Harken II Furling Difficulty

[dodger]

It has always been extremely difficult to pull in the 5/16" braided furling line on my '84 Pearson 34 with a (~'96) Harken Mark II reefer/furler and a 135% genoa. It is OK (free pulling) at no wind, is difficult to pull at 8 knots apparent and requires all my strength above 15 knots.

Have found and fixed several problems. The head halyard swivel height is now as spec'd, halyard angle is 10 degrees (no halyard wrapping ever), furl line comes out 90 degrees for 3', no excessive halyard tension or headstay sag.

It seems to stop against something at various points during the first several furling revolutions. I went up to look at the drum while someone furled and found the line was rubbing when it reached the inside top of the black metal drum cover aperture/window (the line wraps æî higher on the spooling drum than the window allows- so it rubs hard as the line angles up to the top of the drum before reversing and coming down.) I called Harken about this 2 years ago and technical people told me it couldn't be the source of the difficulty and no one has ever called about it. It certainly seems to be the (or a) problem source to me- as soon as the line stopped chafing/rubbing on the window, it all turns freely till it makes contact again. Iíll call Harken again but thought Iíd try SparTalk first.

Have you heard of this problem? I am ready to cut the top of the aperture cover (the top ìframeî is 1/2" high) so the line can not rub on it. Either that or shave it down to only 1/8î high. Other suggestions?

Thanks,

Bob

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
And first, I'm amazed that someone from Harken would give you that kind of it's-never-been-a-problem-so-it's-not-a-problem answer. And second, I'm amazed that I'd never noticed it myself. Though I can say that the newer furlers have a lot more vertical clearance than the older models, and this might be why. Before you go carving that drum, though, you might consider moving the forward lead block forward, so the fleet angle is compatible with the entry. I wouldn't ordinarily recommend this, as it can cause the turns to pile up in the middle of the drum, but it might be the lesser problem here.
Also, is the lead clean laterally? We often see furlers of all brands with the line chafing on the side of the drum when it is full and the loads are highest.
Next, are you keeping a strain on the furling line when setting the sail? If not, the loose turns will tend to jam when you pull hard to furl.
Next, have you rinsed the bearings out lately? Ever? A visual check might be in order, to be sure the balls are whole, and nothing alien is in the races.
Finally, what is your state of tune? A slack backstay makes for a lot more oscillation of the foil, which is of course most significant in a breeze. The same issue could be why you are furling in the first place, as a too-full jib heels the boat, and prevents pointing.
Check back in a couple of days; my favorite Harken tech guru will be responding here as well.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[dodger]

Thanks Brion,

Your first suggestion (changing the feed angle from 90 degress) has not been tried- I'll do it this weekend. Your other 4, I have tried exactly as you indicated without effect.

I didn't realize my first message to you on this was rejected- I made a mistake not knowing your new server rules. So I actually ended up talking to a technical Harken guy before your message was finally delivered. Very receptive and thoughtful guy. After listening, he suspects it is a combination of things. I probably agree, not knowing what decade of unkown wear there has been from other owners. He suggested I don't cut the top frame off due to possibility of a furl line jam in the crevice, but try thinning it- stating, like you, the newer window is higher and hence less rubbing contact friction. Before getting out the Dremmel tool, I decided this weekend to remove the SS cover and rotate the alum. aperature/window totally out of the way so the furling line can not possibly touch it. I didn't have enough wind to test it. Will let you know- that will prove if the rubbing is the only problem source or not.

Many thanks,

Bob

[dodger]

I removed the SS drum cover and rotated the alum. aperature/window around and re-led the furling line so it could not chafe on the top of the window. In 12 knot apparent winds, close hauled, about half of the abnormal difficulty was improved. Still leaving something.

Bob