Fouled Up SnapFurl Roller Furling

[SpcAlan1]

I have owned my Catalina 25 since March.
Everything is great with the roller up until 2 months ago, the line you pull to reel in the sails got all fouled up inside. So I had to re-thread the roller.

Since then my roller line gets fouled almost everytime.
So I have to unwind by hand.

Which is a pain in the A**, as well as dangerous.

What could be the issue ( I know its a broad question ).

[jackdale]

You need to keep some tension on the furling lines as the sail unfurls. Otherwise you can get a "bird's nest" as the lines cross over.

[bubb2]

Probable cause: Operator error!

Plan of action: unfurl jib using the Genoa sheet and keep tension on the furling line and it should spool nicely. Also, if you did "re-thread" the furler drum did you have a few extra wraps on the drum? That helps.

[SpcAlan1]

Hmm. That I definitely that is something I "DONT" do.
I uncleat the lines and pull like H*ll, haha.
I could see where that could cause the "birds nest".

I always ask the dumbest questions, and you guys/gals always come through for me.

[SpcAlan1]

Next time I will unfurl the front sail into the wind ( like the main sail ). that should take pressure off the sail so i can control the unfurling..

I am sure that will work.

[Brucerobs2]

You shouldn't need to unfurl into the wind, in fact you want some wind in the sail as it helps unfurl, just hold the furler line in your hand as the sail unwraps and control it that way, with a very slight tension.

[SpcAlan1]

Ok, maybe just having some tension will make it work better.
i agree, the wind does help unfurl it.

[Faster]

Except in the lightest conditions we always go onto a deep broad reach and furl the jib in the lee of the main... use sheet tension to control the tightness of the roll. A hard luffing sail can be very difficult to furl - you shouldn't need a winch handle to pull in the furling line.

Keeping some tension on the furling line as you unfurl should be S.O.P for sure.

[SpcAlan1]

Well I went sailing last night ( woohoo ) and had great wind.

I tried the "slow" unfurling approach to help out with the bird-nesting...

And guess what? it worked ( yay ).

I also found out that I had a line that attaches the front sail to the bottom of the roller, that was also getting wrapped up in the furling line. ( which i fixed ).

It went very smooth.

Thanks for the help.

[CaptKermie]

One more little detail that was left out, does your furling line come off the drum and down to the deck on the same angle that the drum is mounted? The line should be on the same angle as the drum to get a nice even wrapping around the drum core. I have the Snapfurler CF700 and quite like it.