Just to follow on from the mainsail thread...

I had a play with the jib today....took it down and gave it a good clean then pulled it back up..

The foil and drum kept raising up (sliding up the fore-stay) when pulling it up.....!! Because the tack shackles onto the the foil (more of less) as you tension the luff it just pulls the whole foil up. This means you can't really get much tension in it...

Am I doing something wrong ????

Should have taken some pics.....Just to annoy the dial up people..!!

My signature.

Parker 235/ 40 Lady Penelope...

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Paul, you should be able to tension the jib luff, not sure what is wrong but sounds like something loose or a screw missing.

Graham Ebb
235/25 Blue Jazz

Paul - I guess yours is the Z Spar furler, mine is the Facnor which is now standard - but I agree with Graham, is sounds like an Allen screw has jumped out somewhere which should lock the foil to the forestay?



Stephen Godber
235/51 "Exodus"

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Ok I took it all to bits...the pic above shows what was happening...

The holes below the drum should be bolted to a sleeve below the bearing in the lower part....I have bought some M5 bolts and thread lock to do the job, but i have a feeling it is going to be a fiddly job...

Paul Burton.

Parker 235/ 40 Lady Penelope...

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Can't really help Paul - mine is the Facnor one.

I HAVE spent today reducing the cord on it though, it obviously comes supplied standard for a 40' yacht, there was so much rope on the drum when furled that it was sloughing off!

DAVID (Awara) - how high is your jib to the top of the furler? Bill supplied me two shackles and some cord for adjusting the bottom of the luff, and I've set that at about 6", which means that the top black 'hoist' is also about 6" from the top of the foil - is yours, or I wonder of it should go nearer to the top of the foil?



Stephen Godber
235/51 "Exodus"

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Paul

The top of the jib was about (hard to be sure) 9" from the mast. I had the bottom of the jib fixed directly on the supplied shackle to the drum. However, when furling the jib the halyard was twisting around the furler - which just jams everything up and was a pain when it first happened in a bit of a breeze.

I lowered the top unit and everything was set up correctly and the bearing was turning freely. By raising the bottom of the jib (using a length of cord to the shackle) I have, obviously, shortened the distance the halyard top shackle is from the mast sheave. That seems (not tried it yet in a strongish breeze) to have fixed the problem.

David Pocock
Parker 235/52 Arawa

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David - I sailed today and reefed / unreefed without a problem. I have the tack about on about 8" of cord between the two shackles that Bill supplied.

Still think my forestay is a bit loose - the foil bows in the direction of the sail when beating..did you tighten yours?

[img][/img]

Stephen Godber
235/51 "Exodus"

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Stephen

As Bill suggested, I tightened the stays by 4 turns and this has increased the tension on the forestay but I still think it a little loose. I am letting the boat settle down a bit before trying anything else.

David Pocock
Parker 235/52 Arawa

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Steven/David,Ive got the facnor system I shackle the lower luff to the bearing housing.Need to jib halyard well tensioned to stop it twisting round furler when reefing. david boyle bebe 235/49

Be Be 235/49

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Hi David - so you have NO cord at all between the shackle at the furling drum and the shackle at the foot of the sail?

In my photo above I must have my sail about 8" higher than yours, so maybe I'll drop it lower - I was wary of over-tensioning the halyard as Bill warned me about stretching the luff on a new sail.

Thanks for the advice David!

Stephen Godber
235/51 "Exodus"

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Hi Stephen. No cord shackled direct to drum. Is it worth trying a bit of back stay tension to increase tension on forestay especialy when beating in a breeze

Be Be 235/49

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Hi Everyone

I also have a Z spar furler and shackle staight to the ring. I tend to put a reasonable tension on , and have had no trouble with halyard wrap.

As regards forstay tension, I found that the mast was "panting", (flexing for & aft) in heavy going, which I understand can fatigue various fittings, so I tightened up the lower stays to what seemed a reasonable tension, then tightened the top stays to straighten the mast (with minimal tension on the backstay). Much happier with the setup since I did this.

I guess Bill's a racing man so the initial setup is probably good, but everything beds in after a while.

regards

Jim Hamilton

http://freespace.virgin....james.hamilton/forum.jpg 

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