Any downside with going to the optional larger, 5/32" headstay.

[krum]

I'm about to replace components of the cdi furler. Any pluses or minuses going with the larger headstay? eg. the cdi luff.

[pitchpolehobie]

I upgraded this spring with the forestay bwyachts. No tangible difference so far.no known downsides.
.

[Stickinthemud57]

Slightly more weight aloft, but a negligible amount.

[leefrankpierce]

Have been using the larger, no difference.
Added the ball bearing. Guess it helped, hard to tell, it just works.

[krum]

I guess what I'm really asking is will the larger head stay solve a problem I've yet to have with the original sized head stay ?

[pitchpolehobie]

Good question... i bought my X used and never removed my forestay from furler to inspect it completely. I decided when I upgraded to go w the thicker rigging as its one of the few single points of failure that could quickly injure people in the cockpit. Turns out my original forestay was in perfect condition...Id still buy the upgraded one again.

[trswem]

Slightly more weight aloft, but a negligible amount.

This was my thought too, so I went to look at the weight difference. Looks like it's less than a single pound when comparing 1/8 to 5/32, I would have expected a lot more!

[leefrankpierce]

I guess what I'm really asking is will the larger head stay solve a problem I've yet to have with the original sized head stay ?

Do not think it solves any problem you do not yet have however....
Having trailered my rig a lot, and previous owners also trailering... lots of side forces on the forestay during trailering.

Replacing mine in a "Might as well change" effort.
Found my original had several strands broken and twisted down inside my furler where I could not see it.
Was def. heading for a headache.
Boats that are trailered, I suggest removing the furler once and a while just to inspect the entire forestay.

[TrailerTrash]

I guess what I'm really asking is will the larger head stay solve a problem I've yet to have with the original sized head stay ?

Do not think it solves any problem you do not yet have however....
Having trailered my rig a lot, and previous owners also trailering... lots of side forces on the forestay during trailering.

Replacing mine in a "Might as well change" effort.
Found my original had several strands broken and twisted down inside my furler where I could not see it.
Was def. heading for a headache.
Boats that are trailered, I suggest removing the furler once and a while just to inspect the entire forestay.

Good advice..... cost is minimal and weight aloft is the only downside. Something is always going to be the failure point so you shift it to somewhere else.

[Stickinthemud57]

Here's something that I encountered, but won't apply to you unless you use twist-on hanks on your foresail(s). I ordered a sail and though it was advertised as having bronze piston-type hanks, came with plastic twist-on hanks. I decided to give them a try but they came off too easily when dropping the sail. Come to find that they were sized for 5/32nds cable and mine was the original 1/8th at the time. The dealer covered the cost of replacements.

[Starscream]

Good question... i bought my X used and never removed my forestay from furler to inspect it completely. I decided when I upgraded to go w the thicker rigging as its one of the few single points of failure that could quickly injure people in the cockpit. Turns out my original forestay was in perfect condition...Id still buy the upgraded one again.

You can eliminate the single-point-of-failure problem with a backup forestay. It was easy to install, cheap, allows single-handed mast raising w/o MRS, and helps pin the furler. You need a new mast hound, rivets and rivet gun, a turnbuckle, a quick-release shackle and about 10 minutes for the project. It's very convenient and gives some peace of mind. You could use a light dyneema line if you're worried about weight aloft, but it really makes no difference. You can see it attached to the bow pulpit in this photo:

[pitchpolehobie]

Good question... i bought my X used and never removed my forestay from furler to inspect it completely. I decided when I upgraded to go w the thicker rigging as its one of the few single points of failure that could quickly injure people in the cockpit. Turns out my original forestay was in perfect condition...Id still buy the upgraded one again.

You can eliminate the single-point-of-failure problem with a backup forestay. It was easy to install, cheap, allows single-handed mast raising w/o MRS, and helps pin the furler. You need a new mast hound, rivets and rivet gun, a turnbuckle, a quick-release shackle and about 10 minutes for the project. It's very convenient and gives some peace of mind. You could use a light dyneema line if you're worried about weight aloft, but it really makes no difference. You can see it attached to the bow pulpit in this photo:

Is this what you used? https://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/3453-1v0.htm

How far above the original one did you place yours to keep the new stay parallel to the original forestay?

How did you attach it to the pulpit?

[Starscream]

Is this what you used? https://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/3453-1v0.htm

How far above the original one did you place yours to keep the new stay parallel to the original forestay?

How did you attach it to the pulpit?

Yes, that's the exact mast hound that I used.

I can measure it tonight, but it was about a foot and a half.

At the pulpit the order of operations is: forestay ends in a bowline knot to a snap-shackle, then a turnbuckle, then another snap-shackle attached to the mast-carrier bolt. You could just do a turnbuckle to a snap-shackle at the mast carrier bolt, depending on how you raise your mast. The turnbuckle really helps with pinning the furler: you can crank it down tight, pin the forestay so easily, then loosen it to its backup role.

I single-hand the mast without a MRS, so when I'm rigging, I remove both snap shackles and turnbuckle, and add a dockline extension to the backup forestay, and run the extended line around the mast carrier bolt and back to the mast base, where I'm standing, so that when the mast is vertical I can just pick up that line and tie it off to a stanchion so that the mast stays up while I walk the furler drum forward to pin it. When I de-rig the mast, I do the same thing in reverse.

If you zoom in, you can see the hound positioning that I used. I would actually recommend getting a long drill bit and using nut-and-bolt system to attach the hound, rather than the rivets that I used.