cut. If in doubt, cut it a little long, since you can always trim it a bit more. It is a bit harder to stretch the foil if you're a bit short.

[Sometimesbrilliant]

Ok, I'm green. Why replace the forestay? It's a metal cable?

Unless it's a saltwater then (I'm sailing on the Great Lakes, so not an issue) I can kinda see the point.

Dan

[T34C]

NOt sure about the model furler you bought, but do you have to cut the bottom terminal to install the foil? You might want to replace the forestay if it is older, or if had a previous foil istalled. In my case, when I replaced the furler on my boat I couldn't easily get the old foil off. It was much easier to replace (not much $$$ either) and start anew.

FYI - when it came time to install the foil sections on my boat, I found that I could assemble them and then push them one by one up the forestay. I then assembled the next and connected it to the bottom of the previous one. When I got to the last section I was able to measure the distance from the drum to the bottom of the last next to last foil section. I then made the cut, removed all the sections, and reinstalled with the short cut section at top. This made sure the foil sections and the drum fit together the way they were intended. Bottom line, its not rocket science. If I can do it, anyone can.

[knothead]

Originally Posted by Sometimesbrilliant

So I have taken the (pricey) plunge and picked up a roller furler for the headsail. I have bought a Schaefer CF-700. While on the topic of shopping... Local marine store (Brewer's in Hamilton): $850 (cdn) West Marine $1289(usd) ouch! I guess it saves to shop local!

Anyhow, I am going to be installing the furler this weekend. I'm studying the install booklet and readying tools and such. In the meantime I thought I'd ask this community for any hints, tips, gotchas and such you have encountered installing a furler?

Thanks :-)

Dan

Dan, I would agree with the others who have suggested that you read and reread the installation manual.
As well as SD's advice about the headstay. Think about it . You are installing a furling system that should last you quite awhile. You don't want to have to start worrying about your headstay 5 yrs down the road. If it has a few years on it. Replace it. For your boat it won't cost much and you can hold onto the old one for a spare.

The furler you bought is sometimes called a snap-furl. It will go on the wire without cutting off either terminal.
If you take your time and follow the directions... to the letter... you shouldn't have any problems.
Have fun.

Steve

[sander06]

Have a rigger do it.

[Sometimesbrilliant]

Originally Posted by sander06

Have a rigger do it.

Blah! Where is the fun in that?

I'm not worried about my technical ability. I've worked on plenty of mechanical systems in the past. But I'm also smart enough to ask people for tips and advice before starting a new project.

Just because one ask a question does not mean they are not capable.

Dan

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by Sometimesbrilliant

Ok, I'm green. Why replace the forestay? It's a metal cable?

Unless it's a saltwater then (I'm sailing on the Great Lakes, so not an issue) I can kinda see the point.

Dan

Salt/fresh is only part of the problem and yes stays in fresh water will last longer but should still be inspected annually beyond 10 years and replaced between 15 & 20 years. In salt water I replace every 10 regardless of visible condition of the fittings or wire.

The big "BUT" is that you are in Ontario where it gets very cold and freezes in the winter. In the summer moisture can travel down the stay and find it's way into the lower swage fitting. Over the years this constant expansion and freezing of any moisture in the lower swage can cause it to develop hairline cracks fail.

Also, many times the foil will not fit over the head stay with the swaged fittings in place, not sure about the Schaefer. If it won't you'll need to use a mechanical fitting like a Sta-Loc and install it after the foil is in place..

This is a photo of the Norseman mechanical fitting I used on my Harken furler that I installed last spring..

[CaptKermie]

OK SometimesBrilliant,
I just bought and installed the Schaefer Snapfurl CF700 a couple months ago. I had the convenience of doing it mostly indoors as I have a trailerable MacGregor so I took the forestay indoors (garage) to measure then put it mostly together across two rooms. (It was too cold outside) Being able to have the mast down and boat in the driveway was very convenient. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting the measurements right and doing the math a dozen times before cutting. When doing your calculations and adding them all up do them again from different points in the equations. Start from the finish and work backwards then pick another point and work from there until all your calculations synchronize no matter where you start from. This will catch those goofy little math mistakes that don't show up so readily but do show up when working backwards or from another starting point because the answers will be different and you will wonder why. Make sure you do the math until it is ingrained in your mind. The 'D' shackles add to the measurements there are three of them, the one on the top end of the halyard swivel has no impact just the other two do. The top of my forestay is swagged and the swag took up some of the forestay length so my foil was cut a tiny bit shorter. Try and allow for an inch or maybe just a half inch between the swag and the black plastic cap that goes on the top of the foil for future forestay length adjustment. The foil should be long enough to allow for a full stretched luff otherwise get the sail shortened by a loft. I had my hank-ons converted to #6 luff tape and at the same time the sail luff shortened for the foil (NorthSails). The Schaefer requires at least a 5/32 wire forstay and mine was only 1/8 so I had to replace it. I ended up getting a complete 5/32 forestay with a new and bigger 5/16 turnbuckle to replace the OEM 1/4 turnbuckle and 1/8 wire so now my whole headsail unit is new.
It is not manually a difficult job, if I can do it any moron can but I will say it is a job prone to making mistakes in calculations so get the math done a dozen times and then get it checked by someone else with fresh eyes. After all was done I thought it was a miracle that I actually got it all together with no mistakes, it was very stressfull. In the end I decided that as convenient an option a rollerfurler is, it is not worth the extra complication it adds to trailering set-up. It took us a half dozen attempts to raise the mast and in the process the heavy foil would knock the jib pulley behind one shroud or another or the halyard would jump off the pulley or after getting everything aligned up there discover that while being focused at the hound we inadvertantly caught a line or wire under the mast step and had to do it again. (we weren't watching the base). There is no way this exercise can be performed over water, we did it all on land on the trailer then launched. There are some small pieces to attach to the roller drum so if you are over water you may want a safety net in place to catch the pieces you drop. Perhaps a hoola hoop with a big nylon stocking around it under your forestay tang. Better have something or Davy Jones will claim the pieces.
Now that it is installed and we have tested and used it we are quite happy with it. I can switch from jib to genoa and do not require a UV strip because I always take the headsail down and bag it just like a hank-on. Next time out I check wind conditions and then decide which headsail to hoist. I only leave it on overnight on weekends. It is a very nice unit and I really recommend it for a slipped boat not a trailerable. We buy moorage and slip for six months a year so I do not have to raise the mast and dance with the furler too much. You made a good choice selecting the Snapfurl, enjoy!