What happened to my CDI furler?

[Phil M]

At home today I noticed something odd about my CDI Furler. I've had it for 10 years and it's never given me a problem.

Sum Tim Wong here.

Anyone seen this before? What happened?

[sailboatmike]

I have just finished doing a winter refurb on my furler, the only thing that holds the top part of the furler in place is the blade or foil (grey plastic thing that the sail is attached too), the blade has a pin through it to hold it to the bottom furler unit.

THe furler unit and blade are free to run up the forestay and the amount they can move up and down this is limited by the space between the top of the foil and the swage.

The manual for the furler (http://www.sailcdi.com/flexible-furlers) says there should be a maximum of 1/4" free play between the top of the flade and the swage.

Also CHECK THE TURNBUCKLE under the furler unit, when mine came off I found that only the bottom thread had a seizing wire through it and the forestay was only connected by about three turns, I felt sick when I found I had been sailing like that. NEVER trust what a PO may of done, I have found things that are just sacrey and potentially not only stupid and could of caused expensive repairs but just dead set dangerous

[vizwhiz]

Yeah, this is (somewhat) normal. Nothing to be concerned about.

[Phil M]

I have just finished doing a winter refurb on my furler, the only thing that holds the top part of the furler in place is the blade or foil (grey plastic thing that the sail is attached too), the blade has a pin through it to hold it to the bottom furler unit.

THe furler unit and blade are free to run up the forestay and the amount they can move up and down this is limited by the space between the top of the foil and the swage.

The manual for the furler (http://www.sailcdi.com/flexible-furlers) says there should be a maximum of 1/4" free play between the top of the flade and the swage.

Also CHECK THE TURNBUCKLE under the furler unit, when mine came off I found that only the bottom thread had a seizing wire through it and the forestay was only connected by about three turns, I felt sick when I found I had been sailing like that. NEVER trust what a PO may of done, I have found things that are just sacrey and potentially not only stupid and could of caused expensive repairs but just dead set dangerous

I think the online manual you posted will be vety helpful. Thanks.
Although I bought it new, it was assembled by the dealer, so I have no idea of how it was originally assembled.
I think the turnbuckles are supposed to have cotter pins to prevent them from turning loose.
But something came loose. I'll look at it this weekend.

[Phil M]

I cannot figure out how the stainless steel cup F can be tighter. I don't want to mess around with the turnbuckle inside as this would shorten the entire forestay. I have used a Loos gauge to properly tension the standing rigging.
I know something needs to be adjusted because the stainless steel cup was never hanging loose like that before.

[Phil M]

I think I solved the 'problem'. The stainless steel cup is loose only because there's no tension on the forestay and the Furler is hanging loose. As soon as I put some tension by pulling down on the Furler, the stainless steel cup seems to be okay.
Maybe I'm becoming paranoid about something not working properly AGAIN.

[Starscream]

I think I solved the 'problem'. The stainless steel cup is loose only because there's no tension on the forestay and the Furler is hanging loose. As soon as I put some tension by pulling down on the Furler, the stainless steel cup seems to be okay.
Maybe I'm becoming paranoid about something not working properly AGAIN.

Maybe this will help: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9r1a2jyci2u9r ... .pptx?dl=0

I'm wondering if your luff support pin is gone?

[Phil M]

Maybe this will help: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9r1a2jyci2u9r ... .pptx?dl=0

I'm wondering if your luff support pin is gone?

I just checked and the luff support pin is still in place, held with a ring ding.

I looked at your photos in Dropbox. How did you manage to damage your forestay?

