Hi Roger,

Thanks for your note. The furler was on my Nimble 30 when I bought her
about 9 years ago, but I did find one on the Internet. I'm probably going
to have a rigger I know configure it for me. Thanks for confirming what I
thought about the configuration of the halyard at the top of the mast. It's
also good to know that stepping and unstepping the mast doesn't present any
new challenges.

I'll post again if/when I get the Harken installed.

Thanks,
Mark

Boston, MA

2000 R22 *Luna Mia*
1987 Nimble 30 *For Sale*
1982 Com-Pac 16 *For Sale*

On Sat, Nov 14, 2020 at 1:24 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:

> Mark,
>
> Hopefully, you received the Harken instruction manual when you bought your
> furler.  If not, I think I still have mine and can make you a copy.  There
> is some fairly critical geometry that must be satisfied regarding the angle
> the halyard makes from the top swivel to the turning block on the masthead
> when the top swivel is in the sail hoisted position.
>
> Yes there is a separate halyard for the headsail.  Yes you can hoist and
> lower the headsail underway.
>
> Inspect the headsail foil.  The critical things are that it is not bent
> and the luff groove is smooth at each of the joints.  Minor bends can be
> straightened.  Minor roughness can be smoothed out with a file &/or Emory
> cloth.  Otherwise, the section of headsail foil will have to replaced.
>
> The manual will explain how to determine the correct length for the
> headsail foil and the head stay.  As I recall, I had a new head stay built
> vs trying to recycle the OEM head stay.
>
> There is no difference between stepping the mast with the OEM furler and
> the Harken furler.  When the mast is down in the trailering position, the
> Harken furling drum protrudes past the bottom of the mast by a couple of
> feet.  I always felt it was bad practice to drive down the road with the
> weight of the furling drum, control line, and lower swivel cantilevered on
> the headsail foil.  So, I built a furling drum support out of a piece of
> 1-1/2” PVC pipe.  The PVC pipe shoves into the mast and the furling drum is
> Velcro strapped to the pipe.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Nov 13, 2020, at 5:58 PM, Mark Whipple <mark at whipplefamily.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > ?Roger,
> >
> > I have a Harken furler that came off another boat, I think it's a unit 0.
> > The foil had issues with one or more joints but since it was off a 30'
> > boat, the furler can/will be shortened anyway. A few questions:
> >
> > 1. Did you have to make any adjustments when you switched to the Harken?
> I
> > have a CDI furler now and I know you said your first one was the OEM
> > version. 2. With your current furler, you have a halyard running up the
> > mast which has to attach to the upper swivel below where the foil
> connects
> > to the mast, correct?
> > 3. Do you have to do anything different to step/unstep the mast than with
> > the previous furler? I know it was a few years ago when you made that
> > change.
> >
> > I'd love to have the ability to more easily change headsails during the
> > season or to remove the jib at the end of the season. Any thoughts you
> have
> > are appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Mark
> >
> > Boston, MA
> >
> > 2000 R22 *Luna Mia*
> > 1987 Nimble 30 *For Sale*
> > 1982 Com-Pac 16 *For Sale*
> >
> >> On Tue, Oct 20, 2020 at 12:19 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> David,
> >>
> >> I changed the OEM furler to a Harken Unit 0.  This roller furler has
> upper
> >> and lower swivels so that the genoa can make effective use of a foam
> luff
> >> pad for better furled sail shape over a wider dynamic range.  The luff
> foil
> >> is made by joining several extruded aluminum alloy sections vs one
> piece.
> >> I like this system because damaged sections can be replaced.  Harken
> makes
> >> extensive use of Torlon ball bearings on both the upper and lower
> swivels.
> >> Even after 30 seasons of use, my furler still spins as easily as a
> bicycle
> >> wheel.  It has never malfunctioned even once in all those years.
> >>
> >> If you are going to go to the trouble and expense of upgrading your
> roller
> >> furler, get a quality unit.
> >>
> >> Roger Pihlaja
> >> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >>
> >>
> >>
>