Alado Furler for extensive Blue Water Cruising?

[Puffin29]

Originally Posted by Onemoreproject

Thanks for your response. I am trying to install mine but its not going very well. I asked the Alado salesman for help but he referred me to someone else and they havent gotten back to me so I am looking for solutions to some of the problems I am running into.

After putting the foild on the headstay, one side is longer then the other. I went to the top of the mast to make sure they are inserted all the way into the sheaves at the top of the foil and they are.I cant figure out why they are different lengths. Does anyone know how tha could be?

The directions say to have the "foil terminal tensioned against the top stay terminal". I have Norseman fittings and the Alado foil terminal rides up ov er the Norsman fitting, get stuck and prevents the foil from swiveling around the headstay. Another words I can't furl the sail if the foil and drum cant swivel on the headstay. In order to make it work I would need a spacer between the foil terminal and the Norseman fitting.

It also looks like the 2 luff feed pieces do not go opposite each other. Is that correct?
foils are different lengths did anyone experience that? The salesman David, says he nhasnt heard these questios in 15 years. I guess he cant be bothered with questions. If anypne could help me i would appreciate it.
Thanks!

Three comments, foil length, luff feeders, and luff tension.

Foil length
This is my third season with an Alado furler. I take my mast off for the winter, and I thought I would also remove the furler for the winter to examine it for wear - (none). Last spring it proved easy to install, this spring it was more difficult as the bottom of the furler foil stacks did not line up. After looking into various possible causes I measured the foil lengths and found that none of them were 5 ft long. My fourteen foils ranged from 1527 to 1531 mm long (60 1/8" to 60 1/4"). So if I pick two sets of seven at random, the discrepancy in total length of the stacks will be between zero and 1/2".
I must have been lucky last year, but this year the discrepancy was 3/8". My solution was to select two sets that would be the same length overall, and I marked them as two sets with red X's and green O's on the inside near the ends of the foils. That gave me a 1/8 inch discrepancy when installed, which I hope is acceptable.

Luff feeders.
The instructions clearly describe one feeder being installed on one stack of foils, and the other feeder being installed on the other stack of foils approximately thirty inches away.

Luff tension.
The luff of traditional jib is tensioned by pulling the top of the sail upwards, which means that you are lifting the weight of the sail as well as tensioning the luff. With the Alado design you are hanging the whole weight of the sail from the top of the forestay, so you only need to put a little bit of force downwards at the tack to eliminate creases. Much the same as when you use a cunningham on a regular mainsail to tension the luff, this takes very little tension in comparison with the load on the main halyard.
The downside is that the whole weight of the sail is always hanging from the halyard, and I found that the recommended size halyard stretches significantly. This cannot be adjusted when the sail is furled, so it must be done when you are sailing, perhaps best on a run when you can use the main to blank the genoa.

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by Puffin29

Three comments, foil length, luff feeders, and luff tension.

Foil length
This is my third season with an Alado furler. I take my mast off for the winter, and I thought I would also remove the furler for the winter to examine it for wear - (none). Last spring it proved easy to install, this spring it was more difficult as the bottom of the furler foil stacks did not line up. After looking into various possible causes I measured the foil lengths and found that none of them were 5 ft long. My fourteen foils ranged from 1527 to 1531 mm long (60 1/8" to 60 1/4"). So if I pick two sets of seven at random, the discrepancy in total length of the stacks will be between zero and 1/2".
I must have been lucky last year, but this year the discrepancy was 3/8". My solution was to select two sets that would be the same length overall, and I marked them as two sets with red X's and green O's on the inside near the ends of the foils. That gave me a 1/8 inch discrepancy when installed, which I hope is acceptable.

Luff feeders.
The instructions clearly describe one feeder being installed on one stack of foils, and the other feeder being installed on the other stack of foils approximately thirty inches away.

Luff tension.
The luff of traditional jib is tensioned by pulling the top of the sail upwards, which means that you are lifting the weight of the sail as well as tensioning the luff. With the Alado design you are hanging the whole weight of the sail from the top of the forestay, so you only need to put a little bit of force downwards at the tack to eliminate creases. Much the same as when you use a cunningham on a regular mainsail to tension the luff, this takes very little tension in comparison with the load on the main halyard.
The downside is that the whole weight of the sail is always hanging from the halyard, and I found that the recommended size halyard stretches significantly. This cannot be adjusted when the sail is furled, so it must be done when you are sailing, perhaps best on a run when you can use the main to blank the genoa.

Puffin, you're making things too complicated! Individual foil length is not critical. Forget about measuring in precise mm's because it's like this. You start assembling with one half length mated to one full length, both of which are inserted into the upper sheave parts that are bolted together, remembering to install the bearings as you progress.
You continue assembling until you have filled the fore-stay to the required sail length, remembering to install the 'luff feeds' at the appropriate location. When you decide where you want to terminate the foils, you simply cut them at the appropriate position. If you are lucky, you may only need to cut one (as was the case with my furler). If not, then you need to cut both. The end of the two foil halves are then 'trapped' or clamped in the clamps that are on top of the drum.
Yes, if you are that fussy, it's nice to have them both at perfectly matching lengths, but it really is not that critical & once installed in the clamp, you're never going to see the ends anyway.
Stop trying to re-engineer a good product. Throw away the measuring tools, you don't need them. Its a very simple basic design and it works well. I found the ALADO folk very responsive to a couple of small problems I ran into as well as a problem about a year later. They were very quick to respond & I cannot speak highly enough about the excellent service they provided.
As for a salesman not responding to your question, I would say it is most likely he has probably never installed one and does not understand your complaint or, you simply have not explained your problem well.
Be sure to let me know if you still have a problem & I'll try to help.

