Stemball with or without toggle?

[cat rig]

Hi,

on my Oceanis 361 I have a roller furler system installed. The Forestay top fitting is a stemball. Between the stemball and the wire is a toggle.
I have to replace my forestay because the wire is bad. To save parts and length I am thinking of having the stemball swaged right onto the wire and leave the toggle out.
The Sparcraft Manual only calls for the toggle in case a roller furler is fitted. I just don't know why. Maybe so the forstay can be removed with the furler on but I don't need to do that.
I there any need for the toggle?

[Jim Cate]

Yes, it is necessary, especially with a roller. There are two factors in this requirement: the first is that if you use the sail well rolled up you put the whole load from the sail near the middle of the stay, and this results in greater angular deflection than is experienced with the distributed load from hank on sails. The second is that the considerable mass of the rolled-up sail puts a lot of stress on the stay simply from rolling and pitching of the boat. The toggle is quite a bit more flexible than the stem ball, and there will be less wire fatigue accumulated due to that flexibility.

I believe that any rigger will agree with the requirement!

Jim

[neilpride]

If you remove the togle at the top or the bottom i can guarante 100% you loose the forestay in short order, those wires end need articulation .....

[cat rig]

So the stemball is not enough articulation? Sparcraft only calls for the toggle if a roller furler is fitted.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by cat rig

So the stemball is not enough articulation? Sparcraft only calls for the toggle if a roller furler is fitted.

You said that you had a furler...

But, even without the furler, most riggers will suggest, nay insist that toggles are fitted. Sparcraft is promoting a slightly articulated fitting which may or may not suffice with hanked on sails. The potential costs of sudden failure of the forestay make it a no brainer for me. YMMV.

Jim

PS In case you didn't know, neilpride is a rigger by trade.

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by cat rig

So the stemball is not enough articulation? Sparcraft only calls for the toggle if a roller furler is fitted.

Under tensión those steamballs have litle articulation and i guess the steamball fitting pass trough the mast head , the steamball work in a ss collar same as some lowers stays in some beneteaus, the diference is the lowers dont have any kind of excesive bending or movement, the furler under loads bend like a banana,,,, then without toggle the wire swage end suffer.... is up to you mate......

[cat rig]

Alright Folks! You convinced me.