[Rhodes22-list] New Lines

[Gregg J. MacMillan]

At 4:54 PM -0500 6/7/06, Slim wrote:
>1.  I need to replace my IMF reefing line (the one that rolls the sail in).
>I assume I have to drop the mast and slide the mechanism out the bottom of
>the mast to do this.  Has anyone else done this?  Does anyone know the
>length of this line?  Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Slim--

I just replaced the whole lower IMF mechanism just before the start 
of this season. I have an 86 and I was starting to have some problems 
with the old one. The new one that Stan sent me is much improved and 
is noticeably easier to use. So if you're going to go to the trouble 
of changing the line, I'd suggest looking into replacing the whole 
unit while you're at it. I don't really remember what it cost, but it 
doesn't seem like it was all that much.

As far as the line is concerned, it is connected (again, this is on 
my 86) to the tube by a knot that is inside the tube. The line is 
about a 1/4 in. and the hole is about 1/4 in. Getting the knot in the 
tube is the tricky part. Normally, I assume you feed the line through 
the hole and out the bottom of the tube, tie the knot, and pull it 
back in against the hole. Since the plug on the bottom of my tube 
seems to be somewhat permanently installed, even though Stan sent me 
a new plug, I opted to leave the existing one in. So for me to get 
the line through the hole, I fed the line down the tube from the top 
and literally "fished" it out of the tube with a straightened fishing 
hook, tied a knot in end, and pulled the entire line through the 
hole. If you also find it necessary to do this, you'll want to make 
sure the line you get is at least as long as the tube, which will 
longer than what you will eventually need.

Hope this made sense. Let me know if you any questions.

--Gregg