I had to disassemble the Hood Roller Furling (915) to get the head stay out. Looking at the Pompenette web site they sell a bag of rivets to hold the extrusions together for $35. That works out to about $2 a rivet. Are they special or can standard hardware store pop rivets be used?
I've asked Pompenette the same question, I'll share their answer when I get it.
Ken,
Recommend that you use the Pompenette rivets. Made a similar repair. They are "hammer" type fasteners, made out of compatable material that will not cause any undo chafe. You could substitute a different type of blind fastener, but it may not be checmically/mechanically compatable, and the shank may cause damage to your sail. You'll also have to ensure that the shop head dimensions are equal or lower profile than the Hood rivet to ensure that there is no interference or wear on your head stay. By the way, $2 for a good aviation-quality blind fastener is not a bad price...this is a case where you don't want to scrimp on hardware if you want to maintain your furler. Our's his hitting the 20 year point and still going strong!
Cheers,
Mike