Association Forum - CDI furler installation

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 25 Specific Forum

CDI furler installation

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

seads
1st Mate

Member Avatar

USA
90 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/27/2003 : 21:44:36

We are in the process of putting our CDI furler on our boat. We are doing it with the mast up. To do this, we have to run a line through the hole/tunnel in the PVC luff extrusion through which the forestay will eventually go. This has to be done with 'mast up' installation so that we have something to tie to the end of the forestay to pull it through the luff extrusion as we run it up the forestay to the masthead.

Here is the problem: The hole through the middle of the luff extrusion is pretty small and we can't get anything (string, wire, etc) to pass through. After a few feet it stops, gets balled up, etc.

Anyone who has done this have any suggestions? Thanks.

Stewart Eads
"Osprey" 1982 FK/SR #3408

Edited by - seads on 06/27/2003 21:46:36

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 06/28/2003 : 09:54:31

Do you absolutely HAVE to do this with the mast up? It would be much easier to do the measuring and installation of the headstay wire and turnbuckle with the mast down. Your best bet to get a pilot line through the foil is 30' of 3/32" diameter, 1x19 wire, like you would use for shrouds. It doesn't have to be stainless wire, go to Home Depot and see what they have in the hardware department. It just needs to be stiff and small diameter. Electrician's Pull-Thru cable, used to pull wire through conduit, might also work. Ask about this also at Home Depot.

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

Edited by - on

Lowell
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
30 Posts

Response Posted - 06/28/2003 : 21:12:19

I installed my CDI furler last year with the mast up and ran into the same situation. I ended up using tie wire. It's fairly heavy gauge wire that's used in construction to tie concrete reinforcing bars together. You can get it at most lumber yards or hardware stores. It comes on a roll about 6" in dia. You'll have to straighten a 30 ft or so length but the wire is stiff enough to hold its shape. I fished the wire through the luff then made a hook in the end and ran it through the hole in the stud for the cotter ring at the end of the forestay. I then pulled the forestay back through the luff. You could also use the wire to pull a pilot rope through.

To make feeding the wire easier I got up on the fore deck with one end of the luff and let gravity help. When the boat is on the trailer the fore deck is probably 8 ft off the ground so there is quite a slope in the luff.

Be sure you measure twice and cut once!

Lowell Heenan
Dreamer 5655 SR/WK

Edited by - on

seads
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
90 Posts

Response Posted - 06/28/2003 : 22:12:54

We did it. We tried every type of wire etc we could conceive of but it consistently stopped after about 10-15 feet. Finally, we got some fishing line, tied 3 oblong sinkers to one end, and climbed up on the roof of the house so that the extrusion would hang straight down and we dropped the line/sinkers through. Even with all of this it still took 20 minutes of jiggling the extrusion to get the sinkers to fall all the way to the bottom!

Taking the mast down is simply not practical for us (but, you might ask, climbing up on top of the house with a fishing rod and precariously dangling a luff extrusion over the side is? I have no answer for that).

Stewart Eads
"Osprey" 1982 FK/SR #3408

Edited by - seads on 06/28/2003 22:15:47

Edited by - on

jwilliams
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
357 Posts

Response Posted - 06/29/2003 : 12:28:55

Hey Stewart,

Let me encourage you about dropping the mast. It may seem daunting the first time, but it really is simple, with the proper rigging.

My buddy Paul and I dropped his yesterday to fix a jammed sheeve at the masthead. He really did not need me except to get the mast started off vertical.

There are several methods described in the tech tips section. Paul uses the drop aft method, I use the drop forward method. Both of us use the boom as a lever and our mainsheet as the motive purchase.

It is an all afternoon job, but can be done safely with one person in a pinch.

Jim Williams
Hey Jude C25fk 2958
Half Moon Bay, CA

Edited by - on

Daniel
1st Mate

Members Avatar

78 Posts

Response Posted - 06/29/2003 : 15:47:48

I recently installed the CDI mast-up. I used a long piece of thin braided line (1/4"??) and kept twisting it to coax it along down the luff, which was laid on the dock. When it reached the end, I stuck a piece of wire thru the end of the rope and also thru a hole in the threaded end of the stay, then pulled it thru. Went much easier than I thought.

Edited by - on

seads
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
90 Posts

Response Posted - 06/29/2003 : 21:18:27

Daniel:

I know lengths are not universal, but just out of curiosity what did you get for your pin to pin measurement on your headstay?

Stewart Eads
"Osprey" 1982 FK/SR #3408

Edited by - on

seads
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
90 Posts

Response Posted - 07/06/2003 : 23:40:07

Followup:

Got most of CDI Furler on today, mast up. Went pretty smoothly overall. Still 1-2 short, slight curves in the PVC luff extrusion. Anyone have experience with this? Will these straighten out in the heat and with use? They are so slight that they are probably functionally immaterial.

Stewart Eads
"Osprey" 1982 FK/SR #3408
Charleston Harbor, SC

Edited by - on

Ed Montague
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
499 Posts

Response Posted - 07/07/2003 : 16:28:31

Stewart, On my standard rig the pin to pin measurement with the turn buckles at their usual setting was 30'4 1/2". That worked well for my installation last week. We used the sail this weekend and are very pleased. We will be trailering to Southern California for the Catalina Rendevouz at Catalina Island (how appropiate is that!!!<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>)and are interested in how the rest of you handle the furler and sail. Do you leave the sail attached to the furler and tie the whole thing to the mast, is it best to take the sail off (probably a dumb question). I am just looking for a way to shorten the set up time.

Ed Montague on 'Yahoo'
1978 #765 SK, Stnd, Dinette ~_/)~

Edited by - on

seads
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
90 Posts

Response Posted - 07/07/2003 : 16:31:20

Ed:

Can't help you much there since we keep our boat in the water.

Stewart Eads
"Osprey" 1982 FK/SR #3408
Charleston Harbor, SC

Edited by - on

jwilliams
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
357 Posts

Response Posted - 07/09/2003 : 18:06:27

Stewart,

Yeah, over time the curvy areas will straighten out. Just like most old girlfriends.

In neither case is their performance affected.

Jim Williams
Hey Jude C25fk 2958
Half Moon Bay, CA

Edited by - jwilliams on 07/09/2003 18:08:12

Edited by - on

seads
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
90 Posts

Response Posted - 07/09/2003 : 21:18:03

Hey, that's pretty good!

Stewart Eads
"Osprey" 1982 FK/SR #3408
Charleston Harbor, SC

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

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.