Re-swaging a headstay

[Vince124]

I'm in process of installing a CDI furler on a Contessa 26. While inserting the machine-swaged headstay into the luff, I was stopped by a "bump" in the swage. The bottom was never fully swaged, meaning that there is about a 0.5 inch of the swage area that is too fat to pass into the luff.
The headstay is relatively new, so other than getting a new headstay altogether, could anyone offer any options? I have not been able to locate anyone with a swage machine and my efforts to manually swage have been fruitless. Maybe converting to a norseman/sta-lok type fitting?

[Oohla]

[JPA Cate]

You'd be cutting off the fat swage, and then installing a sta-lok? How will that work for the head of the stay, will you have to add another toggle to get back the length you remove? Another question you'll have to solve is can you scoot the furler up high enough to put on the sta-lok, and then hook it up and all is well?

Check all the measurements very carefully. Be sure the sail will still fit. It may want a pennant. However, perhaps that headstay with the bum swage can be re-purposed for use as a capshroud, or, if necessary, as a lower? Good luck with the project.

We used our old lowers for jacklines on one of our boats. Very convenient with the eyes on each end, to shackle them to the toe rail.

Cheers,

Ann

[wholybee]

First, confirm that the furler you got is correct for your wire diameter. I'm not familiar with the CDI, but my Schaefer has different versions of the "same" furler for different wire sizes.

If you feel the original swage was not done correctly, I would not make any attempt to fix it. Is the wire fully inserted? Has water gotten inside? You don't know, all you know is that it is wrong.

Sta-lok sells a long fittings to compensate for cutting a swaged fitting off. But for the cost of wire I wouldn't be able to justify changing a fitting without changing the wire too. I am in the process of replacing the headstay on my Morgan 382, and it's only a few hundred dollars for the stay and both fittings. It should be much cheaper for a 26' boat.

[triibutu]

If the furler has room for it at the lower end, cut off the existing swaged terminal and install a long sta-lok terminal to compensate for the loss of length, someting like this: https://jimmygreen.com/sta-lok-swage...-lok-long-stud

[Vince124]

Thanks all for your replies. This turned out to be a non-issue after all. I spoke with a rigger and the finally a light went on that I was using the wrong hole in the furler luff... d'oh! Yes, I felt like an idiot.

[JPA Cate]

Hey, Vince, glad you got it sorted out.

Ann