Furler problem on Alberg 30

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vanguard64
Rough Carpentry Apprentice
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2018 5:28 pm
Boat Name: Alegría
Boat Type: Alberg 30

Furler problem on Alberg 30

Post by vanguard64 »

Good afternoon,
Since I purchased my Alberg 3 years, I have been sailing her with the headsail on a Profurl furler installed by the PO. Recently, I had a halyard wrap episode that luckily we resolved promptly. I found out that the wrap-stop preventer at the top of the extrusion (a black plastic device attached to the forestay) is actually looser than it should be so it allowed the tang to which the halyard is attached at the top to turn. However, this led me to focus on the masthead configuration as it relates to the furler and realized that whoever mounted the furler originally used the spinnaker halyard block instead of the jib halyard block to raise the headsail on the furler. The jib block is located in the angle between the forestay and the mast and it is just barely visible in these photos. However, I also realized that it is not possible to use it since it is too low leaving too much distance between the top swivel and the end of the extrusion and would not allow the tang of the furler to engage the wrap-stop device at the top. It seems the furler was retrofitted without taking this into account. I am not sure there is a good solution to correct this without reconfiguring the masthead.
I appreciate your input,
Marcelo
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atomvoyager
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Re: Furler problem on Alberg 30

Post by atomvoyager »

You can see in the mast next to you they have a different brand furler that does not use a wrap stop and stainless plate tang. My Harken doesn't have one either so it's not essential even on a Profurl or even best practice to rely on it alone to prevent a halyard wrap since it can be forced to rotate under load. Better to keep the angle of halyard to headstay such that they are not parallel, or keep the exposed halyard very short, which will prevent a wrap. This is done by adjusting the strap length between head of jib and bottom of swivel so that the halyard is not long enough to swivel. You can do it from deck with binoculars and trial and error or go up in a bosun chair.
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