[vizwhiz]

Phil, it's normal to be able to slide the black furler drum and luff up away from the stainless cup a little bit, even when there is tension on the forestay and when things are in place properly. Try it next time you're on the boat with everything rigged. It isn't intuitive to go lifting on it though, so you may never have done it before... Anyway, it can't go up all the way past the turnbuckle like you would if you were going to adjust the turnbuckle because the pin makes you move the whole plastic luff up with it, and there isn't enough room on the forestay to move everything that far. But what you're seeing is about as much as it can/will move when everything is in place. This particular design just has everything "resting" on the bottom drum - if you notice, there really isn't anything but gravity holding it all down. That's why I say it is normal to see that kind of movement. Nothing to be paranoid about.

[Phil M]

Okay, thanks for the confirmation. Much appreciated.

[sailboatmike]

I think in the manual it says the furler blade should be able to move up a maximum of 1/4 inch when on the boat, this will also let the drum assembly move up that much.

I reinstalled mine today and I have about 1 inch movement so I have to pull mine back off and put a spacer above the top of the blade to keep it in place properly

[Bilgemaster]

Glad it all seems to have worked out, but just for the record I should add that you'd be hard pressed to find a finer group of folks when it comes to customer service and after sales care than Cruising Design International (CDI) up in Winnipeg. If you should have any problem or question about one of their furler systems, you shouldn't hesitate a nanosecond in contacting them.

As described in this posting on another forum, they helped me square away my little Com-Pac 16 "Foundling's" old continuous line furler (a predecessor model to the ones most of us have on our Macs), and I didn't need to be assured that "my call was very important to them" while I grew a beard listening to the Muzak version of Muskrat Love or worse yet a never-ending loop of the infamous Opus One, until driven to launch on a three-state killing spree. From other postings in that other forum string, you'll soon learn that many others have been similarly pleased with their superb customer service and moved to comment as such. In my case, a special tip o' the hat goes to their Taylor Warren, who really helped get my "Foundling" get back into the drink where she belongs after who knows how many years, or even decades.

Indeed, if you have a problem with your furler, contact the good folks at CDI. They are not like all the others. Maybe it's a "Canadian Thang".

[vizwhiz]

I think in the manual it says the furler blade should be able to move up a maximum of 1/4 inch when on the boat, this will also let the drum assembly move up that much.

I reinstalled mine today and I have about 1 inch movement so I have to pull mine back off and put a spacer above the top of the blade to keep it in place properly

I think this is because of how much space there is between the top of the luff and the swaged fitting on the top of the forestay. But the luff will actually ride up over the swage, okay, I know it will on mine, so you can actually lift the drum higher than 1/4"... That inch you were able to move it may be all there is on yours, but each one is slightly different because the luff is cut down from a longer piece on a boat-by-boat basis.

[Tomfoolery]

. . . That inch you were able to move it may be all there is on yours, but each one is slightly different because the luff is cut down from a longer piece on a boat-by-boat basis.

And changing the length of the forestay changes the clearance at the top. I had to redrill the hole for the pin when I stood the mast taller (less rake), as the foil ran out of room. It's supposed to sit on the pin, but I didn't feel like pulling it all apart, so I simply through-drilled for the pin once it was adjusted to my liking, and I clamped the foil with just a little clearance to the crimp at the top and drilled.

If memory serves, that is.

[Phil M]

I think in the manual it says the furler blade should be able to move up a maximum of 1/4 inch when on the boat, this will also let the drum assembly move up that much.

I reinstalled mine today and I have about 1 inch movement so I have to pull mine back off and put a spacer above the top of the blade to keep it in place properly

I think this is because of how much space there is between the top of the luff and the swaged fitting on the top of the forestay. But the luff will actually ride up over the swage, okay, I know it will on mine, so you can actually lift the drum higher than 1/4"... That inch you were able to move it may be all there is on yours, but each one is slightly different because the luff is cut down from a longer piece on a boat-by-boat basis.

My CDI furler was installed by the dealer. I have about 2 inches of space between the top fitting of the furler blade (luff) and the swage on the forestay.
I don't know if a 2 inch space can be fixed by redrilling the hole for the luff pin. I suppose gravity keeps the furler from riding upwards on the forestay.