>Dropped the jib - furler spun freely with no sail so I figured I was catching >something up top. Re-taped halyard and ran the jib back up to test - stuck >again part way out then all of a sudden it was raining small bearings...
Any chance a wrapped halyard put enough pressure on the top spring clip? Calypso's Harken furler would act like it was jammed when the halyard used to occasionally wrap around the top of the extrusion. I adjusted the sail hoist slightly to shorten the amount of exposed halyard and eliminated the wrap issues. Martin DeYoung Calypso 1971 C&C 43 Seattle -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dr. Mark Bodnar via CnC-List Sent: Monday, September 07, 2015 9:17 PM To: [email protected] Cc: Dr. Mark Bodnar Subject: Stus-List Harken roller furler failure Had a catastrophic failure of my Harken roller furler today. Last 3 times out the furler has been sticking a bit - thought it got better with tightening my backstay, but then same problem again. Dropped the jib - furler spun freely with no sail so I figured I was catching something up top. Re-taped halyard and ran the jib back up to test - stuck again part way out then all of a sudden it was raining small bearings!!!! - And no I didn't reef on it or winch it - I was just tugging it looking to see where is was catching and it let go. Sail dropped with half the top furling mechanism - left the halyard up top with the other half of the mechanism. I've not gone up the mast yet to rescue the remaining parts and halyard - but I'm pretty sure that there was a top spring clip that let go - when it popped out the whole top swivel set just sprayed everywhere. I rescued a few of the bearings - light brown, plastic, 3/8" (9.58mm) -- I think all the other parts ring the furler and therefore can't disappear. So the big question - can I buy new bearings and a spring clip and rebuild the swivel in place (assuming that it was the spring clip that failed). I'm hoping I don't need to kick for a whole new furler. Replacing the whole top swivel would be a pain as I'd have to dismantle the furler and the forestay to get the old one off and replaced. Sorry I didn't get any pic's - was dark on return to the dock and I forgot. Still had a great sail today - left the dock at 11:30am --- back to the dock at 11pm. First time coming back in the dark! Stars out, phosphorecent sparkles in the water. And a clean docking! Mark -- There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. - George Santayana _______________________________________________ Email address: [email protected] To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ Email address: [email protected] To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
