Association Forum - Tightening furler forestay

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

Tightening furler forestay

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

AADIVER
Admiral

Member Avatar

USA
966 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/16/2006 : 23:03:40

Here's the best how-to I've come across for tightening the forestay on 250's:

Tools and materials: You'll need a small adjustable cresent wrench, screwdriver or thin handled tool, wire cutters, spray cleaner/lubricant, cotter pins the right size for your turnbuckle, rigging tape, spare retaining cotter ring.

It's nice to have a helper who can hand you the tools as you need them, because sometimes you will only have one hand free.

Step 2. Remove the clevis pin in the neck of the drum and slide the drum up to expose the turnbuckle.
Wearing a PFD, sit at the bow with your feet dangling over each side. Observe proper safety precautions so you don't fall overboard.

Untie the foot of the sail from the drum.

Remove the retaining ring that holds the horizontal, long clevis pin through the neck of the black plastic drum. Remove the clevis pin (the pin holds the whole drum assembly from riding up the luff extrusion and keeps the extrusion from riding on the top of the turnbuckle). Slide the whole drum up the extrusion, and hold it up and out of the way.

Don't drop the long clevis pin overboard!

Step 2. Adjust the forestay length by turning the turnbuckle body, just like any other turnbuckle.
Now you can see the turnbuckle. Remove the two cotter pins from the turnbuckle. Use an adjustable wrench to keep the upper stud of the turnbuckle from turning while you turn the turnbuckle body to lengthen or shorten the forestay. The upper stud should have a flat surface machined into it onto which you can put the wrench. The turnbuckle body should turn easily by hand or with a screw driver inserted through it for leverage-- if it doesn't turn easily, you must clean and lubricate it before proceding.. Don't force the body to turn; you may destroy the threads inside the body.

After adjusting the length of the forestay, put new cotter pins in the turnbuckle studs and bend them back to keep them in place. You don't need to put rigging tape over them because the drum covers them adequately.

Step 3. Lower the furling drum and replace the clevis pin
Center the washer that sits on top of the nylon bushing inside the drum (if it's not roughly centered, it will prevent you from lowering the drum completely). Lower the drum back down the extrusion, making sure you straighten out any snags or wraps of the furling line that try to get caught inside.

With the drum lowered, lift the extrusion up so it's not resting on the top of the turnbuckle body. Replace the long clevis pin through the neck of the drum (it should be underneath the end of the extrusion). Replace the retaining ring on the end of the clevis pin.

Wrap some rigging tape around the ring and clevis pin so it can't get snagged on anything and come out.

Re-attach the foot of the sail to the drum.

Frank Farmer
Long Beach, CA
aa.diver@verizon.net
http://mysite.verizon.net/aa.diver

PRETTY PENNY
'01 C-250 WK, Hull #558

Edited by - on

bear
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
909 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2006 : 07:03:47

I agree with your adjustment of the furler, have done it twice now. I found through my own way of doing things, that either a 5/16 or 1/4" open end wrench fits the cable for holding it. I also found cutting down a hard peice of wood or plastic to a shape you can use saves the turnbuckle body from getting gouged. Also, I nose the boat into the slip to do this. At my dock the nose is about chest high and just sets there. I also install the genoa that way. It gives you room to lay the sail out as you crank it up. "Just my two cents worth".... Launch in 49 days...