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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Help with forestay & CDI furler

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cclark
Navigator

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USA
104 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/01/2003 : 02:27:00

Well, I finally got my furler (3wks) and my forestay (4 wks) and am ready to install them this weekend. I just purchased my boat and the forestay was missing at that time. 1 question for anyone with any more experience than I:
CDI manual instructs me to cut the luff (their name for the piece that the fits over the forestay and carries the sail) 17inches shorter than my forestay in it normal position of adustment.
Does this mean I should cut it to 30' 5" (31'10" TR-17)? or...some other length. I saw in tech tips a reverence to making sure the top of the furler covers the swage.
Thanks for any help with my ignorance
Chris
'83 TR/SK "Ora Serata" Seattle #3749 (i think)

"Ora Serrata" '83 SK/TR

Edited by - on

osmepneo
Past Commodore

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USA
1420 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2003 : 06:46:26

Chris,

I'm sorry I don't remember the length to cut the luff. But do have advise, based on a bad experience. I spread out the luff, straightened it, measured for the length I had determined. Marked off 25 feet, and marked the rest I needed. Got my circular saw, found the mark and cut. after the extra feel to ground I realized that I had cut the luff at 25' not at the currect length. Maybe your not a Tim Taylor, but I am, and my advise is to to check that you cut at the right spot!

CDI was very good and reasonable about sending a replacement luff, but it meant a delay. I had that shipped flat, for a few extra bucks.

Good luck!

Don Peet
c25, 1665, osmepneo, sr/wk
The Great Sacandaga Lake, NY

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2003 : 07:17:11

My CDI was installed by the rigger who commissioned my C250... There is a hack saw cut about 1/8 deep near the sail feed slot... he was evidently just about to cut the wrong end off and caught himself.<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

Arlyn C-250 W/B #224
<img src="http://www.stewartfam.net/arlyn/rr.jpg" border=0>
N/E Texas and Great Lakes

[url="http://www.cox-internet.com/arlynstewart/"]Arlyn's C250 Mods n Cruisin Stories[/url]

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2003 : 09:05:37

Here's what I remember from installing my own FF4 furler back in '96:
1. Verify the headstay is the correct length before you cut the furler foil. Measure everything 10 times if you have to before you cut anything. If you are certain the headstay itself is the right length, proceed to step 2.

2. lay out the headstay and the assembled furler next to each other, aligning the bottom toggle of the headstay turnbuckle with the bottom of the drum. Mark the foil where the cut will be. The black plastic fitting at the top of the foil should cover the swage fitting to protect it from bending. When you make the cut mark, make it "high" on the foil. You can always cut a little more if you have to, but you can't add back to the foil if you cut too much, so be VERY careful.

3. Measure everything again. Make sure your cut mark is not too short.

4. Cut the foil with a fine blade hacksaw.

5. Preliminary assembly. Put everything together and check for length. If the foil is still a little too long for the headstay, trim some more off the foil.

6. When the foil is trimmed to the exact length desired, proceed to "final assembly". IMPORTANT: Safety wire the turnbuckle to the swage fittings on both ends with stainless seizing wire. You want to be certain that the furler drum can not spin the turnbuckle apart!

7. Up at the top, use a shackle or swivel rated for at least 2500# to attach the headstay to the masthead truck. If you trailer your boat a lot, you want this fitting to swivel easily to reduce bending stresses while raising and lowering the mast.

Good luck and remember to measure everything twice or three times before you take a hacksaw to that foil!

Larry Charlot
Catalina 25 #1205 "Quiet Time"
Sacramento, CA

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cclark
Navigator

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USA
104 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2003 : 13:02:05

Thanks for all the quick replies. Like my daddy always said, "Measure twice, cut once"
Larry, My problem with your step # 2, is that the head stay is not yet up and adjusted to the proper length. Do I need to install the forestay, unstep the mast, and then install the furler? I would rather not put the mast up and down multiple times if not absolutely necessary.
Chris

"Ora Serrata" '83 SK/TR

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John Mason
Admiral

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USA
687 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2003 : 15:47:09

Your forward lowers should hold the mast up while doing the fitting and adjusting. Just for extra safety, connect your jib halyard to a bow cleat and tighten it. You should be fine.

John Mason
<img src="http://www.users.qwest.net/~jamason/ali.jpg" border=0>
pronounced "Ali Paroosa"
1982 - FK/SR #3290

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2003 : 22:52:33

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Thanks for all the quick replies. Like my daddy always said, "Measure twice, cut once"
Larry, My problem with your step # 2, is that the head stay is not yet up and adjusted to the proper length. Do I need to install the forestay, unstep the mast, and then install the furler? I would rather not put the mast up and down multiple times if not absolutely necessary.
Chris

"Ora Serrata" '83 SK/TR
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Chris-
Unfortunately, I don't see how you can get around this. You MUST verify the exact length of the headstay, from pin-to-pin, to determine what the cut length of the furler foil should be. I can't think of any way to do this other than to rig the mast up, adjust the standing rigging to proper tension for each wire, then lower the mast and remove the headstay so you can lay it out next to the furler to compare lengths. It is a lot of work, but the consequences of trying to take short cuts could be severe. I know from personal experience...I cut my foil too short by about 6", the sail luff was then slightly too long, and I ended up having to order a replacement foil from CDI to the tune of $175. And that was 10 years ago. You can't really trust dimensions someone else sends you, either. Every boat is slightly different, and your headstay adjustment could be 2 or 3 inches different from someone else's. That doesn't sound like much, but remember, you want the black plastic fitting at the top of the foil to cover the swage fitting, to protect it. To accomplish this, you must determine the headstay length as accurately as possible, to plus-or-minus 1/4" if you can manage it, as that swage fitting isn't very long. Good luck! If you lived around here, I'd be glad to drop by and help you, but Seattle is a little too far to drive from here...about 900 miles each way. I hope to make it up to Bellingham this July with my sailing club to cruise the San Juan and Gulf Islands for a couple weeks, perhaps I'll see you out on the water sometime then.

Larry Charlot
Catalina 25 #1205 "Quiet Time"
Sacramento, CA

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