jamming jib furler

[steven]

I was on the Severn (near Annapolis) today beating into a 15kt southerly with 18-21 apparent across the deck.
Doing nicely under 100% jib with no main. But the wind was building, and over 20kts apparent I would need the main (with single reef) to hold any reasonable angle to weather. Decided to power rather than fuss with the main (I was headed in anyway - though reluctantly, the weather was absolutely beautiful).

Came head to wind but was unable to furl. Furler (Harken) rolled upabout half way and then just stuck.
Unfurled and tried again. Same result.
Went fwd intending to drop the jib if necessary. But the sail did not look like it was binding up top, so I pulled harder and managed to furl.

Question is: why did it get stuck ? Worked perfectly smoothly yesterday at the dock.

The extra load of a flogging jib is I think not enough to account for the difficulty.
But I'm wondering if my headstay might be sagging under the sail load at that wind speed.

Would that cause it to furl unevenly and not be able to fully furl ?

Or might there be another (better) explanation ?

--Steve

 

[Frank Langer]

Hmmm... the forestay should be tight for the furler to work properly and the jib halyard tension snug but not overtight. The bearings in the furler should be rinsed of salt with clean water after every sail, and some sailors advise lubricating the bearings periodically with a product called "one drop".
The furling line should run fair, with an angle of 90 degrees from the last block to the drum, and the furling line should be thin enough, usually 5/16", so it doesn't bind or overlap in the drum.
If all of that is ok I would try to furl it again at the dock, watching carefully to see if there is a problem as it furls.
Also, ensure the halyard is not getting caught up in the furler at the mast Head, which can cause big trouble.
Frank

 

[Christian Williams]

Have a look at the angle the halyard makes to the top cap of the furler. You might need a restrainer to prevent halyard wrap.

Heavy air may also reveal control-line jamming in the drum, which may not occur under normal conditions. Line diameter and the lead angle of the initial block are frequently factors.

Excess jib halyard tension can also affect smooth furling. Just get the wrinkles out. The sails aren't designed to have their draft changed by halyard tension as mainsails are.

 

[footrope]

Good comments above. You may have had the furling line over wrap itself on the drum. Once an over wrap gets tight it is tough to clear just by yanking on it, but sometimes that is the only way when single-handed. And no evidence remains after it does get free.

 

[peaman]

After struggling with mine a few times, I found that a cotter ring was catching on the (too big) knot tied in the end of the furling line. First thought is to look up, but problems can be anywhere.

 

[toddster]

Overwraps seem to happen if the sail is left to hang loose or to flog while reefing. Sometimes that's unavoidable in short-handed dynamic situations. But I get the best wraps by keeping some tension on the clew by holding a sheet in one hand and the furling line in the other. Yes I cheat a bit by using a (non-tailing) secondary winch, but resist the temptation to put much tension on it.

I also get occasional halyard wrap from the spinnaker halyard - it's so close to the jib up top that I have to keep it "bar tight" and led to the pulpit. But it does occasionally get slack. Eventually I'll get a masthead crane up there to keep it a few inches farther forward.

 

[Christian Williams]

I also get occasional halyard wrap from the spinnaker halyard

Absolutely--one of my issues offshore. Also, I have decided it isn't a good idea to use a spinnaker halyard as a whisker pole lift, for the same reason--easily gets wrapped in the furling jib, especially at night when lift slack isn't visible.

I need to run a dedicated lift halyard through the unused lift sheave two-thirds up the mast.

 

[Baslin]

Although I know it isnt always possible or safe, I find it much easier to fall off the wind to furl the headsail

 

[steven]

falling off to furl sounds interesting though a bit counter-intuitive. Don't really like the flogging sail anyway. can damage stuff and frightens the guests. I'll try it next time I'm out.

To reduce chances of override on the drum should the line be smaller or fatter. I'm only a 100% working sail, so plenty of drum capacity for larger line size if that is the right solution.

Of course I could go back to hanking on (I have other sails with piston hanks) and just lead the jib halyard (and maybe a downhaul) aft. In the good old days (former boat) I had a canvas jib bag that allowed the jib to remain hanked on. The bag was tied down so just raised the jib out of it and lowered back in.

 

[Christian Williams]

A jib should luff when being furled. Any power in the sail creates unnecessary hard work for the furler.

The old rule was never use a winch on a furler. It's a good rule, because you feel the forces and can identify a dangerous foul (of which there can be many).

If I can hand furl a completely extended 120 overlap genoa in 30 knots, anyone can. It's work--and it teaches you to reef earlier.

 

[peaman]

falling off to furl sounds interesting though a bit counter-intuitive. Don't really like the flogging sail anyway. can damage stuff and frightens the guests. I'll try it next time I'm out.

Off wind does not necessarily lead to flogging in a head sail. In fact into-the-wind is the condition where flogging is garanteed. Better to fall off a bit, trim the headsail for "minimum" (but not necessarily zero) flogging, and roll it in.

A bit of wind in the sail helps to quiet it, and to roll with minimum wrinkles.

 

[Bolo]

Being a Chesapeake Bay sailor, out of Annapolis, I know how restrictive the sailing area can be right off the Naval Academy near the Severn River. But when the wind is up and it’s time to call it a day and head back to our dock on Back Creek I always turn the boat towards almost a “run” downwind with the main (even reefed) covering the headsail. The combination of the main wind shadow and the direction of travel (more or less downwind) takes a lot of strain off the furler. There was a time before I did that maneuver that I would try and furl the head sail into the wind and it did seem like it would jam. I even use to use a winch to help out but decided later that doing that was probably asking for trouble. Ever since I’ve started going downwind to furl for shortening the head sail or rolling it up completely, I‘ve never had a problem.

 

[Mr. Scarlett]

Good comments above. You may have had the furling line over wrap itself on the drum. Once an over wrap gets tight it is tough to clear just by yanking on it, but sometimes that is the only way when single-handed. And no evidence remains after it does get free.

This happened to me a few times with my first furler. I figured out there was not enough drag when unfurling the sail - particularly in the final third or so, when the wind will typically take over.

 

[steven]

All, Thanks for advice.

Could not track the problem to any item. So did a bunch of things.

Changed to 5/8 line (from 1/4 inch); removed the pennant at the stem so the head swivel is lower; tied off the spin hyd to the side to make it less likely to get caught; wrapped the drum in the opposite direction which lines up the lead better; and lubricated everything. It is now operating smooth ly (much smoother than before) at the dock. There still seems to be some tendency for halyard at the top to get caught in the furling. Unclear why. Maybe needs the jib halyard to lead from below the masthead. Not sure how that can be done - do you weld a block up there ? Or add a crane to extend the forestay attachment fwd ? seems like this kind of stuff should not be be necessary.

Marine forecast here for Sunday is W-NW 10 to 14 gusting 20 with .clear skies Hope to get out for awhile. Probably last sale of the season.
Will try furling a various points off the wind.

--Steve

 

[Christian Williams]

Some boats need a halyard restrainer. Depends on the situation.