rigger please !

[Brian Duff]

So today we take apart a profurl furler from 1988, oh man !

Whoever built the unit went off the deep end thinking this contraption up ! (yes, i do know who it was) To to start with the unit is under sized for the boat, a P40 on a 7/16" cable with 3/4" pins. Then, becasue its a Tayana, its got this closed turnbuckle, but they insist on making it fit inside the furler, so they take a grinder too it until it is small enough to fit inside the tourqe tube.... Next, becasue the torque tube rubs the turnbuckle under furling load they decide to install some set screws into the little holes in the closed body turnbuckle (is there enough thread engaged inspection holes). Ok- so they don't keep the turnbuckle from un spinning - so the 'rigger' next takes out his grinder again, and grinds a nice wide flat on the side of the swage stud threads and the T-bolt toggle threads, to give the set screw something to bear on. Too boot, they never installed the lower toggle right so that the profurl drum link plates are on the same pin as the toggle for the turnbuckle that engages the chain plate. Oh, and because they didn't read the manual, the upper most extrusion is only 6" long so that the upper extrusion bearing gets cut to 2" so it will fit, and of course it cracks....

Also the halyard wrapstop puck did its usual job of twisitng the forestay all nasty while trying to stop halyard wrap.


So i give this report to the owner, and he says "that boat was rigged by the best rigger in annapolis - and sailed me 30,000 miles ! "

How do I counter that ? I said it was a lucky 30,000 miles and gave an estimate to do things right.

oh man !