Please help in furler assembly

[macbeth]

I'm trying to assemble my new furler without the use of a professional rigger due to shortage of funds ! The instructions supplied by the furling manufacturer are "not very explicit" (read awfully inadequate), so I'm hoping to get some help from this forum.

My first question is should the forestay wire be actually showing above the top of the foil extrusions as shown in the picture following ? If so, by how much ?

[JVD]

Yes, the top of the cable and shackle
should protrude from the top
so that the extrusions rise to about
the level of the halyard pulley
in the mast. But you need the
top cap which fits on the end
with a c-clip on the top most
extrusion connector (on my
profurl system it does) and most
important the plastic cable sheathing
internal to each extrusion connector.
I just finished making my own roller-reefer
from a set of old profurl extrusions, after
my profurl drum bearing seized, from a golf cart
wheel hub, and a high quality stainless steel
bearing, with the cable fitting welded to a
1 inch thick disc of steel that screws
onto a shaft of steel fitted to the bow,
and which holds the top bearing
in place with a cotter pin through the shaft ,
so the cable stays still , the vertical
load is transmitted upwards through
the rotating bottom of the bearing to which the hub is attached with 4 long
bolts, going through the hub, which also secure a top plate to which a 30cm steel
cylinder is welded, and onto which
the old profurl bottom extrusion
holder is bolted.
I spent in total @ €200 on this rig,
(most of which was on the 2hr
labor costs of an expert stainless
steel welder / machinist ) , which
just survived a 2 day sail in a force 7-8
with no issues - an old jib sheet snapped,
but my jerry-rigged roller reefer held.
I can send a pic if you want - but this
involves some work to disassemble
which is a two-man job as the cable
is high tension and requires one man to
pull down while the other fits the pin -
I'm single handed ATM.