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Old 22-06-2017, 03:33   #1
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Furling Line

I'm going to downsize a furling line from 12mm polyester double braid to 10mm racing dyneema double braid.

The reason for this is that the furling line is too bulky and jams in the drum.

In order to make the line easier to handle, I am thinking about changing only that part of the line which goes onto the drum.

What do you deck experts (paging Uncivilized) think about the idea of joining part of the old furling line to a piece of new Dyneema with interlocking eye splices? I want the splice to be as compact as possible so that it will run through the turning block without problems. I am not aware of any other way to join two pieces of unequal size, so if anyone has any other ideas, I'm all ears.

I know it would be slicker to buy a single piece of 12mm and strip the cover, but that will be a lot more expensive, plus the stripped part will be exposed and unprotected from chafe or UV -- I like the idea of a cover on it.

Grateful as always for any tips.
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Old 22-06-2017, 03:55   #2
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Re: Furling Line

My furling line is 10 mm, and I find it a good size for handling. Can't really say I find the difference between handling that and the 12 mm sheets all that noticeable.
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Old 22-06-2017, 04:19   #3
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Re: Furling Line

Interlocked eye splices will add a lot of bulk--are your sheaves and fairleads big enough to pass that?
I put 5/16" poly/technora covered dyneema on a Gunboat 66's furlers--surely your furler doesn't put more load on than theirs? Of course, they ONLY furled with the line on an electric winch--I'd hate to have to pull by hand on something as thin as that. But if you also furl with a winch, the cost savings on a thinner line might allow you to have it full-length.
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Old 22-06-2017, 04:20   #4
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Re: Furling Line

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Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat View Post
My furling line is 10 mm, and I find it a good size for handling. Can't really say I find the difference between handling that and the 12 mm sheets all that noticeable.
THanks. Just out of curiosity -- what's the area of your headsail?
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Old 22-06-2017, 04:23   #5
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Re: Furling Line

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Interlocked eye splices will add a lot of bulk--are your sheaves and fairleads big enough to pass that?
I put 5/16" poly/technora covered dyneema on a Gunboat 66's furlers--surely your furler doesn't put more load on than theirs? Of course, they ONLY furled with the line on an electric winch--I'd hate to have to pull by hand on something as thin as that. But if you also furl with a winch, the cost savings on a thinner line might allow you to have it full-length.
8mm!! Wow. I can't imagine such a thin furling line.

Yes, I also ONLY furl with an electric winch. It's a big sail and impossible to budge the furling line by hand; and a non-electric winch is a bear.

But "handling" doesn't only mean hauling the line.

Considering the other comments on here, maybe a plain 10mm line would be OK.
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Old 22-06-2017, 04:34   #6
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Re: Furling Line

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8mm!! Wow. I can't imagine such a thin furling line.

Yes, I also ONLY furl with an electric winch. It's a big sail and impossible to budge the furling line by hand; and a non-electric winch is a bear.

But "handling" doesn't only mean hauling the line.

Considering the other comments on here, maybe a plain 10mm line would be OK.
I will add that Gunboats are notorious for engineering their rigging with almost no margin--they're always breaking stuff, which of course brings more business to people like me. It's a lose-win, but I like it. But if you have the budget for 10mm, that's gonna be safer and nicer.
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Old 22-06-2017, 04:45   #7
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Re: Furling Line

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THanks. Just out of curiosity -- what's the area of your headsail?
Probably a lot smaller than yours, it's about 37 m.

But in reality that's not really the relevant factor. It's really about how well you can grip the furling line, how much effort you can get onto it, and to me, there's very little difference in that regard between 10 and 12 mm line.
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Old 22-06-2017, 04:52   #8
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Re: Furling Line

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Originally Posted by Benz View Post
I will add that Gunboats are notorious for engineering their rigging with almost no margin--they're always breaking stuff, which of course brings more business to people like me. It's a lose-win, but I like it. But if you have the budget for 10mm, that's gonna be safer and nicer.
No 8mm furling lines on my boat!

10mm SK78 racing dyneema is about right I think. Maybe I'll try it without splicing anything.
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Old 22-06-2017, 04:55   #9
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Re: Furling Line

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Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat View Post
Probably a lot smaller than yours, it's about 37 m.

But in reality that's not really the relevant factor. It's really about how well you can grip the furling line, how much effort you can get onto it, and to me, there's very little difference in that regard between 10 and 12 mm line.
Well, for me it does make quite a bit of difference, if you're heaving the line. Maybe it won't matter here since I never, ever furl anything by hand.

Your boat probably displaces 1/3 what mine does, so that's a pretty big sail. My yankee is 62m2. As I recall, yours is a quite high performance boat.
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Old 22-06-2017, 05:00   #10
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Re: Furling Line

Remove the core in the last meter or so, that will fix your problem
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Old 22-06-2017, 05:00   #11
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Re: Furling Line

I guess if you're never furling by hand, all that really matters is whether or not the line is strong enough, and thick enough for the self tailer to grip?

On our boat I always furl by hand. Sometimes use a winch for reefing though.
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Old 22-06-2017, 05:24   #12
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Re: Furling Line

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Remove the core in the last meter or so, that will fix your problem
An interesting idea. Costing nothing. Maybe I'll give it a shot.
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Old 22-06-2017, 05:26   #13
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Re: Furling Line

Perhaps it would be wise to purchase line specifically designed for Furler applications such as Marlow's Grand Prix MGP Series Furler Line. The line is available at several locations in the UK (see Where to Buy).

FWIW...
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Old 22-06-2017, 05:31   #14
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Re: Furling Line

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dockhead View Post
I'm going to downsize a furling line from 12mm polyester double braid to 10mm racing dyneema double braid.

The reason for this is that the furling line is too bulky and jams in the drum.

In order to make the line easier to handle, I am thinking about changing only that part of the line which goes onto the drum.

What do you deck experts (paging Uncivilized) think about the idea of joining part of the old furling line to a piece of new Dyneema with interlocking eye splices? I want the splice to be as compact as possible so that it will run through the turning block without problems. I am not aware of any other way to join two pieces of unequal size, so if anyone has any other ideas, I'm all ears.

I know it would be slicker to buy a single piece of 12mm and strip the cover, but that will be a lot more expensive, plus the stripped part will be exposed and unprotected from chafe or UV -- I like the idea of a cover on it.

Grateful as always for any tips.
Polyester and strip the core (not the cover). This is well-proven and works very well. If you want it to last a little longer, coat the striped portion in Maxijacket or RP-25. Then it will wear like iron and better resist UV.

An additional advantage is that the cover lies flat, like webbing, reducing over rides at high loads.
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Old 22-06-2017, 05:34   #15
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Re: Furling Line

Quote:
Originally Posted by svHyLyte View Post
Perhaps it would be wise to purchase line specifically designed for Furler applications such as Marlow's Grand Prix MGP Series Furler Line. The line is available at several locations in the UK (see Where to Buy).

FWIW...
That's for CONTINUOUS furling lines - a different application.
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Cushion me soft . . . . rock me in billowy drowse,
Dash me with amorous wet . . . . I can repay you."
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