[C320-list] Schaefer 2100 furler maintenanc

[Allan S. Field]

Jerry - I went through this last summer where the lower bearing race totally
seized up, preceded by months of increasing difficulty in unfurling and
especially furling.  I had a rigger come in and do the repair for me so
can't help you with the do-it-yourself repair process.  However, this is
what I learned or at least this is what the rigger told me.  The lower
Schaefer bearing race was designed to be no maintenance; as soon as I told
the rigger what the problem was, he had an instant diagnosis and fix as he
has dealt with this numerous times.  You will note that there are no flush
holes in the assembly.  Schaefer later learned that this was a bad design as
crud got in but could not get out, leading to the eventual seizure.  So
Schaefer makes a replacement assembly with 2 flush holes clearly marked with
something like "Flush Here".  They make this assembly available at
Schaefer's cost either to the customer or to a rigger.  My memory is that
the cost was right around $100 which was an acceptable price for me
especially since the rigger didn't mark it up to me other than to cover the
shipping cost to him.  I now flush the bearings after every sail regardless
of whether or not I bury the bow.  The sail now furls and unfurls with
absolutely no effort.  Could I have been more aggressive with Schaefer and
possibly gotten the assembly for no cost?  Maybe it is something you would
want to try but I did not and am satisfied with the end result.

Hope this helps.

Allan S. Field
Sea Shadow - 808
Columbia, MD

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Jerry Clayton
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 9:05 PM
To: C320-List
Subject: [C320-list] Schaefer 2100 furler maintenanc

     My genoa furler has reached the point that I think I need to
disassemble it and possibly install new bearings, if cleaning
the old ones does not solve the problem of it not turning as smooth as it
should.
     After reading some previous posts and looking at the Schaefer manual I
wanted to get some input from people who have already done this before
trying it myself.
     1)  Is this a 1 or 2 person job?
     2)  It sounds like removing the stainless screws from the aluminum is
not easy, any suggestions on loosening them, WD40, Liquid Wrench the day
before or what is recommended?
     3)  How did you support the mast using other halyards?
     Any tips, or if anyone knows of a web site that shows it being done
would be  appreciated. 

Regards,

Jerry 
#988 (2004)
Marina Del Rey, Ca