Help. Anyone have parts for Hood 900sl furler (or any 900 series foil)

[Whiskymac]

I took my mast down this year to replace and check a few items and at some point one of the top bearings at the top of the foil fell out and was lost.
I have tried Pompanette in Florida (as well as numerous internet searches and checking with some local riggers) and the part is not in stock and they don't know when it will be back (and don't appear very confident that it will be!?)
I realize that this is a very old piece of hardware but it has always worked perfectly for me so I'm now in the position that if I can't find a $30-40 part I may have to spend thousands to replace the whole furler.
I'm hoping too get lucky and find someone who has replaced there furler and is willing to part with this piece.

Thanks in advance

Jeremy

[KWKloeber]

Jeremy
I dont have a Hood but mine has something that looks similar.
Is it a hard dense plastic or ceramic perhaps?

[Whiskymac]

Thanks for the reply.
Some type of hard dense plastic

[Ron Hill]

Jeremy : And others with a Hood roller furling (continuous line or drum drive).  The was a note in a long ago Mainsheet tech note that warned that the 2 top hard plastic spacers could pop out of the furling tack tube!! 

The fix is simple.  Go to the top of the mast and install a short SS panhead screw thru the tack tube into both of those spacers. 

A thought

[KWKloeber]

Jeremy

Ok, it's the same as mine but they aren't intricate, just two halves of a straight cylinder. I went to Curbell Plastics, a commercial supplier whose warehouse happened to be at the same location. The very helpful guy picked out a length of the same plastic rod of the same OD from the scrap bin - N/C.   I just cut it in half and fashioned what I needed myself.  They also had a shop that could fabricate whatever to spec but I didn't need to.

Mcmaster Carr might carry the rod raw material if you or a local shop/friend can fashion a replacement half.

Long shot but call Rig-Rite 401-739-1140 and/or Ed at ZephyrWerks 360-385-2720. R-R has a custom fab service.  Ed is a really good guy and specializes in sheaves but he's told me that he can machine just about anything in plastic.  Super quick turnaround.

Let me know if anything connects.

Ken

[Whiskymac]

Thanks Ken , good idea.
I have a friend inn the plastics business so will ask him about materials and/or fabrication.

[not_yoda]

Thanks Ken , good idea.
I have a friend inn the plastics business so will ask him about materials and/or fabrication.

seems i am in a similar situation...  were you able to manufacture something or find a replacement?

[Whiskymac]

I could not find a replacement part available anywhere, fabrication proved to be prohibitively expensive (>$700!)
Ended up having a friend print it for me on his 3d printer.

[KWKloeber]

 (>$700!)

GOODGRIEFCHARLIEBROWN.

I made mine for zero dollars.  The plastic rod was a scrap piece they gave me and I cut it to length and in half myself.  McMaster probably sells the material.