CDI Furler Kinks "HELP"!!

[SquidMan]

We purchased a 26X last November that was in storage for over a year, and the roller furling system was hanging loosely on the side of the mast and over the bow.
Problem I now have is trying to take the kinks (2 kinks) out of it, and have check out my options in the forums here. I've tried clamping each kink in the furler between two steel bars as opposed to using 2" dia steel pipe (can't find here) but the results have not been good after 4-5 days like this.
Tried to attached kink pics here but no attachement tool available that I can see for the discussion board?
The kinks don't appear to be severe (slight "s" shape in two spots on extrusion) but I'm thinking that I might have to replace the extrusion or?
If anyone has any suggestions,..they would be greatly appreciated. If anyone has a used extrusion they want to sell,..please do let me know. Not sure (haven't inquired yet) what a new one would cost? Thanks in advance

[Richard_Norman]

I had some kinks in the CDI furler extrusion when I bought my 19 last fall. I stretched it out on my driveway (ashpault) in the sun for a few days and it straightened itself almost completely.

[tangentair]

You might try trying off one end, streatching it out, creating a slight pull on the other, using a 1800 watt hair dryer to "warm up" the affected area(s) and then carefully clamping it till it cools down.

[Trouts Dream]

Flat area and heat. Lay it on black asphalt, black plastic, anything that gets quite warm. If it has a gentle S and you can feed both the forestay and sail up the slots, I would go ahead and use it. It will straighten quite a bit just under load and (if we have a warm summer) stay straight by the end of the season.

[TAW02]

I see you live way up north. May not get hot enough up there to effect straightening out the kinks. You'll just have to drive down to Florida where I get excellent results

Or you could do what I did, use another force of Mother Nature to do the job. Good 'ol GRAVITY

Depending on how severe the kinks are, you may be able to rig the furler up normally and allow the kinks to fall-out. The taught forestay will hold everything on course and eventually after a week or so, the pvc foil will straighten.

If not ... oh well, your gonna have to convince the Admiral that Florida is the only way.

Big T (the Pretentious One)

[Grey Beard]

I had the same problem when I bought mine, the furler had been wrapped around the mast in Phoenix where it gets a little warm. I stretched the furler out in the driveway and used an electric heat gun to warm the areas that were bent and applied pressure by hand to get it pretty straight.

[SquidMan]

I will try stretching it out (no asphalt here Richard but thanks) on the interlock driveway, and try the 1800 watt hair dryer (thanks Tangentair, and Grey Beard) and see what happens. But seeing the kinks are light,..I will keep it anyways and it just might straighten out as Trouts Dream suggested.
Taw02 from Central Florida,...I purchased the in Hudson, Florida so maybe I have to take it back there seeing that it was the Florida sun that created the kinks in the first place
Thanks all for the great support. You gotta love this group for timely advice

[Mistral]

Following is a paragraph from the CDI Furler manual. It comes in a coil when ordered and requires straightening. I would suggest that the kinks can be straightened the same way. The manual can be found on the CDI website.

It is easier to straighten the coil in warm weather (72 degrees
F or higher). If it’s cold outside, first allow the coil to warm up
inside. Then take it out to uncoil (see below). Bring it back
inside to accelerate straightening.

[Scott]

I had the same problem. Yes it will straighten if laid on hot asphalt for a few days. Depending on how severe the curve, could take a week to reset.

I wouldn't use a heat gun because the channels for the messenger and luff will heat first and deform, Might even be a good idea to place cardboard in the channel to keep it open.

[Kelly Hanson East]

Worst case scenario - trailer 4 hours around the Niagara Peninsula and go sailing in the Finger Lakes one weekend. Stop off at Tom at CDI in Homer, NY and bring a new one home.