2007 26M Forestay & CDI-FF2 Furler Adjustments

[prishi]

On my 2007 26M (standard issue BWY) I have a standard forestay with a CDI-FF2 Furler (on which I have a few questions...). My Forestay steel wire was getting frayed above the eye thimble where it connects at the masthead and I replaced it about 5 years back.
Q1: My forestay pin has caused the hole on the steel strip (MacGregor calls it the chainplate in the front) on the stem to have become widened and elongated such that now there is quite a bit of play when the pin is inserted. I started using the second hole towards the midship of the first one, and that has been fine, but was hoping to either (a) get the holes weld-filled and then drill new holes, (b) get a doubler welded on this steel strip, or (c - less painful option) get another hole drilled below these holes. I could always slacken the turnbuckle inside the CDI-FF2 to increase the length upto the new hole in steel strip. Another alternative is to (d) change the metal strip if it was replaceable. Any idea if this strip is replaceable?



Q2: My CDI-FF2 cup:- Should the slotted opening for the Furling-line (blue/white thin line from BWY) be facing towards right aft, or to the Port? My last season I had put it facing aft, but furling line, that should lead outwards towards the fairlead in the bow railing, would be leading more fore & aft and would get chafed, so I used a leading block somewhere in the middle of the foredeck to avoid this. Want to confirm from others if this slot (in the steel cup) should be facing to Port.



Q3: My CDI-FF2's black "Roller" sits on the Thrust Bearing and the steel washer, but, when I pull the jib-sail to furl it, the black roller tends to lift up and is not sitting tight on the bearing; it comes up almost 3 inches! Do I have a pin adrift that should be between the metal cup and the roller (the roller does have a hole where a pin 'could' go?

Q4: My MacGregor 26M Manual states that when installing the shrouds, the clevis pin (and ring-ding) should go into the 3rd hole of the chain-plate, but the photo shows the 4th hole. The shrouds would be a bit loose - what is advisable?


Q5: Putting the Forestay pin is a terrible exercise if the shrouds are to be decently taut, I'm NOT aim for rod-tight! And slackening the turnbuckle is another exercise if you have the CDI-Furler in use. Therefore, I am thinking of having a safety line always rigged from the mast-head to the bow-pulpit (railing, around the Running Lights?) and take weight on this line while attempting to put the pin into the forestay hole. Comments? I plan to put a block on the mast-head using screws, facing forward, as to each side of my mast I already have a block for (a) Mainsail Halyard, and (b) Boom Topping Lift. Now, I could just pull on the Mainsail halyard and get the forestay pin to slip into the hole, but with so much fear of losing the pin and thus the mast, I'm contemplating this second 'safety' forestay with not much wight on it. It should not come in the way of flying my jib, and I do not plan to have a spinnaker immediately? Additionally wondering how high should I fix the block on the mast - I'm thinking of going all the way to the tippy-top of the mast!

Q6: Planning to have a couple of flags on the spreader arms, by putting a block each. Again, these should not interfere with the main-sail.

Q7: While hauling out the boat and bringig it home, the centerboard was left approx 6 inches outside. Not a huge deal except that the boat would not come all the way till the rubber bumper for the stem since the centerboard touched against the trailer's athwartship steel-wire on which it should normally rest! All was well, though I suspect that a steel shackle-pin has rolled inside the slotted housing of the centerboard and is stuck somewhere there (when I put the boat back and disconnected the truck, upon climbing up on the boat I discovered my steel shackle to the upper shrouds had worked loose and come off (pin is supposedly inside the centerboard housing)! Another exercise to be worked this fall!!

#8: However, happy with my tarp cover support this year....


Thanks for any guidance, and for the time taken to read the post!

[pitchpolehobie]

Ĺot to respond but #7/8 - do NOT get on or under that boat without blocking up the back of the trailer w cinder block or stack 2x6. When the boat is off the bow roller even slightly the center of gravity can cause it to tilt back the trailer. Could be a dangerous situation.

[Tsunami]

I have a 26X but it has the same CDI FF2.

