Finally some success roller furling

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bubby-joe
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Finally some success roller furling

Post by bubby-joe »

Ok so today I had some very good success, I'll layout parts and descriptions at the end. I bought a Barton furler it looked good but was meant for a
14 ft. skiff, under 4 inch diameter So back to the drawing board the one I made with a bicycle hub and 2 disc brake rotors worked for a short time before cutting the furling line ( read rope). On thinking about it I cut 3-5.5 inch circles with a circle cutter on a drill press really out of balance and I still have all my fingers and no blood leakage these came from a dollar store cutting board. I inverted the front axle shaft on the large spoke ring bicycle hub then on my lathe and you could use a small wood lathe or a drill on a bench finished and turned down to my line reel size. Then mounted to fit the center holes to the top and bottom of the bicycle wheel hub. Now to drill for the rope and mount the plates with 4 screws each to the hub and make a long nut with the slot to mount to the extended anchor point , attach the fore sail of my choice and get on the water still below zero here in the early morning
Do not use plastic cutting boards they go brittle in the sun and will break, nylon will last a very long time in the sun.
Finish diameter is right at 5 inches and lots of room for the line to spool on and off.

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Inquisitor
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by Inquisitor »

bubby-joe wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 2:02 pm Ok so today I had some very good success, I'll layout parts and descriptions at the end. I bought a Barton furler it looked good but was meant for a
14 ft. skiff, under 4 inch diameter So back to the drawing board the one I made with a bicycle hub and 2 disc brake rotors worked for a short time before cutting the furling line ( read rope). On thinking about it I cut 3-5.5 inch circles with a circle cutter on a drill press really out of balance and I still have all my fingers and no blood leakage these came from a dollar store cutting board. I inverted the front axle shaft on the large spoke ring bicycle hub then on my lathe and you could use a small wood lathe or a drill on a bench finished and turned down to my line reel size. Then mounted to fit the center holes to the top and bottom of the bicycle wheel hub. Now to drill for the rope and mount the plates with 4 screws each to the hub and make a long nut with the slot to mount to the extended anchor point , attach the fore sail of my choice and get on the water still below zero here in the early morning
Do not use plastic cutting boards they go brittle in the sun and will break, nylon will last a very long time in the sun.
Finish diameter is right at 5 inches and lots of room for the line to spool on and off.

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Great work! Keep it coming... The more I deal with the CDI, the more I think this is certainly within the DIY area... especially considering how expensive they are. I'm really interested in if you will use a blade fore Jib/Genoa furling or bladeless for Spinnakers... and how you'll connect stuff up.

I can't do a project without bleeding somewhere... so if you didn't bleed, you didn't have any fun. :D
Odysseus, expert on the Siren's call
bubby-joe
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Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2020 4:58 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26S
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by bubby-joe »

The part to control the winding of the control line and the forward turnbuckle mount is next, and sail attachment is next on the list, these i think in painted steel as I'm out of stainless the sail attachment can be done in multiple ways the best is how the Barton unit mounts the sail attachment. and the last 8 bolt and nuts to keep the top and bottom plate anchored to the Bicycle hub. In the last picture it's just stacked for visual and stood in a glass to keep the unit looking good. Cost total so far is free. The cutting board was a very stained board retired from a friends kitchen it made 3 5-3/8th inch circles two for the drum and a spare if something goes very wrong the hub came from the dump and bearings were updated. The rope guide parts could also be powder coated in a toaster over without much problem there is an old toaster oven in the tool shed. This is by far the best and simplest I've done so far a friend has a 93 26S, I showed him yesterday and I now have to look for another cutting board and hub.

This unit could be installed as part of the forestay with the addition of a PVC cable cover about 3 on foresail cable to lessen sail rub on the cable works well and looks OK when furled . Also could be top down with a rotating top bearing the furling unit mounted behind the forestay turnbuckle, or bottom up also using the rotating bearing on the top of the sail
bubby-joe
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by bubby-joe »

Like the CDI unit this will go on the forestay sail cable and 3 ft. of 1 inch PVC over the cable and the turnbuckle to ease any sail rub on the cable, using the hank on jib it will wrap bottom up without a top bearing. That's the plan for the moment subject to change of course. Turnbuckle mount done getting very close now.


