roller furler - any height adjustment?

[JCHoctor]

All looking to source the local wisdom of the group. 

I have come by a new to me slightly used Genoa that came off a C34 mk1 just a few boats after mine in production order but it appears that the length of furlers were not the same on our two boats.  I raised the sail only to find that I am about 6" to a foot off.  I will verify my sail area today. 

What I am curious about is if I have any adjustment I can make in my system to either lower the drum or take or some at the top with the swivel? I am hoping to avoid having to cut the sail since that would (combined with the cost of the sail) put me into a place where I could have reached to a new genoa - need to save face with the spouse - I am sure a few of you know the drill. :)

Thanks in advance, John

[Patches]

John:

Sounds like your donor boat may be a tall rig?  That looks like a Harken Mark 1 furler, and is likely original--so 30+ years old.  On a Harken Mark 1 furler, you are not going to have much room to play at the bottom.  If I remember correctly on my Mark 1, those threads sticking out from the bottom of the drum is the max you can play with. On the Mark 1, the furler is actually part of the forestay, rather than being separate from it, like later models. 

At the top, you're constrained by making sure the angle of the halyard from the head of the sail to the sheave at the mast head is proper to ensure good furling.  Most have done this by installing a halyard "restrainer" on the mast, which sucks the halyard toward the mast, a short distance below the sheave. If your boat has a halyard restrainer, it may be possible to bypass it, or move it up to accommodate the longer luff length of the donor sail.

Furlers have come a long way, and I installed a new Mark 4, Unit 1, a couple of years ago.  My rigger recommended it because parts don't exist for the Mark 1's anymore, and the furling action is so much easier--and much better for the sail.  I got tired of poor wraps and jams.  The Mark 4 is a dream by comparison.  Nobody likes to spend $2500 for a new piece of kit like that, and a lot of spouses don't understand the costs of such improvements.  Send her to Hawaii for a week with her friends, and maybe she'll bless the purchase.

Hope this helps,

Patches

[JCHoctor]

ahhh, just as I feared, thank you for the quick response.  Also thanks for the advice on the wife, it is probably the most applicable bit of advice I have gotten for most of my projects.