Re Q3, there is a pin that should be in the black roller. CDI calls it a "Luff support pin."
The Luff Extrusion Is the long plastic part that your sail is wrapped around. the forestay runs through the center of it.
The bottom end of the Luff Extrusion extends into the black roller (Furling Drum Assembly) by only 2 inches before being stopped by that pin.
Your furling line is most likely getting badly frayed by the edge of the cup as you furl in the foresail.
You need that pin.

Re Q5, I still have my original smaller forestay and I always back it up by securing my mast raising line to the pulpit.
I upgraded my mast raising system to the one with the hand winch on the gin pole and I added a hound and block at the front of the mast about
10" above the top of the forestay hound. That 1/2" line between the mast and pulpit probably takes a fair bit of load off of the forestay. I also attach a hammock between that line and the mast. It's very relaxing to heave to and have a nap.

Re Q1, I would be tempted to take the easy solution of drilling another hole. Having said that, the hole shape/size is probably less important than the condition of the pin. If it has a groove worn in it you should replace it.

Good luck.
Dean

[Russ]

This is not normal. Looks like a shackle being used where the head stay pin should be used. Perhaps that is what caused the wear on the chainplate.

[leefrankpierce]

I suggest that the furler line should have a block/pully mounted to the boat that feeds the line 90% to the drum. Or at least as close as you can get it.
That way the line does not have forces pulling the drum up.
I used the following mounted to the pullpit.
https://www.westmarine.com/harken-40mm- ... cts__en_US
Does not get it low enough, but better than it was.
I am on an X your M might have a better location.
Or you can put a fairlead onto the deck.
https://www.westmarine.com/ronstan-12-m ... cts__en_US

[prishi]

Ĺot to respond but #7/8 - do NOT get on or under that boat without blocking up the back of the trailer w cinder block or stack 2x6. When the boat is off the bow roller even slightly the center of gravity can cause it to tilt back the trailer. Could be a dangerous situation.

Thank you. This is the boat's place to hibernate in the winter - it gets warmth every time I look at it from my bedroom window. I've been going under the boat (after adequate prayers) for removing barnacles and painting the boot-topping and that one time when it will let me down has not yet come. The M sits pretty squarely even when it is a foot off the stem bumper and even with the weight of the engine hanging off and myself plus a couple more guys in the cockpit hasn't made me sense that the boat would turn over the rear axle and move upwards. I think the CG is not that much far astern. However, I feel the concern you express and am very thankful. I'll definitely use solid blocks of wood and not cinder blocks if I ever have doubt.

Actually, that gets me to Q9: Does anyone have a trick to lift the boat up for say, a couple of hours off the trailer? Investing in boat-jack-stands is an option but I can't make this place look like a boat-yard! I have 5 Ts hydraulic bottle jacks and jack stands that I use for trailer wheel maintenance etc. but keep wondering how I'd lift the boat (temporarily) of the bedding on the trailer, even if one side at a time. Cheers!

[prishi]

Re Q3, there is a pin that should be in the black roller. CDI calls it a "Luff support pin."
The Luff Extrusion Is the long plastic part that your sail is wrapped around. the forestay runs through the center of it.
The bottom end of the Luff Extrusion extends into the black roller (Furling Drum Assembly) by only 2 inches before being stopped by that pin.
Your furling line is most likely getting badly frayed by the edge of the cup as you furl in the foresail.
You need that pin.

Thanks, but I have that pin - cost me $32/- this summer after a wind-storm wreaked havoc on the boat! An alternate pin at $4 would not work as the clevis pin hole was just a little under the shadow of the black 'long plastic part'. However, coming back to Q3, I do have the pin that you are talking of and the luff extrusion is sitting on the pin as it should. The black roller, on the underside, has a hole that could take a pin. I'm checking to see if this is doable and in fact, if I am missing anything there. The Manual does not show this.

Re Q5, I still have my original smaller forestay and I always back it up by securing my mast raising line to the pulpit.
I upgraded my mast raising system to the one with the hand winch on the gin pole and I added a hound and block at the front of the mast about
10" above the top of the forestay hound. That 1/2" line between the mast and pulpit probably takes a fair bit of load off of the forestay.