I can't do a project without bleeding somewhere... so if you didn't bleed, you didn't have any fun. :D

It's all fun in the shop till the floor catches fire I like to weld outside but the vice is inside
bubby-joe
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

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Update total out of pocket so far $2.42 CDN for SS nuts bolts and washers, hub recycled from old bike free, one recycled nylon cutting board free cleaned the rust off with sander free. last part to build is the mount to the bow of my 93 26S. finish size 5.0 inch holds 50 ft. of line easy. Next set of pic's will be with the mast setup and the unit working on the boat in the side yard. Maybe a working movie as proof of concept.
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Jimmyt
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by Jimmyt »

Looking good!
Jimmyt
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by Inquisitor »

bubby-joe wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 7:40 pm Update total out of pocket so far $2.42 CDN for SS nuts bolts and washers, hub recycled from old bike free, one recycled nylon cutting board free cleaned the rust off with sander free. last part to build is the mount to the bow of my 93 26S. finish size 5.0 inch holds 50 ft. of line easy. Next set of pic's will be with the mast setup and the unit working on the boat in the side yard. Maybe a working movie as proof of concept.
Keep the hits coming! I'm anxious to see the results. I had a snafu using the Sock / Spinnaker this weekend. I can see I'll never trust it (me) using it while single handing. So if I want to use a spinnaker, I'll need to have a furling system for it.
Odysseus, expert on the Siren's call
bubby-joe
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by bubby-joe »

Take a close look at the pictures I already put up, the bicycle hub was a front from a 20 inch bmx with larger spoke rings, better would be an itialian 10 speed extra large spoke rings not seen in years. The nylon plates I did with a sliding hole cutter ( looks like cross and sets diameter with a ruler 2.5 = 5 in. dia. on a drill press it shakes bad ) for the furler I'd say the 2 plates should be at least 6 maybe 7 inch dia., set well forward on an anchored bow sprit to keep it in cleaner air. Were your using a mast stand off ( spinnaker pole ). I'm not sure on the spinnaker with a narrow 50 mile channel to open water and mostly single handing I've never had mine out of the bag except to fold it properly and placing it in the bag and not stuffing it in.
bubby-joe
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by bubby-joe »

Thanks Inquisitor up to today no blood and not a mark for a change , one word and the bottom falls out. One grinder bite, one blood blister and finally a hole from a sharp edge before rounding over happy now....oh what fun right. Cost tapped out at 2.42 CDN including tax about 1.50 USD or 3 dogecoins today. It's now finished and I'm ready to mount it I'm a woooooose so we'll have to wait for the rain and high winds winds before testing. I don't need to make a run for the ocean on the trailer, sail HHHHHOOOOOO. Pic's and a short movie to follow gather popcorn if you like beers on you moonshine if you got it.
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Inquisitor
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by Inquisitor »

I think your selection of parts and materials is great and will be a far superior roller than at least a CDI. I'm just curious to see how you approach the boat fastening and the blade and attachment. I hope its as easy for a non-welder, non-machine tool individual as you have so far. Great stuff!
Odysseus, expert on the Siren's call
bubby-joe
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by bubby-joe »

Thanks feels good when it works and I'd rather build what I need instead of blowing large piles of money to be safer on the water it's bad enough l swim with the glide ratio of a very large rock. But life jacket and tube boat help keep me floating.
bubby-joe
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Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2020 4:58 pm
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Re: Finally some success roller furling

Post by bubby-joe »

OK to mount to the boat first I cross drilled the mount tube, axle nut and the axle then locked with a SS cotter pin to lock axle nut and tube as one then cut a slot in the tube to mount where the forestay cable mounted.
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