[C320-list] Fore Stay Furling Gear

[Scott Thompson]

Maybe it's because they don't design these systems for particular boats, 
and the "correct" amount of line varies widely depending on the size of 
the jib and type of furling line used.

For what it's worth, I replaced the furling line on Surprise with brand 
new Staset in the largest size that fits through the hole in the drum 
(forget what that is) three years ago and have never had any of these 
jamming problems.  I don't strip the line at all, and I have plenty of 
furling line left for a few extra turns of the jib sheets.  It did take 
some trial and error to figure out the ideal number of turns to put on 
the drum.  I still use the factory installed traditional cleat, which 
seems to work just fine for me.  I've never quite understood why people 
feel a need to replace this.  It's occurred to me that some of the 
replacements systems I've seen introduce additional turning blocks at 
the cockpit end.  Could these be causing trouble for some people by 
leading to twists in the line?

Warren Updike wrote:
> On our 1994, we have the Hood furling system.  It is easy to change the line feed to stbd.  Under the drum, there are 3 nylon screws.  When you remove these, the drum cover can be rotated to stbd.  There are several sets of threaded holes under the drum so it can be screwed in-place in different positions.  (Boy, it's scary working under the drum whist in the water.)
> 
> While on the subject, I, too, had trouble feeding the line smartly into the drum.  I don't know how the PO put up with it for 10 yrs.  The solution was two fold.  1) I moved the fwd fairlead to the first verticle part on the bow sprit just inches from the entrance to the drum.  It was the only way I could get the 90 deg angle needed to feed the line properly; 2) the line (which is cored for about 1/3 of it's length,) had a twist that got into the drum reducing the amount of line that would fit on the drum.  This winter, I washed the line and would it on a drum made of two large diameter coffee cans.  I left it wound all winter.  Now, the cored part lays flat on the drum and feeds in smartly winding up and down the drum as it should as long as I keep a little tension on the line while winding.  
> 
> I don't know why mfgrs design these furling drums to exactly hold the correct amount of NEW line in perfect condition.  I think some of the large or open drums make more sense.
> 
> Warren & Pattie Updike
> C320, #62, 1994, "Warr De Mar"
> Frog Mortar Creek, Middle River
> Chesapeake Bay
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