[Rhodes22-list] headsail furler problem

[Mary Lou Troy]

Ed & Rummy, Thanks for your responses.

Did you have to worry about nicking the forestay when screwing the sail to 
the tube? Did you just insert the screw through the sail/sunbrella layers 
or did you do any additional reinforcement? I'm trying to visualize what 
the head of the sail looks like.

Ed, how old was your sail when the webbing broke? Is the new webbing on the 
top still holding? What did the sailmaker use? Did you use an ordinary 
sheet metal screws for the bottom fix?

Rummy, What do you mean by downhaul? Our sail has (I think) the same 
webbing loop through an eyestrap on the bottom. Do some folks have an 
adjustable downhaul?

How does the headsail come off the furling tube? Top or bottom? What do you 
have to disassemble to get it off?

Thanks again for the answers so far. It will help us make sure we have all 
the tools and materialswith us that we might need to fix this. When the 
boat is two hours from home you have to try to anticipate as many of the 
possibilities as you can.

Mary Lou



At 06:58 AM 8/1/2005 -0400, you wrote:
>Mary Lou,
>         I had the same thing happen to me last fall when we assisting Capt
>Bob with the group from his church.  The top webbing broke on a tack and
>after that, we were unable to maintain sail shape.
>         A few weeks ago, I had the bottom-webbing break.  So plan on
>replacing both, even if it does not look like it is needed.
>         With Commodore Rummy's assistance, we took off both the headsail and
>the main sail.  I was going to send both to Sailcare.  The lady who runs my
>marina said the only the head sail needed a new strap and the local sail
>maker could fix it faster, cheaper, etc.  I followed her advice and it was
>the wrong move.
>         I washed the sails myself.  It would have been better to spend the
>bucks and have Sailcare wash them.
>         The local sail maker put on a new top strap, and resewed the bottom
>strap.  Rummy and I put the sails back on without incident.  A few weeks
>later, my sail would not wrap correctly.  After discussion with Commodore
>Rummy and several inspections, it was found that the bottom strap had now
>broken.
>         Rather than go thru the process of taking the mast down and putting
>a new strap on, I just screwed the bottom strap to the aluminum tube.  One
>screw thru the now broken strap and a second screw thru the sail at the
>bottom edge.
>         Therefore, plan on replacing both straps.  Since it is in the middle
>of sailing season, I would just fix them. Also, make sure that strap is not
>affixed to a metal eye without device to reduce rubbing.  Actually a screw
>with a flat washer makes a safer fix.
>
>Ed K
>Greenville, SC, USA
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Mary Lou Troy
>Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2005 10:13 PM
>To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] headsail repair GBI furler questions
>
>OK, so the "bulletproof" GBI furler is still bulletproof but the 7 year old
>head sail is not.
>
>On a lovely closehauled sail up from Kent Narrows to Rock Hall this morning
>I heard a quiet sort of thump from the headsail. A few minutes later I
>noticed the genoa starting to sag. The thump I heard was the webbing that
>attaches the top of the sail to the furler giving way. Back at the dock we
>were able to get the sail furled in a rather bulky but snug enough furl. We
>didn't have the equipment along to take down the mast but after examining
>the situation with binoculars I'm assuming that the webbing was UV damaged
>(though nothing was apparent when we examined over the winter). It came
>apart just below the eyestrap at the top of the furler unit - the eyestrap
>that the webbing goes around to hold the sail to the top of the
>furler.  The eyestrap does not appear (through binoculars) to be damaged.
>
>We won't be able to get back to the boat for two weeks which gives me just
>two weeks to get together whatever I might need for repairs.
>
>Now the questions.
>
>Has any one else had this webbing let go without warning?
>
>Has anyone replaced it? What did you use? Where did you get it? I'm
>familiar with Sailrite and will be giving them a call.
>
>Any other suggested sources? Nylon vs polyester? Sailrite has more widths
>of nylon than polyester but I think polyester would be preferable with less
>stretch and more UV resistance.
>
>How does the sail come off the GBI furler?
>
>Any suggestions on technique for handsewing a lot of stitches through
>several layers of sunbrella, sailcloth and webbing?
>
>Anyone have pictures of the top of their GBI furler? - I realize there are
>probably lots of variations.Ours has the luff of the sail in a slot in the
>furling tube. The drum and the upper disk of the furler are made of
>starboard. The sail is attached with webbing that is sewn to the sail in a
>loop. The loops fit over eyestraps at the top and bottom of the unit.
>
>I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts on this. The first time I'm going to
>really see the problem close up is the day that we lower the mast. We're
>hoping to be able to fix it and get the mast back up in the same weekend.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Mary Lou
>1991 R22 Fretless
>Swan Creek, MD / Ft. Washington, PA
>
>
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