jib roller furler halyard swivel

[Kandahar]

I just purchased a boat - luders 33- that has an old Hood roller furling jib. The surveyor mentioned that the system would need to be replaced soon. He only was looking at the bottom section and did not have a chance to see the halyard swivel unit as the sail was up during his inspection. When I saw the boat the sail was off and I was able to see the swivel unit. The top plastic cover was broken off and I could see inside the unit. A white core inside the unit looked like it was either split in two - by design or cracked - not sure which. A metal locking ring looked somewhat rusted. The mast has usually been left up while in the yard so the unit has obviously been exposed to the weather for quite some time. Should I worry about the forestay letting go or is the worst that can happen a jammed roller system? Any feedback or experience with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks - Paul in Essex.

[knothead]

Originally Posted by Kandahar

I just purchased a boat - luders 33- that has an old Hood roller furling jib. The surveyor mentioned that the system would need to be replaced soon. He only was looking at the bottom section and did not have a chance to see the halyard swivel unit as the sail was up during his inspection. When I saw the boat the sail was off and I was able to see the swivel unit. The top plastic cover was broken off and I could see inside the unit. A white core inside the unit looked like it was either split in two - by design or cracked - not sure which. A metal locking ring looked somewhat rusted. The mast has usually been left up while in the yard so the unit has obviously been exposed to the weather for quite some time. Should I worry about the forestay letting go or is the worst that can happen a jammed roller system? Any feedback or experience with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks - Paul in Essex.

Paul, You don't have to worry about the condition of the halyard swivel affecting the headstay unless it is frozen and you force it. What can happen then is what's called halyard wrap which can cause a headstay failure.
The two piece plastic thing you see is simply a bushing which helps the halyard swivel ride smoothly over the aluminum extrusion.
The extrusion rides/rolls on the headstay wire and is entirely separate in your system.
If your swivel and drum bearings are working properly and the spiral ring is not too badly corroded, I would recommend that you simply clean/rinse it well and apply some light lubricant such as WD 40 to stop the corrosion and keep using it.
If it's not working as well as it should be, the bearings can be replaced.

[Kandahar]

Thanks for the feedback. This is one replacment cost we were not ready to deal with this year. My biggest concern was having the headstay fail as you can imagine. Thinking about it know I understand they are independent of one another. You guys on sailnet are fantastic. Never knew there was such a resource until my boat partner sent a thread to me. Again, thanks for the advice Paul

[baboon]

One other thought. You should make sure the top swivle is in good shape even if it is not damaging the other rigging. Mine (not a hood) failed and jammed with the sail half furled. In that situation you can not lower the sail, a real problem if it is blowing hard. Check you berrings or bushings, clean it out well, and consider replacing broken parts even if you do not think they are critical. The manufacture may have parts available, and some riggers like Rig Right can help.