[Public-List] Roller Furler Luff Rope and Dacron Twisting

[Don Campbell]

Jonathan:
    I find it an unlikely story that the dacron twists as a cause. It is an 
effect.  I am assuming that you have a 6 mm rope in the luff tape and if you 
have a wire in the luff,  that is not meant for running up a groove in an 
extrusion. Normally a wire luff is attached only at the head of the sail, 
with a sleeve holding it for the balance of the luff. The lower tack 
attachment is to a swivel at the deck, and that lower swivel is meant to 
take out the twist in the wire luff if there is any.  Much more reasonable 
would be that your  halyard twists and the swivel(s) do not allow the twist 
in the halyard to work itself out. Therefore the dacron starts to twist 
because of the forces of torque involved. Personally , I do not like rope 
halyards because they twist uncontrollably and stretch too easily if one 
uses anything but very expensive line with low stretch characteristics.  I 
would first  try the swivels (top and bottom on the furler and the one on 
the halyard)  to make sure they are free to spin under load, and the 
bearings are good there: then if that is the case, either a new wire halyard 
or low stretch cordage, but that cordage will be more expensive than wire. 
If there is no solution to the problem with these choices,   consider taking 
the sail in to a sailmaker and have the luff tape  replaced. If the sail is 
blown out, consider a new sail. Even Gord Laco says that was the best 
investment for pleasurable sailing he has made!
Don

-----Original Message----- 
From: Jonathan Bresler via Public-List
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2018 7:37 PM
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
Cc: Jonathan Bresler
Subject: [Public-List] Roller Furler Luff Rope and Dacron Twisting

Folks,

Constance is my first experience with a roller furler.   Hoisting the genoa
can be a bit of a pain.  The dacron enclosing the luff rope/wire, the part
that goes into the groove of the foil which surrounds the headstay,
twists.  Once it starts to twist, the dacron drags and seems to twist more,
trying to force three layers of dacron into the slot of the foil, in place
of the two layers of dacron for which it was designed.   The twist is
clockwise viewed from above, in the same direction as the sail turns when
it furls.  The UV protection cloth is on the port side of the sail, so the
sail must furl clockwise in order to leave the UV cloth on the outside.  To
visualize this hold your right hand with your thumb pointing at your nose,
fingers together and naturally curving toward the palm of your right hand.
Your thumb is the foil.  Your thumbnail is the swivel on the foil to which
the jib halyard attaches.  Your fingertips are the leech of the genoa.
(its a small sail, chord length is one finger long ;)

The way I have been handling this, is to straIghten the "luff rope" and the
two layers of dacron by giving them a bit of "pre-twist"
counter-clockwise.  Hoist some sail till it starts to bind due to the
twist, lower a bit, pre-twist a couple feet of luff, hoist, repeat.
Clearly, this does not make for quick sail changes.  Any idea of quickly
raising a second sail in other unused groove is laughable....at least the
"quickly" part is laughable.

So what's up?  Worn out luff rope and dacron in the sail?   Dacron around
the luff rope has bagged over the years?  I need lessons?  Anyone else
having a similar issue?  How did you fix it?

Jonathan

-- 
Jonathan M Bresler
S/V Constance Alberg 30 #262
Annapolis/Eastport MD
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