Agree on leaving the MRS forever on the Mast, but when I turn the winch, the line from the drum to the mast is very tight and I still can't bring the Forestay to get hooked on!! (Either my Mast is raking too much, or my Forestay is just an itsy-bitsy inch short, I don't know.) Therefore, I plan to simply have a line - similar to the mainsail halyard - that would give me more leverage to get the mast a bit over to towards the stem, to make my shipping the pin into the hole easier. And I could just leave it there and it will not interfere with flying the jib.

I also attach a hammock between that line and the mast. It's very relaxing to heave to and have a nap.
I've been wanting to find a spot for the hammock and with the MRS, that is an ideal spot, on the fore-deck, but at that point I am putting too much weight on that point on the mast, per my thinking. I'd put mine in the cockpit between the hatch handle and the Captain's chairs. Thank you.

Re Q1, I would be tempted to take the easy solution of drilling another hole. Having said that, the hole shape/size is probably less important than the condition of the pin. If it has a groove worn in it you should replace it.

Thank you. I agree it should just be another hole. A clean hole that takes the Forestay Pin. I really wish I could replace the whole metal strip ("chainplate") - I have no knowledge of what the 2 big (i inch screws) are being screwed into: if the have simple nuts, then they'd fall when I turn these screws (if I could).

Good luck.
Dean
[/quote]

[prishi]

This is not normal. Looks like a shackle being used where the head stay pin should be used. Perhaps that is what caused the wear on the chainplate.

Thanks! This thing was caused when I left the boat a few summers back and went away on a Greece vacation, only to find that my Mast had fallen down due to this pin (Original from BWY) having broken in a windstorm!! Ever since then, I am paranoid and prefer this shackle - exact, snug fit into the hole as the shackle pin is the same size as the Forestay pin. I have the long, thumb-tack looking BWY Forestay Pin but feel more safe with the shackle. Yes, it is not normal. It does make me feel safe and I am planning to double this further with that safety line I am proposing from the Masthead to the pulpit rails.

[prishi]

I suggest that the furler line should have a block/pully mounted to the boat that feeds the line 90% to the drum. Or at least as close as you can get it.
That way the line does not have forces pulling the drum up.
I used the following mounted to the pullpit.
https://www.westmarine.com/harken-40mm- ... cts__en_US
Does not get it low enough, but better than it was.
I am on an X your M might have a better location.
Or you can put a fairlead onto the deck.
https://www.westmarine.com/ronstan-12-m ... cts__en_US

Thank you for the suggestions for a better lead of the furling line. My question is actually on the positioning of the furler cup. Does the slot face to Port or towards Aft? I had fixed it facing aft and that casued the furling line to chafe with the edge of the cup so I used a lead-block and lived with it. If you see the photo I posted today - Two pan-head screw-bolts on the stem chainplate - it does show the fairlead on the railing but for that my Furler cup shoud have been opening to Port, right? Thank you.

[leefrankpierce]

I suggest that the furler line should have a block/pully mounted to the boat that feeds the line 90% to the drum. Or at least as close as you can get it.
That way the line does not have forces pulling the drum up.
I used the following mounted to the pullpit.
https://www.westmarine.com/harken-40mm- ... cts__en_US
Does not get it low enough, but better than it was.
I am on an X your M might have a better location.
Or you can put a fairlead onto the deck.
https://www.westmarine.com/ronstan-12-m ... cts__en_US

Thank you for the suggestions for a better lead of the furling line. My question is actually on the positioning of the furler cup. Does the slot face to Port or towards Aft? I had fixed it facing aft and that casued the furling line to chafe with the edge of the cup so I used a lead-block and lived with it. If you see the photo I posted today - Two pan-head screw-bolts on the stem chainplate - it does show the fairlead on the railing but for that my Furler cup shoud have been opening to Port, right? Thank you.

Mine is port, but I presume it depends on where the furling line goes. Position to prevent chaffing.

[prishi]

Thanks for confirming. Next season mine too should be facing Port, towards the fairlead in the railing.