Bamar Furler Issues - Need Rigger in Gibraltar

[Student_Driver]

Hi

Wondering if any one has ever serviced a Bamar in mast electric furler which won’t hold a reef under sail?

We are In desperate need of a diagram and guide to servicing the issue. What I have found on the Bamar web site did not help.

Alternatively -and better- would be the name of a local rigger who would work this week.

We are waiting to sail SW and have a schedule. Can’t afford to wait till next week when many local marine services firms re-open.

Thanks

[double u]

write to
https://www.bamar.it/en/contact-us/

they are not the "same" company any more, that produced your mast, but they just might have some old drawings & they are very friendly & helpful.

[Student_Driver]

Thanks. I did download the manual and we think we know how to execute a temp fix. We may leave today after all. Best SD

[Manateeman]

Sorry for your problem but you are safe at a dock. Have you thought about what could happen if you are offshore and have this issue ?
We spoke to a captain of a nice larger yacht who told us his horror story about his in mast system jamming open offshore.
We recognize it’s a huge expense to change this system but this current failure might be a hint of future issues.
We have seen the urge to meet a deadline the root cause of many disasters.
You have a structural issue...something which could result in rig failure or vessel loss..and you are in a rush. Sorry, but this is Not a good combination.
Ask yourself this question. If this fails offshore...are you going to ask others to risk their lives to save you.
Captain Mark

[moseriw]

Gibraltar itself is really a problem finding professionals. Nice place but on workmanship it looks like beeing stuck in the fifties. Maybe you should ask the marina guys at Alcaidesa Marina, La Linea.

https://alcaidesamarina.com/en/home/

[double u]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

... If this fails offshore...are you going to ask others to risk their lives to save you.
Captain Mark

I would have a cutting device that can be hoisted in the trysail-groove to cut the part of the mainsail, that sticks out, away in case of a jam.

[Hermia II]

Please see if you have a Boxtron control unit below. There should be + & - for the furler motor AND a 2-lead cable for the break (there could also be a 2-lead cable for the temp sensor). My instinct tells me the brake is the problem, so check first if there is power in the 2 lead cable when you furl (measure without disconnecting), this would disconnect the brake. If you're lucky power is on even when not furling (brake won't engage). Otherwise there's a mechanical problem with the brake.
You can still furl and sail either fully canvassed or fully furled, so no need to panic if you need to leave and later fix this in the Canaries.
Please give more info on which type of Bamarunit you have. We are a Bamar agent in Scandinavia.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

Sorry for your problem but you are safe at a dock. Have you thought about what could happen if you are offshore and have this issue ?
We spoke to a captain of a nice larger yacht who told us his horror story about his in mast system jamming open offshore.
We recognize it’s a huge expense to change this system but this current failure might be a hint of future issues.
We have seen the urge to meet a deadline the root cause of many disasters.
You have a structural issue...something which could result in rig failure or vessel loss..and you are in a rush. Sorry, but this is Not a good combination.
Ask yourself this question. If this fails offshore...are you going to ask others to risk their lives to save you.
Captain Mark

Ha, ha.

Mark, you again with the gloom and doom about in-mast furling.

I'm the skipper on this crossing, Student Driver is in my crew.

The system is fine. The sails are brand new laminates and furl beautifully. The boat is a beautiful Discovery 67 which belongs to my good friend who arrives tomorrow.

The brake problem is apparently not hard to solve and we have spares on board. The previous owner happens to be here in Las Palmas and had the same issue some years ago and knows how to fix it. We'll have him over in the next couple of days and let him show us. Plus we have the excellent feedback on here from the Bamar guy.

As the Bamar guy said, the brake problem is also not a safety issue. It just means you have to furl the sail all the way in case you can't carry full canvas. We have just sailed 1200 miles from Alicante to the Canary Islands with it like this and had no issues whatsoever.

So take it easy! Everything is cool. We have the whole week this week to fine tune everything and finishe the punchlist before we set off across the Atlantic.

The furling system is extremely reliable. The previous owner circumnavigated with it, part of that single handed, and had not the slightest issue except this same brake problem, which he didn't bother to fix until he got to Thailand.


I really like this system and prefer it to my own. My boat has a simpler system actuated by an endless furling line. This system has an electric motor in the mast. It is more complex, but the advantages are huge.


Cheers and happy new year!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by moseriw

Gibraltar itself is really a problem finding professionals. Nice place but on workmanship it looks like beeing stuck in the fifties. Maybe you should ask the marina guys at Alcaidesa Marina, La Linea.

https://alcaidesamarina.com/en/home/

We arrived last night in the Canaries already. It took us four days exactly from Gib -- exactly 180 miles per day. We had a great passage, and now we're at anchor in Las Palmas harbor. I will try to find a Bamar guy here, but we have spares on board and I think we can manage it ourselves if there isn't a suitable pro.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Hermia II

Please see if you have a Boxtron control unit below. There should be + & - for the furler motor AND a 2-lead cable for the break (there could also be a 2-lead cable for the temp sensor). My instinct tells me the brake is the problem, so check first if there is power in the 2 lead cable when you furl (measure without disconnecting), this would disconnect the brake. If you're lucky power is on even when not furling (brake won't engage). Otherwise there's a mechanical problem with the brake.
You can still furl and sail either fully canvassed or fully furled, so no need to panic if you need to leave and later fix this in the Canaries.
Please give more info on which type of Bamarunit you have. We are a Bamar agent in Scandinavia.

Thanks! We didn't panic and just happily sailed 1200 miles with it like this. It's really no big deal, like you said, just put the sail away completely if you can't carry the full mainsail. The boat has a modest SA/D ratio so this is not big deal.


We do have Boxtron and will do the diagnosis as you suggested -- thank you!!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by double u

I would have a cutting device that can be hoisted in the trysail-groove to cut the part of the mainsail, that sticks out, away in case of a jam.

No one I know with in-mast furling carries anything like that.

If you know how to operate the system, and it has been properly serviced, and your sail is in good condition, it is no more likely to jam than a slab reefed mainsail.

The trysail groove only goes halfway up the mast, so that would not be a solution in any case.

I actually did jam the furler in this boat, soon after we bought her, when she still had the completely bagged out old Dacron mainsail which had been around the world and then another 10 years of cruising.

The second jam I've had in 13 years and tens of thousands of miles with in-mast furling. It took me about 15 minutes to clear the jam, knowing the technique. The key is to pull down, and not out, using the vang, while working the furler. There is just about no way to cause an unclearable jam, even with a horrible bagged out old sail, if you are paying attention and stop furling when the jam first appears.