Furler Questions

[rayncyn51]

I'm rigging my new-to-me boat for the first time. It has an old, odd furling system that I can't identify. My question is about routing the halyard.

The furler uses a single, coninuous control line that takes a single pass around the drum. A wire halyard runs through a channel in the foil sections to a sheave attached to the top of the foil. The halyard is clipped, not spliced, to a 5/16 rope halyard just long enough to reach the deck. The top sheave is in an aluminum casting shaped such that the only direction for the halyard to feed off it is down. The sheave casting is fixed to the top of the foil, with no apparent provision for a swivel. There are cleats on the bottom casting of the foil above the drum, and two 3/4" plastic sheaves side by side in the drum. These smaller sheaves are in line with the top sheave.

This does not look like any kind of furling system that I have been able to find referenced on the web. It would appear to me that this unit was designed so that the halyard runs back down paralell to the foil, does a 180 under one of the small sheaves, and then cleats off on the foil. Thus, the whole shebang, halyard and all, would turn with the foil. This would put the halyard inside the furled sail, and provide no means for controlling halyard tension except from the foredeck.

Does anybody recognize this system? Is my interpretation of the halyard routing correct? Everything I've read about furling units talks about halyard wrap, proper jib halyard tension, and various adustments for same. It seems to me that adjusting halyard tension on this rig would be difficult if not impossible. Is that because, on a setup like this, halyard tension or adjustment is not an issue? It would also seem to be impossible to incur halyard wrap under any conditions. Was this perhaps a design consideration? If so, what is being traded off?

The boat is a 30' Catalina. It uses a 150 genoa. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

[sailingdog]

Photos would really help on a post like this....

[Faster]

I've seen such furlers before.. you are correct in that once tensioned, the halyard can only be retensioned/adjusted by going forward to the headsail tack. This system would certainly qualify as unusual on a boat the size of a Catalina 30. The "racer" in you won't like it.......

The advantage of such systems is immunity from halyard wrap, and no loads on the deck fittings that you get with led aft halyards.

[noreault]

Try looking at the Alado Nautica USA Reefing and Roller Furling Systems Home Page. I think it is the furler you are describing. It gets quite good reviews in Practical Sailor.

[dvpamenter]

I am the Alado rep for Canada. Much of the desrp sounds like our units but not the single continuous line on the drum nor the combo wire and rope halyard. Check out ALADO CANADA - Furler and Roller - main page on the specs page where you will see pics of the various pieces for installation.
Tensioning the halyard is only possible at the drum area.
Don

[Leither]

This sounds almost exactly like the elderly CDI furler which was fitted to my Morgan 30 when I bought it. Except that, in my case, the sheave was missing from the top of the furler and therefore the arrangement was non-functioning. I eventually replaced it with a mdern CDI with a plastic foil, which has been absolutely great so far.

Stuart

[rayncyn51]

Thanks for the references to Alado and CDI. They are both similar in concept in that they have self contained halyards. Mine has all of the same features as the Alado, including the provision for flying two headsails. I would guess that mine is an older design by one of these manufacturers.

My primary concern was about the self contained halyard idea. That is like nothing that I've ever seen, so I wasn't sure if I had even the basic concept right. Looking at these other designs, I think that I can get this thing back together and working now. It's still in reasonably good shape, so I'm re-fitting everything and hopefully will be able to squeeze a few more years ot of it.

SD, I have a good pic of each end, but I don't know how to post pics yet.

Thanks to all, this has been very helpful!

[dvpamenter]

rayncyn51. If you do keep the unit check in with Alado Nautica USA who can likely assist if there are any parts needed.

[rayncyn51]

Thanks, I'll do that. Unless it fails completely, it's going to serve for at least one more season.

I would just like to say that whoever built this unit did a heckuva good job. The poly bearing surfaces look like new. The only problem I've had is that the 3 bolts holding the drum to the foil have stripped out. There is enough extra material on the drum that I was able to drill and tap a larger size with no problem. Hopefully it'll work as good as it looks! - r

[HPLou]

rayncyn51. Your furler sounds very similar to a Reefer I or II that was manufactured by Cruising Design, Inc. which has been out of business for quite awhile. A traveler slides in one groove of the aluminum foil and the sail slides in the second groove. If you have pictures to post, I may be able to confirm. I happen to have an assembly guide that came with my "new" 1987 Watkins.