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is removing them a big deal? and what do you mean by disconnecting the forestay "at the hounds"?

No removing spreaders is as easy as removing the nut and bolt on the inboard end and the screw and nut on the outboard. I leave the guides attached to my shrouds and pull them out of the spreaders.

I put these quick disconnects on my spreaders and will be drilling out the outboard ends for some smaller ones.



As for the forestay at the hounds (the upper mount)Its 1 nut and bolt, you already have the lower pin disconnected..

Rookie, I do have an ace up my sleeve. . . Like Scott, I too remove my spreaders. I replaced the bolts with clevis pins and ring dings. Takes around 5-10 seconds each to remove or replace them. This allows the furler to just lay on the deck. I only tie it to the stanchions to keep it in place should the wind get under it at highway speeds. Yes, during hot weather the furler can assume the shape it is held in. (Its only plastic!) I however, never observed mine being warped. Even if it does warp, the same hot weather that created the bend, can, and will, re-straighten it. Not to mention its core is your steel cable forestay under quite a bit of tension.

The bend from the hound to the deck is very gentle. Ive never seen a problem, or I wouldnt travel with it the way I do.

Heres another view from a different angle. This is arriving after 24 hours and 1100 miles.


This is after rigging (1-2 hours after arriving) and getting ready to head out. (Note: Forestay not pinned as I need to go under the bridge)

I use the gin pole (mast raising pole) secured along the mast and the end of the forestay that hangs out over the pulpit. Secure it with a couple of bungies or rope. I also put a bungie around the mast, gin pole and the pulpit rail tying all three together. We have to tote the pole around anyways so now it has its own spot.

I use a boat hook as an extension pole and tie the furler and drum to the boat hook to keep it straight and stop it from bouncing around.

I also wrapped it in a towel, which stops it from scratching the deck and also keeps dirt out of it.

Hornets built a nest in the towel this spring. I hate hornets.

When removing the forestay from the bow chainplate, immediately replace the pin back in the shackle and secure so the pieces are not lost in the shuffle or in transit.
I loosen the lifelines so I can leave the spreaders on wihtout pressure on them.
Support the furled genoa as evenly as possible along the mast.
I use a genoa cover to cover the sail in transit or storage on the trailer. Tie both ends of the cover to the hounds or furler.
Tie around the mast every three to four feet.
Use a pipe, pole, or stick to support the full length of the forestay, which is about five feet in front of the bow pulpit. The weakest part of the furler plastic foil is the sail insert cutout. Do not let it bend at all in this area. I know exactlly how easy it is to break one.
I put a plastic bag around the furler to contain the furling line, then wrap a towel around that, which is in turn wrapped and tied with the halyard tails to assure it stays on.
Be sure the mast is tied down to the boat, even if you use the bolt that the factory provides on the crutch.
I use a magnetic mounted Weather radio/CB antenna on the rear of my truck that is one foot taller than the top end of the mast when on the trailer. It acts as telltale at new launch areas. If the antenna hits going under a bridge, tree branch, phone wire, etc. I stop and forward slowly with an observer if possible.

When removing the forestay from the bow chainplate, immediately replace the pin back in the shackle and secure so the pieces are not lost in the shuffle or in transit.
I loosen the lifelines so I can leave the spreaders on wihtout pressure on them.
Support the furled genoa as evenly as possible along the mast.
I use a genoa cover to cover the sail in transit or storage on the trailer. Tie both ends of the cover to the hounds or furler.
Tie around the mast every three to four feet.
Use a pipe, pole, or stick to support the full length of the forestay, which is about five feet in front of the bow pulpit. The weakest part of the furler plastic foil is the sail insert cutout. Do not let it bend at all in this area. I know exactlly how easy it is to break one.
I put a plastic bag around the furler to contain the furling line, then wrap a towel around that, which is in turn wrapped and tied with the halyard tails to assure it stays on.
Be sure the mast is tied down to the boat, even if you use the bolt that the factory provides on the crutch.
I use a magnetic mounted Weather radio/CB antenna on the rear of my truck that is one foot taller than the top end of the mast when on the trailer. It acts as telltale at new launch areas. If the antenna hits going under a bridge, tree branch, phone wire, etc. I stop and forward slowly with an observer if possible.

I keep my boat on a lift. When I pull the boat to go on a trip I usually drop the mast before heading to the boat ramp. I tried extensions but didn't like motoring to the boat ramp with a couple of feet of furler sticking out like a battering ram.

I found it easiest to disconnect the furler from the mast, pull it up so it doesn't stick out beyond the bow and then lash the furler tightly to the mast.

Harrison's picture reminded me of when I was delivering a Mac, and I had to make a stop in Madison, WI.
The only place I could find to park with the boat was in a UW faculty parking lot.
When I came back I had seven parking tickets because I parked across seven spaces.

Seven Univeristy parking tickets?? Thats a good start on wallpaper..

I got a parking ticket at my alma mater (an unnamed Ivy League college in upstate NY) while visiting to arrange a lecture chair for my departed advisor.

They sent me to collections...they finally ended it when I started mailing the collection notice in the alumni contribution envelope.

For wallpaper I have quite an accumulation of old charts.

I haven't towed mine yet, but I like Normo's idea. Just unhook the furler from the mast pull it up and secure it to the mast.
Does anyboby else use this method? If so what luck

Sloop.....
the adjusters are put together to make an "over-center" lever and extension for tightening down the fore-stay/furler and for extending it higher off the deck to be able to see under the Genoa when unrolled.

The tang or chainplate up front has two holes... the adjuster assembly sticking out in front is a lever which is pivoted on the tang's rear hole, the furler drum shackle is attached to the top of the adjuster assembly part sticking up and back, (easy to do.... no struggling) and then the lever is pushed down to tighten the furler stay to a predetermined correct tightness, by pinning the lever down at the tang's front hole (there is a BIG headed pin visible there)
At the pivot hole, the rear one on the tang, there is a large pin which also carries a shackle for... well that is another mod... never mind.
Anyway this rig has worked great for almost two years. It is plenty strong, and acutally used two fastening points to the tang, if one pin should ever come out, the other one will hold the mast from coming down. It's all made out of MacParts, but some hole fileing is needed to make the holes line up (in the lever) with the tang holes.

the other mod... mentioned above, is the setup for a hank-on jib wire and related rig, to allow use of a hank-on jib of whatever size, benind the furler without taking down the furler - no interference as long as the furler is left rolled up and its sheets kept out of the way. The hank-0n jib is completely independant, and its wire is also kept below in storage when only using the furler headsail. excuse thread digression.

Catigale wrote:They sent me to collections...they finally ended it when I started mailing the collection notice in the alumni contribution envelope.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall when they opened that...

I live for those virtual moments....