Hobie Cat Forums

Although I've been an avid reader of the Hobie forum for over a year, I'm a newly registered member with problems furling the TI sail.

My TI is a 2012 and I've enjoyed it very much, but have had trouble furling the sail every time I've been out on the water. Yes, I de-power the sail before trying, yes the main sheet and furling line are free, and no, the amas are not submerged. When trying to furl the sail, the sail seems to hang up on the first batten and my wife ends up going forward and manually turning the mast at the base to get the sail to reef.

I've sailed before and know the basics, but would appreciate any tips on how to simplify this procedure. It is very frustrating and occurs even in light winds.

Thanks,

Swimmer

G'day Swimmer;
Well I'll be buggered, you've covered just about all the 'hang-ups' that hinder sail furling. The only thing I can think of is the little white balls in the mast base. Are there any missing, like floating around in the mast base?
I had trouble with mine with-in the first couple of months and found that to be the problem. The screws in the top may be half a turn loose which is enough to let the balls fall out. IF this is the case, pick the balls out of the base and put them in their race at the top and tighten down all the screws.
Sorry I can't be more helpful matey...I'm surprised to be the first respondent, hopefully some of the more expert geniarii of the AI's very few foibles might join in.
Cheers from Vintagereplica. If it works okay...modify it anyway!

Furling problems can also be caused by the furling drum contacting the mast bearing plate.
Check that you have clearance of a few mm between the two. Does the mast spin freely when not under load? Check that the furling drum has not slipped on the mast (the epoxy can fail) but more likely the V-brace may need adjusting to raise the furling drum clear of the bearing plate.
Some info here (about Page4):
viewtopic.php?f=71&t=44081

swimmer :
I agree with Stringy, that mast plate is the most likely culprit. I have had several TI's, and on all of them that drum that the furling line is wrapped around can easily slide up or down with just a light bump when handling the sail, It is held by epoxy onto the carbon mast, I have never had one rotate, but they all slide up and down easily if you bump them during transport. On one of mine I bumped it back in place and shot super glue into the joint, it seemed to help (once I got all my fingers free from the mast LOL). I don't advise putting any screws or anything into the carbon mast, as the bottom is a high stress area.
Hey one other thing I found on all my masts (when new) is that the joint in the middle (where the mast splits) tends to slip when furling the sail, knocking the alignment out between the top and bottom (making it harder to furl). I'm not recommending to drill any holes into the carbon mast (ever). What I did was allowed a little grit into the joint (between the two mast halves) so it's a little harder to spin, but you can still get it apart (if you ever had to).
With mine even when everything is working properly, I still have to help it manually once in a while.
Hope this helps
Bob

I have not experienced any white balls being displaced - none running loose in the mast base. Once the weather warms up, I will definitely check the mast bearing plate and mast plate. And I too have had the two piece mast slip out of alignment.

Will check out all the recommendations and report back. Really appreciate the help as I want to get my TI ready for the water when both the air and water temps improve. Right now it's a little nippy.