[Rhodes22-list] headsail repair GBI furler questions

[Mary Lou Troy]

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