[C320-list] Roller furling system

[Mark Cole]

Jerry;

When we bought Fiddler’s Green, the surveyor found excessive movement in the original Shaefer furler foil near the drum.  You could grab to foil section at the bottom and move it about 1/2”.  I called in a local rigger that happened to be the Shaefer rep and he said the lower bearings were shot, that they were no longer available but he could make some for about half the price of a new furler.  He even checked his shop for some saved from previous Shaefer replacements with no luck.   After checking around, we went with a new Hood 707 furler.  When the rigging crew started the install, they showed me where the furler foil had been chafing the forestay and one strand of the wire had pretty extensive wear.

So, add an new forestay, turnbuckle, compression eye and stemball fitting to the bill for me!  Total invoice was 2.8 boat units…  Just a little over $2,800.  Now the headsail rolls in and out so easy I can ask any guest onboard to do it.  The old stemball fitting that attaches the forestay to the masthead fitting was also slightly bent and showed signs of stress cracks, so I’m glad I went the route of a full replacement.

Mark
Fiddler’s Green, #8
Tacoma, Washington

> On Sep 11, 2017, at 10:38 AM, Chris Burti <clburti at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> This was a design problem of Shaefer’s. The bearings couldn’t be properly flushed and trapped dirt. For a while they were offering the redesigned furler assembly at cost. I don’t know if they still are doing that, but it can’t hurt to ask. We purchased one and it was an amazing difference. They provided excellent instructions for the changeout.
> 
> Replacement can be done without dropping the mast and can be accomplished alone as I did, but it really is a two person job due to the weight of the foil which must be suspended.
> 
> Thanks,
> Chris Burti
> Farmville, NC
> 
> From: Jerry's Iphone
> Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 1:24 PM
> To: Catalina C320 List
> Subject: [C320-list] Roller furling system
> 
> Greetings to all from the Southern shores of the Chesapeake Bay. 
> Over the season our Schaefer genoa furler has been progressively harder to open and take in. I assume it's the original since I have seen no service record of replacement. We are 2nd owners.
> Questions to group 1- Any DIY ideas I should try before bringing in help? 2- what is lifespan of most furlers? And 3-if it's bearings, can they be replaced?
> 
> Thanks as always for the great help from this group. 
> 
> Jerry Sheets
> JellyRoll  2002  #890
>