[Sailorbob8599]

Sorry PUFFIN, maybe it's ONEMOREPROJECT is having the problem & not yourself??? Anyway, I stand by my comment, foil length is not critical.

[Mike.j]

I know the thread is a bit old, but maybe one of you Alado users could help me? Considering this for a furler on my boat and like the install simplicity, but concerned that without conventional luff halyard tension there may be excessive luff sag. Any comments?

Thanks

Mike

[Meandercp]

The luff should not sag if the fore stay is properly tensioned. If the halyard is very loose you may get some wrinkles. As stated above, it doesn't take a lot of halyard tension and pulling down from the bottom like using a cunningham also helps.

[Onemoreproject]

I sold my Alado because I found the integral halyard to be too much of a compromise. I could not adjust luff tension to sailing conditions and I could not easily ease it at the end of the day. It was also difficult to hoist the sail single handed and I can't imagine hoisting or lowering the sail in anything but very benign conditions. I explained the shortcomings to the buyer, but he still bought it.

On the plus side, it is strongly built but very heavy. The weight of the foils is another concern because they induce head stay sag unless you have a lot of back stay tension.
Alado is probably a better choice for a small boat where the loads (weight of head sail and foils) are not as great.

All in all, you get what you pay for. I replaced it with a Schaeffer and couldn't be happier with my choice to pay double for a furler. Any furler that hoists the sail from the mast is a better choice than Alado.

[Capn Jimbo]

Originally Posted by Onemoreproject

I sold my Alado because I found the integral halyard to be too much of a compromise. I could not adjust luff tension to sailing conditions and I could not easily ease it at the end of the day. It was also difficult to hoist the sail single handed and I can't imagine hoisting or lowering the sail in anything but very benign conditions. I explained the shortcomings to the buyer, but he still bought it.

On the plus side, it is strongly built but very heavy. The weight of the foils is another concern because they induce head stay sag unless you have a lot of back stay tension.


Alado is probably a better choice for a small boat where the loads (weight of head sail and foils) are not as great.

All in all, you get what you pay for. I replaced it with a Schaeffer and couldn't be happier with my choice to pay double for a furler. Any furler that hoists the sail from the mast is a better choice than Alado.

A confusing post. We know by now that this user did not completely understand the installation. Apparently he believed the final position required that the top terminal was to remain in contact with his top connector (in fact, this contact was only temporary until the foil was to later be allowed to move down fully into the drum, thus breaking contact with the top terminal and allowing the unit to spin freely. His bad.


His second frustration was trying to achieve perfect alignment with the foils as delivered, when the alignment is actually achieved in the final cutting of the lower foils. All said and done, he was disappointed and sold the unit, but not before taking a couple undeserved swipes at this solid design.


Too heavy? No. In my case the Alado A2 is about 38 lb, while the equivalent (and much more expensive Shaeffer) ships at 36 lb. Trivial.


Hard to tension the luff? No again. Another poster tried to point out that since the weight is supported by the Alado's own halyard, tensioning is easy and minimal, using gravity to easily pull the luff down. No halyard wrap, ever. Compare to the Shaeffer which requires the boats halyard to pull up the entire weight of the sail PLUS tightening it, thus adding a greater load to the forestay which also much be balanced by more tension on the backstay.


The Alado's "heavy" foil causes forestay sag? No again. Note above: both the expensive Shaeffer and Alado are within 3 lbs of each other in weight. Another Alado owner stated that sag was not a problem. Any sag is a matter of proper tuning and has nothing whatever to do with the Alado which is supported solely at the bottom and is completely free to rotate freely, unlike the Shaeffer.


Let's be fair. This is a strong, simple, and bulletproof design. Unlike the Shaeffer, the Alado has a lifetime warranty, eliminates halyard wrap, no bearings to fail, no stainless screw foil joints to loosen and fail, aerodynamic foil shape, and which can be easily installed by most of us, or repaired at sea with the mast up.


Relax.

[heandonz]

Excellent thread.

I just purchased a AO Alado furler.Very fast shipping to New Zealand and Alado paid all import and GST taxes as promised.I was impressed.

My only issue is the weight.I am installing it on my 24ft trimaran and would like to keep weight at a minmum.

I understand that the design has some redundancy built in to be able to be used over a wide range of boat length and life time wear but I am contemplating drilling out as much of the body as possable without weaking it structually.

Has anyone done this in the past ??

[Capn Jimbo]

Originally Posted by heandonz

Excellent thread.

I just purchased a AO Alado furler.Very fast shipping to New Zealand and Alado paid all import and GST taxes as promised.I was impressed.

My only issue is the weight.I am installing it on my 24ft trimaran and would like to keep weight at a minimum.

I understand that the design has some redundancy built in to be able to be used over a wide range of boat length and life time wear but I am contemplating drilling out as much of the body as possible without weakening it structurally.

Has anyone done this in the past ??

With all due respect, I believe you are proposing a solution in search of a trivial problem, and perhaps the wrong problem to boot. I do not believe the weight of the furler is even remotely an issue, moreso and especially regarding a trimaran.

The Alado weight is comparable to most other furlers, and the notion of lightening this VERY crucial piece of equipment has never been a real issue. A failure of the furler can be absolutely catastrophic and you must do NOTHING to even possibly weaken it.

Last, even the Alado's pendulum weight above is generally less than most popular furlers. Allow me to close with this: please, please do NOT consider altering any furler, ever. If you persist in this, I'd beg you to call the manufacturer (not the reps) for their blessing.

You won't get it.