Equivalent other brands to MKIV Ocean Unit 3 Jib Furling System?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by pcmm

Why do you have to take apart the furler to put a new forestay in? I replaced mine in the winter of 2021/21 without taking anything apart. Just cut the top fiting of the foretay off and peel off the outer layer of strands for a couple of inches and heat shrink some thin rope to it. Pull the old forestay down out of the furler from the drum end. assemble a new forestay that is a couple of feet too long, again peel back the outer layer at the end and heatshrink the rope you just pulled through the furler onto the end. Have one person at the top of the furler gently pull the tracer line while you push the forestay back into the furling assembly. once it comes out the end you should have a couple of extra feet that you can work with to cut to the correct final length and install a Sta-lock at the top. It's maybe an hours worth of work if you have everything ready.

This is a very good question.

This is exactly how I thought it would work. I didn’t think there was any need to take anything apart.

Did you have things like this black plastic spacer?

The forestay is supposed to go in that hole and that spacer slides into the foil.

If you had these, how did you get it through them without taking everything apart?

[SV Confianza]

Originally Posted by Chotu

See? I feel like it could be done. I definitely agree with you.

I don’t know anybody where the boat is now. I moved it 1000 miles away from where it was before.

Now it’s in the Carolinas being worked on by former Gunboat employees.

General question for anyone: how long should it take to rig a boat? One like mine?

Once the mast was down and all of the pieces ordered (took a while to get in some pieces for the thicker shroud), mine took a week, then another week to schedule the crane to put the mast back up.

I’d say from first contact with the rigger to finished job it was maybe 3 months.

[The Yacht Rigger]

Originally Posted by pcmm

Why do you have to take apart the furler to put a new forestay in? I replaced mine in the winter of 2021/22 without taking anything apart. Just cut the top fiting of the foretay off and peel off the outer layer of strands for a couple of inches and heat shrink some thin rope to it. Pull the old forestay down out of the furler from the drum end. assemble a new forestay that is a couple of feet too long, again peel back the outer layer at the end and heatshrink the rope you just pulled through the furler onto the end. Have one person at the top of the furler gently pull the tracer line while you push the forestay back into the furling assembly. once it comes out the end you should have a couple of extra feet that you can work with to cut to the correct final length and install a Sta-lock at the top. It's maybe an hours worth of work if you have everything ready.

I agree, we replace about a forestay a week in a roller furler, and we only take apart the very bottom, sometimes the upper bushing. Removing every foil screw is insane. At most there would be three or four screws to drill out.
We only replace furlers when the bearings are toast, and or damaged foils that we can't source.
Or if its a 30 year old unit and it's feeling rough... it's done it's time!

[The Yacht Rigger]

Originally Posted by Chotu

This is a very good question.

This is exactly how I thought it would work. I didn’t think there was any need to take anything apart.

Did you have things like this black plastic spacer?

The forestay is supposed to go in that hole and that spacer slides into the foil.

If you had these, how did you get it through them without taking everything apart?

You "join" the two stays together, new and old. You cut off the one end of the old one, and then remove 6" of the outer strands, and then remove 6" of the inner strands on the new one. Then "splice" them together like a finger trap. Then you simply push the new stay down using the old stay as a guide.
Then form your mechanical fitting on the bottom end. Takes about 30 min all in.

Having said all of that, you have a Facnor, IMO one of the worst furlers in terms of general function and build quality. The Harken will be a very nice upgrade.

[Chotu]

OK, this is not giving me a lot of confidence here. I feel like I’m getting ripped off at this point.

After all the effort I put in to go to 2 riggers 1000 miles apart.

Seems like any Rigger should know damn well about this technique.

He hasn’t actually started any work yet either. I’m a little bit concerned.

[The Yacht Rigger]

Originally Posted by Chotu

OK, this is not giving me a lot of confidence here. I feel like I’m getting ripped off at this point.

I will say if someone pulled the stay out by accident, there's really no way out of it. You NEED the old one in there to use as a messenger.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by The Yacht Rigger

I will say if someone pulled the stay out by accident, there's really no way out of it. You NEED the old one in there to use as a messenger.

It’s still in there. It’s just sitting lashed to the deck house. No work has been done at all yet. But I have spent like $18,000. For organizing things and developing a plan and ordering parts.

I’ve now spent $20,000 on this rigging operation and nothing has happened yet. Two different riggers.

[rslifkin]

Isn't the foil being extended with a new piece of foil? Could that possibly be the reason it has to come apart?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Isn't the foil being extended with a new piece of foil? Could that possibly be the reason it has to come apart?

Yes. It’s being extended but I don’t see how that would affect anything.

I have the extensions right here. There is a mating piece that goes between the extensions.

That’s just a little more distance to pull some forestay through.

One piece just slides into the next. In this picture you can see the outer, wider diameter extrusion is the outer foil of the furler. And the inner, smaller diameter extrusion is the little piece that holds the foil sections together.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by The Yacht Rigger

You "join" the two stays together, new and old. You cut off the one end of the old one, and then remove 6" of the outer strands, and then remove 6" of the inner strands on the new one. Then "splice" them together like a finger trap. Then you simply push the new stay down using the old stay as a guide.
Then form your mechanical fitting on the bottom end. Takes about 30 min all in.

Having said all of that, you have a Facnor, IMO one of the worst furlers in terms of general function and build quality. The Harken will be a very nice upgrade.

Thank you very much for this post.

I’m not really trying to do any upgrades at this moment. I just need to get this thing sailing in general. It has taken so long. I have been working on getting the rigging done now since November and paid $18,000 to riggers.

None of that money includes what I have paid for the rig itself.

I can’t afford to add anything else

[The Yacht Rigger]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Yes. It’s being extended but I don’t see how that would affect anything.

I have the extensions right here. There is a mating piece that goes between the extensions.

That’s just a little more distance to pull some forestay through.

One piece just slides into the next. In this picture you can see the outer, wider diameter extrusion is the outer foil of the furler. And the inner, smaller diameter extrusion is the little piece that holds the foil sections together.

Yeah the extension is simple, just pass the wire through the new piece and finish it up after that. Might result in two screws needing to be drilled out.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by The Yacht Rigger

...............


Having said all of that, you have a Facnor, IMO one of the worst furlers in terms of general function and build quality. The Harken will be a very nice upgrade.

Chotu,


Is this true?


If it is, what is the point of continuing to try to use the old one?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Chotu,


Is this true?


If it is, what is the point of continuing to try to use the old one?

Yes. It’s a facnor.

I have a working Furler why wouldn’t I use that? Why would I just throw it away?

I might need to step away from this. For a moment. I am getting very upset with everything. I have been trying to get this boat rigged since November.
I just got into an argument with my Rigger.

This is the stuff I just can’t take. I am losing so much money and nothing is happening. This is where it gets really hard.

I truly hate this stuff.

In hindsight I should probably just mothball the boat and work a while to save up …. Then not work and do everything myself. It always comes out a lot better and is easier. It’s actually easier to do it yourself than to deal with all of these problems.

[Chotu]

So the thing is he feels safety is compromised by old, corroded hardware. If you have to drill it, it’s bordering on unsafe.

That’s kind of reasonable.

Maybe I’ll just work like a dog up here a little extra to offset the $5000 expense. In the long run it’s probably the right thing to do.

It’s funny when you get to an urban area it kind of getting you a little bit. The stress of the area.

Life looks a whole lot better and a lot easier when you are on the boat. Ha ha

[rslifkin]

I guess it becomes a question of putting in a somewhat unknown amount of work to get the existing furler to a "definitely good" state vs buying one that already comes in a known good state.