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 Post subject: jib twist on forestay
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 6:25 pm 
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Posts: 42
Every now and then my jib will not unfurl fully even with the furling line completely loosened. It usually totally unfurls except for maybe one and onehalf turns either at the top or at the bottom. The jib was correctly mounted at the start of the season but after several uses it begins the twist effect . I was just thinking that maybe I have been furling it too tight when coming back to the beach on a windy reach or run. Any thoughts on correcting the problem? thanks DJ


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:24 am 
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
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Location: Jersey Shore
It's not entirely clear to me what your problem is.

Are you saying that the top and/or bottom of the forestay is not turning freely or are you saying that you are running out of line on the drum before the jib completely un-furls?

Usually if the drum or upper swivel is not turning freely, it is caused because there is too much load on the forestay - i.e., you are trying to furl with the mainsheet in tight or the shrouds are set very tight. It can also be caused by the swivel or the drum binding if they are old. There is a re-build kit available for the drum which replaces the bearings and bushings and retruns the assembly to as-new condition. If the upper swivel is binding, the only option is to replace the entire upper forestay assmebly.

But definitely make sure that you have the mainsheet loose when furling and un-furling. Turning the boat downwind when furling and un-furling also helps to completely unload the forestay. If the swivel or drum are not turning freely, it can actually cause the forestay cable to start unwinding during furling which is very bad, so if the swivel is binding, you definitely need to correct that.

If the problem is that you're just running out of furler line on the drum to allow the jib to fully unfurl, then you either need a longer line, or you need to make sure that the drum is completely unspooled when your jib is furled. This is done during the initial rigging of the jib by disconnecting the jib blocks, pulling in the furler line and cleating it, and then adding or subtracting wraps of the jib around the forestay to ensure there is an adequate amount of furler line available to be pulled onto the spool when the jib is unfurled.

sm


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:43 am 
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Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 3:15 pm
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Location: Buffalo, NY
I run into this issue on occasion. Usually it's because the jib halyard has somehow wound up twisted around the forestay, or else the jib halyard sheave is just not rotating with the jib as well as it should. Like srm said, the swivels at the top could be binding or just not rotating as freely as they should. The jib halyard sheave would then not rotate with the forestay as it should, causing the halyard to twist/wrap around the forestay inside the zipper pocket. I find that when this happens, the jib doesn't want to unfurl completely, and where the bottom of the jib will unfurl all the way, the upper section will have one or two turns/twists around the forestay. Taking down the jib with a halyard twisted around the forestay can really be a pain, too. If your jib halyard is wrapped around the forestay even once when you first put the jib up, that can cause the same issue.

srm has a good point about the load on the forestay, I never really thought about that. It seems that those swivels work pretty well even under load, but that could be a factor. I doubt it has anything to do with how tight you furl the jib at the beach.

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 10:13 am 
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Location: Nepean S.C. Ottawa, Canada
At the beginning of each season, before raising the mast, I make 110% sure that the swivel at the top pigtail is swivelling smoothly.
Who knows what a harsh environment can do to the swivel (salt, mud from capsizes, bird poop....).

Mostly, it sounds to me like too much tension on the forestay.

Yesterday, we put our baby away for the winter.

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