CDI Furlers for Dummies

[Rob Roy Macgregor]

My recently purchased Mac 26x has a furling genoa using a CDI furler. I have never used a furler before and as yet have not put it on the boat. So the questions I am about to ask may sound dumb but I don't have a manual to go by.
1. Is the grooved plastic portion attached to the forestay? If it is how is it attached.
2. How does the furler work? Is it spring loaded like the re-coil on a small engine pull-start, or does it work on a ratchet system.
3. How is the Genoa attached to the furler?
4. Are the sheets led outside the stays as with a genoa or inside the stays as with a jib?
5. When the sheets are uncleaded does the furler auomatically retract or how is it retracted?
Your input is valued.

[Catigale]

Rob

You can get the manual for your Furler at this page....jsut choose your model on the left hand side

The forestay runs up the extrusion, or plastic part, inside.

THey are not spring loaded, but are pulled out with the sheets, and rolled back in with the 3/16 inch (FF2) furler line in the drum. You wrap the drum in the opposite sense from the sail to be able to do this, so that as the sheet winds up, the furler winds in, and vice versa.

The Genny has to have a 'luff tape' attached by a sailmaker, which slides up the groove in the extrusion.

A fully deployed genny will have sheets outside the stays, as you furl it in you will eventually get to the same position as the jib. Sail shape in this configuration generally sucks.

You furl by pulling on the furler line, keeping some tension on the sheets to get a nice tight wrap.

On edit - I do recommend the optional ball bearing for the FF2 when used with the genny - its a fairly heavy sail for the running rigging size (especially that furler line) and getting the plastic bearing replaced with the ball bearing adds some good safety margin to the furling process.

[Rob Roy Macgregor]

Thanks.
What happens when you want to fly a cruising spinnaker when using the furling jib? Where would the tack attach?

[ALX357]

Catigale,
Does the ball bearing replacement upgrade take up any more space than the nylon ?
I mean, do you have to adjust the turnbuckle very far to compensate, if at all ?
Is this a hard-to-find part ?

[Highlander]

I have 2 of the CDI FF2 furlers on my & I will be upgrading them both to the ball bearing kit this winter/spring I beleive it just replaces the plastic bushing no ajustment necc. but I'll know for shure when I get them . But I don't foresee any problems Still waiting to here if anyone has seen or bought a or used a cdi spinnaker furler I'm contenplating buying one for my 350sqft spin

[Highlander]

Rob

On the mac19 the forestay chain plate has two attachments points side by side to which you can attach a downhaul pully for the spin tack not shure of the 26x

John

[Catigale]

The has the same dual points on the forestay chain plate, thats where I attached my spin tack.

Beene had a much better sail shape on the spin in photos on a recent thread, it would be worth checking with Beene to see if s/he attaches the tack differently.

- I did a quick release lever upgrade at the same time I did the ball bearing upgrade, so I cant recall if the bearing changed the turnbuckle setting. If it did, it wasnt much and easily in the range of adjustmentof the turnbuckle.

[Rob Roy Macgregor]

I looked at the parts list on the CDI web-site it lists the main bearing and ball bearing under the same part description only difference is the part # for bearing is 1033 while the ball-bearing is BB2. There is is nothing to say there is a size difference. However, the Ball bearing is about three times the price. Still, it gives the added security and efficiency.
Was the spinnaker in the photos the standard Mac 26X spinnaker or a custom made?

[beene]

Hi

If you are referring to my photo's... they are of the stoc kite.

Cheers

[Rob Roy Macgregor]

How do you attach the tack? is it to the chain plate directly, or have you a separate point?

[beene]

Directly to a snapshackle attached to the same point your jib, genny, or forestay attaches to.

I put it on the outside of the bow cradle so it would have better form. I also have an extension wire with 2 loops I plan to try this summer to help get the kite higher and further away from the friction affects of the boat itself.

I will post results when I try it.

Cheers

[Rob Roy Macgregor]

Now I see the way you have it rigged in the photo. Looks great, I will try the same method. Thanks Beene

[delevi]

How do you attach the tack? is it to the chain plate directly, or have you a separate point?

Attach 12-18" of line to the tack of the spinnkaer. Attach a snap shackle to the end of that line and use that to secure to the forestay plate. Use the jib halyard to hoist and run the sheets outside the shrouds, through the stern cleats and back up to the winches. Easy. As for the furler, I think your question was answered. I found that the spin works best with the jib/genoa sheets slacked, or better yet, bunjied ot the forestay/headsail as not to get in the way of the spinnaker. Bill at Boats4sail has the cruising spinnkaer at a good price. It is a fun sail. No need for custom work.

Leon

[theroche]

I'm still playing with my Spinnaker. The first time I tried to fly it the wind was blowing. We sailed upwind until almost at the dam the near end of the lake (Lake Travis). We turned down wind and the fun began. My son was trying to hook up the sock/spinnaker while I attempted to heave to. Neither of us had much luck so we changed positions. I finally go everything attached and we were ready to pull the sock up when we noticed a fleet of racing sailboat were headed out way. We quickly changed positions again so I could manuver us out to the race course. When we finally set the spinnaker we took off. It's an Aspinnaker so going straight downwind did not work well. When we took up a beam reach we would run out of room quickly requireing us to jybe. Our inexperience got the best of us so we would douse the Spinnaker until we had room to set it again. Oh yes the racing fleet would seem to chase us(multihulls) where ever we went.

I used a snap pully to the forestay chain plate ran the sheets ouside and back to the rear cleat. I did not use a "Tacker" but while try to fab something the next time.

Practice, practice, practice
mike

[Randy McCotter]

Rob:
Where are you at in Canada. I'm in Alberta and if you're not far away, you are more than welcome to inspect mine and get some ideas how to rig yours up. If you'd like, there is always room for a test sail as well.

Randy