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Post by Tafika II on Apr 18, 2013 14:41:37 GMT
We are just finishing installing a new bowsprit and gennaker roller furling system. I will be sending Malcolm a detailed PDF file with photos for May’s “Hints & Tips”, but if you are contemplating a similar project, I can send you the PDF file earlier, although it may be without the pictures…and they are worth a thousand words!
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Post by Tafika II on Jun 6, 2013 14:00:16 GMT
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Post by davideso37 on Jun 10, 2013 13:15:45 GMT
Tafika,
We have the Selden bowsprit and a Facnor top down furler on our Sun Odyssey 37 and while we have used it many times I am not completely satisfied with the system.
The torsion like needs to be pre tensioned with up to 12 turns. If you make a mistake and change direction that is 24 turns until it starts to roll.
The torsion line needs to be really tight. We have added a bob stay to keep stop the bowsprit bending upwards.
The tension on the clew has to be released completely. Any tension on along the foot makes furling impossible.
The snap shackle on the halyard can come undone if it hits the genoa furling gear on the way up. We have started taping our snap shackles which sort of defeats the purpose.
You need a lot of elbow room for hurling on the furling line. We have been using our genoa winches which does not give us a lot of slack in the continuous furling line but I am going to move it to the cockpit winches where we can get more free rope and tail the line from a standing position. Yet to be tried.
The halyard turns because of the friction in the top swivel. I am going to try a short batten in the halyard which will strike the mast and stop the halyard trying to twist. Yet to be tried.
The gennaker does not unfurl as easily as I would like. Perhaps the furling line is rubbing on some deck gear but the problem needs to be sorted for fast deployment.
When furling you need to train the crew to stop furling as soon as the brace hits the forestay. Any more furls of the brace around the gennaker makes it difficult to remove the lines from the sail.
Having said all that we have had good success flying the gennaker to windward by running very square or slightly by the lee. It is quite a site seeing the whole gennaker out to windward and the mainsail to leeward and hopefully demoralizing for the opposition. Some of the crew were a bit skeptical about this but we were successful first square run and with a fairly inexperienced crew. If you were cruising you could pole it out but for racing you must let the clew fly free since the other corner is tacked to the pole.
Regards
David
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Post by Tafika II on Jun 12, 2013 19:04:27 GMT
Hi David!
WE looked at the Fancor, Bamar EVO RLG Code 10-17M and the Selden GX series. True the tension must be tight when furling up (or down as it is), but this has not been a problem. I don't race, but it seems you do. When I talked with the sailmaker (UK Halsey) they stated my triradial was not suitable for jibbing like a code 0 might be (aka., America's Cup style), but I was OK with that. I do a lot of single handed sailing, so the furling was installed to keep me in the cockpit and not going forward with the auto pilot on to set the gennaker. I am very happy with the results!
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Post by davideso37 on Jun 17, 2013 13:04:48 GMT
Tafika,
We had another opportunity to race with the gennaker last Sunday and transferring the furling line to the cabin top winch worked well. From a standing tailing position I could pull on more furling line and apply more force to the line. Another benefit was that I could see the gennaker torsion line. We put it up twice and gybed it between the forestay and the torsion line quite easily so I am much happier.
We can and have left the gennaker furled for very short windward works but it does not furl as tight as a code zero and if I wanted to stay in the cockpit I would go for a code zero which furls from the top and bottom and into a very much tighter roll. I have been watching videos of the America Cup cats on the Bay using their code zeros and very impressive too.
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Post by davideso37 on Jul 19, 2013 12:03:30 GMT
An update on my last Gennaker furling post.
We have had two more races and set and retrieved the gennaker a couple of times a race so we are now very satisfied with the system. Key problems were not enough elbow room for tailing the furling line and the furling line catching on deck fittings when unrolling.
Once we became confident with the system it was time to try some new for us tricks. We have now transferred the gennaker tack from the furler to a spinnaker pole for broad reaching and back again for furling. Our pole is long enough for the beak to just sit next to the furler so there is just a few millimetres distance to transfer from the furler to the pole and back again.
We can now fly it as a pole mounted asymmetric which is much faster than the prodder mounted gennaker on a broad reach and we still have the convenience of the furler for launch and retrieval.
Regards
David
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