Warning - Furler failure

[britinusa]

We have a Harken Cruising 1 Furler on Eximius.

The Jib (& main) were removed for prep of Hurricane Irma, While putting the Jib back on the furler, I noticed that the sheets did not wrap around the sail when the Jib was fully furled - ie. The furling line was fully unwound off of the furler drum.

This is the first time we have ever had the furler line fully unwound, I have to assume that during the removal/replacement process, the furler had turned a couple of extra turns.

While attempting to add a couple of turns on the drum by rotating the furler, the furler seemed to jump around the drum. On inspection, I found that one of the tabs on the lower flange had broken. I carefully wound a couple of turns onto the drum and secured the furler by tying a line from the tack to the pulpit tubing. (I always tie that line after every trip to prevent the furler drum rotating.)

Once home I looked for the furler manual online. It has a warning that there should always be a minimum of 2 turns of the furler line on the furler drum.

Called Harken (didn't have to press 1, got straight through to a live person - sweet) They connected me to a rep and we confirmed the furler model and the part number, a quick transfer to their orders department and the new flange pieces (a pair) was on order.  Total cost of replacement with shipping & tax was $39.

The best part of this was the service by Harken. I'd give them an 11.

So if you have a Harken Furler - Ensure that there are at least 2 full turns of the furling line on the drum when the sail is fully unfurled.

Paul

[Ed Shankle]

Paul,
My manual is on the boat so I can't confirm, but my recall is @ 10 turns of uncored furling line. Maybe that was the riggers rule of thumb....
But I have noticed some slippage when furling under too much pressure, so I assumed that was the reason for having the multiple turns.
Regards,
Ed

[britinusa]

Ed, the manual I found said 2, so did the Harken rep, but I agree! More is better

[Noah]

Ed- what do you mean  "uncord" line for furler?

[KWKloeber]

Ed- what do you mean  "uncord" line for furler?

un-cored,  without a core

[Noah]

I get what it is but why needed?  My Profurl just uses regular Sampson braid-type line, (i.e., with a core).

[KWKloeber]

 Probably more flexible, and therefore grips the drum better than a stiffer cored line?

[Stu Jackson]

I get what it is but why needed?  My Profurl just uses regular Sampson braid-typw line, (i.e., with a core).

Mine, too.

[KWKloeber]

I get what it is but why needed?  My Profurl just uses regular Sampson braid-typw line, (i.e., with a core).

Mine, too.

Never an issue using NE Ropes cored double braid.

No mention on line or in 3 manuals re: non cored line; Here's what Harken says:
Smaller boats or smaller sails may allow 3/8" (8 mm) line. If a larger diameter
line is desired, consult with a rigger about using tapered line with a high strength core and cover removed in forward
part of line

[britinusa]

On our previous Catalina C250 with a CDI furler, I had reason to call CDI about an issue.

The rep from CDI told me that I should de-core some of the line closest to the furler drum.

My understanding was that the thickness of the line was appropriate for handling but the strength of the line was way more than needed.

Paul

[Jim Hardesty]

I believe that removing the core from furling lines is to allow more turns on the furling drum (needed for a large genoa) and still have good hand feel on the cored end.  Leaving a turn or two on the drum when the sail is furled relives a lot of strain on where the furling line is attached to the drum.  Not much of an issue with the simple way my Schaefer attaches with a hole and knot.
The larger head sail you use the more turns on the drum you need to furl it.  But, extra turns can be a problem for overfilling the drum or making the furling more prone to jam.
Jim

[Ed Shankle]

Yeah, Jim's explanation is the way I understood it. To clarify, and Jim alluded to it, you just remove a few feet (10?) of the line's core. It doesn't mean using a completely uncored furler line. Since the uncored line lays more flat around the drum I think it allows the rest of the cored line to wrap better, or at least avoid wrapping jams.
Regards,
Ed

[KWKloeber]

Yeah, Jim's explanation is the way I understood it. To clarify, and Jim alluded to it, you just remove a few feet (10?) of the line's core. It doesn't mean using a completely uncored furler line. Since the uncored line lays more flat around the drum I think it allows the rest of the cored line to wrap better, or at least avoid wrapping jams.
Regards,
Ed

Another benefit I'd imagine is it removes any set in the line for the first x feet.  That should allow the initial wraps to lay better where the diameter is smaller and the wraps buggering up might be more likely? 
Probably like adding a mast halyard block.  Do you need one?  Only if you have a problem w/ halyard wrap, or just want the insurance.