Schaefer stanchion furler-line guides

[nquigley]

Many of you will have seen these before (and baulked at the price?), but those who haven't, and want the smoothest possible deployment and retrieval of your jib furler line (and a little wider side deck pathway) might be interested ...

I lashed out on these line guides (~$43 @Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IVC73WW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details) to run the jib furling line outboard of the stanchions instead of my former solution involving stanchion base-mounted blocks projecting inboard.
They're very easy to install: just unscrew the retaining bolt at the base of the stanchion or gate post, lift the stanchion/post out, slide the unit on the stanchion bottom and remount the stanchion in the base cup - no need to undo lifelines and do it from the top.
I used a mixture of the Schaefer units (4) and cheaper static line guides (2, ~$14.50 @Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007YN742I?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details), using the Schaefer units where the line is significantly deflected and the Nautos guides where it ran almost straight. I initially just got 3 Schaefer units, but decided to add one more at the aft gate post.

The pic just shows the aft 2 Schaefer units (and the 2 Nautos ones) - there's 2 more on the forward stanchions.
(yes, I'm missing a lifeline aft of the gate - a dyneema splicing task for tonight).

 

[Loren Beach]

They have probably made improvements in the last decade, but last year I had to replace two of the those $$ Schaefer furling rollers. Under load they would totally jam (seize in position).
I changed over to the Garhauer solution.
(Most Schaefer stuff is well engineered, so this did surprise me a lot.)

 

[nquigley]

They have probably made improvements in the last decade, but last year I had to replace two of the those $$ Schaefer furling rollers. Under load they would totally jam (seize in position).
I changed over to the Garhauer solution.
(Most Schaefer stuff is well engineered, so this did surprise me a lot.)

Did the little set screw that stops the unit rotating on the stanchion tube come loose?
I do wonder how well that screw will hold.

 

[toddster]

I picked up a pair of gate stanchions, to finally install a gate, but didn’t think about needing extra furler blocks. D’Oh!
There’s always more…

 

[Loren Beach]

Did the little set screw that stops the unit rotating on the stanchion tube come loose?
I do wonder how well that screw will hold.

Just the opposite. When tight, the sheave locked up. When the screw was loose, the sheave would rotate.
Actually the Garhauer design seems better, to me -- it can be asembled around the base of the tube, whereas the Schaefer has to drop down from the top.

 

[nquigley]

Just the opposite. When tight, the sheave locked up. When the screw was loose, the sheave would rotate.
Actually the Garhauer design seems better, to me -- it can be asembled around the base of the tube, whereas the Schaefer has to drop down from the top.

You can either remove lifelines and drop it down, or, as I did, lift the stanchion up with lifelines still attached and slide the unit up from the bottom of the stanchion.
I’ll keep an eye out for the issue you had. Thanks!

 

[Loren Beach]

You can either remove lifelines and drop it down, or, as I did, lift the stanchion up with lifelines still attached and slide the unit up from the bottom of the stanchion.

On our boat, the gate brace is welded at the top, and all of our stanchions are welded to the bases. So you had more options.

 

[nquigley]

Oh - that makes a huge difference.