Help/advice with Spinnaker rigging, launching/retrieving and sailing..

[Guy Rossey]

This is exactly the piece you need, Graham, a halyard crane! I bent it over the top of the mast inverting the middle leg along the mast and screwed it in. It survived several afternoons of F5 crosswinds without any sign of fatigue. When back home, I will post a picture.

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Catchando Bay ( BR20 #48)

[Guy Rossey]

Here the picture of the back of the mast:

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Catchando Bay (BR20 #48)

[Graham W]

Thanks Guy - I'll give it a go.

[Graham W]

Guy,

Now that winter is over, I've been doing a bit of metal-bashing with the halyard crane and am not at all convinced that the middle leg that extends over the top is strong enough.  When I tried to bend the leg down the back of the mast, the metal sheared off quite easily (photo below).  From your photos, you have obviously managed to bend yours without breaking it but I wonder how it would stand up to a sudden strong gust of wind on your code 0.

I think it is quite easily fixed with a short length of stainless tube with an inside diameter of 5mm and an outside diameter of 8mm.  I sheathed the middle leg in this and bent, bashed and drilled it to shape, as in the second photo.  As well as adding extra strength, the back part with the screw hole can be made as long as needed.  If I think the side legs are also a bit weak, I may do the same to them.

[Guy Rossey]

Graham,
thanks for alerting on this weakness. I checked on the spot ( 11 pm!) my mast and the crane ( asleep!) and didn't find any sign of weakness or change after now almost a year of sailing. But is that something one would be able to detect visually? It might be piece dependent, enough a reason to advocate the modification you did. I program it in ! Thanks!

[Graham W]

Guy,

The weak spot is just above the flattened end of the middle leg. I thought it might be bad luck, so after I broke the first one, I bought a second one (five months after the first and from a different shop) and it broke again in exactly the same place!

There was no warning that it was going to break - it happened quite quickly and with the second one, I had only just started the bend when it broke. The break had a sort of undramatic crumbly feel to it when it happened, which made me think that it was a weakness in the metal caused by the manufacturing process.  Given what I was doing to it, I don't feel that I can complain to RWO about their product. Photo below.

I bought a short length of the reinforcing metal tube on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221303744244?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

[Peter Cockerton]

I have installed a code zero on a furler on my BR20 after having changed the spinnaker pole for a more rigid aluminum one. It really works well and it is very handy singlehanded ! Also, I then somehow feel a  better equilibrium when sailing.

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Catchando Bay (BR20 #48)

Guy

Any chance of an update on your code zero experience now, i guess it's been used in anger a few times since this post.

Following a light airs sail the other day and deliberation on whether to fly the AS or not, effort of rigging against time on that point of sail i am going to make the expense of fitting a code zero with a continuous furler the next project.

I want to keep the self tacking jib as is and fly the code zero from the spin pole as per your arrangement.

Questions :

Does the furler always furl the sail tightly without having a bag of sail flapping about ?

Can you leave the furled sail hoisted when not in use without it unfurling and subsequent flogging ?

Does the furler line need tension on both sides of the sheets before it grips the drum when furling ?

Do you have to cleat off the sheets when sail furled to prevent unfurling or does the furler have brake/ ratchet inbuilt ?

Apologies for questions but i want to copy your purchases to make the process as foolproof as possible, on that note will the sailmaker have the information to make one for me if i quote your purchase details, hope you don,t mind if i do this.

Peter Cockerton

[Guy Rossey]

My pleasure Peter!

I think that the code zero is probably the best buy I did for the BayRaider. I use it as soon as I can up to F4. And I confirm the feeling I had before of a pleasant equilibrium of the boat under that sail.

As for your questions :

"Does the furler always furl the sail tightly without having a bag of sail flapping about "

The furler brings the sail correctly in. If you need it firmer ( for securing overnight for example), you control the tightness with the sheet which you hold back as you are furling.
Beware, the forestay of the code zero always needs proper tightness to furl and unfurl.
...
"Can you leave the furled sail hoisted when not in use without it unfurling and subsequent flogging"

Yes, when sailing I never had the problem of the code zero unfurling. The sheets are secured however ( a knot just before the block). At night at the harbor I secure it with a bungee in addition.
...
"Does the furler line need tension on both sides of the sheets before it grips the drum when furling ?"

No, you pull it relatively easily depending on the points of sail. Downwind, the wind will help unfurling . Closer to the wind ( and I am surprised how close it can go ) you help it unfurling (one hand) by pulling on the sheet (second hand).
...
"Do you have to cleat off the sheets when sail furled to prevent unfurling or does the furler have brake/ ratchet inbuilt ?"
This is still the weaker point of my setup. I have pulleys so far (picture). They work well but sometimes I mix the branches of the loop up and hesitate which one to pull on.  I might switch to cleats. I refrained so far from it because I don’t like to make too many holes and have fixed rigging on the gunwales.

I hope you will experience as much pleasure as I do with the code zero, Peter.

Guy
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Catchando Bay (BR#48)

[Peter Cockerton]

Guy

Thanks for feedback, all positive, great to hear.
OK if i contact your sail maker and mention your name and hopefully he will have the pattern of the sail.

Peter

[Guy Rossey]

Of course you can, Peter.
Here their coordinates which I put on 'estimate' (devis):
http://www.vegavoiles.com/voilerie/devis.html
If you want I can alert them of your message.
Guy
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Catchando Bay (BR#48)

[David Hudson]

Reading the enormous input with great interest....

As they say "KISS". I will be including a striker line on my pretty sail, symmetric or asymmetric.

A patch at central mid-height allows a striker line to be attached to to kite and makes striking very easy. Just haul it in.

I hope this is useful.

[Peter Cockerton]

Contacted your sail maker and response back first thing this morning, they have the pattern and have quoted a price based on that. I have to consider the luff length of the code 0, my mast is not for a gaff rigged main; it's a one piece hollow wooden mast for a Bermudan main, I have a second fitting for my AS approx. 70 cm above the one for the main sail which I will use for the code 0.. Reading up on code 0 they reckon to have the luff length as long as possible with the foot at 50% of the Luff length. So I need to measure the length from this second mast fitting to the end of the extended carbon fibre pole and subtract the furler drum plus a little. Can I ask when you get a minute for the length of the luff on your Code 0.
Also Graham raised a good point on the design of the corner strengthening method to help with the furling, can’t remember how he described it but the strengthening webbing should be radial from the corner to allow it to roll more easier rather than a solid patch which causes “bat wings” I think he said, did this sailmaker design your head fixing in this manner, and as such the head and tack furl reasonably well.
Appreciate you help on this before I place my order. The price by the way is 380 Euros, the web site makes reference to a discount at present but my French is non- existent so it doesn’t help with placing this order, Google translator has worked well up to now.

David

Good point on the striker, i will consider having one fitted when i have made my mind up whether to have the code 0 on a fulrer or not. Ideally i would like to have a top down furler which i could use for my AS and code 0 but the cost is just to much at around £1100, will keep looking for a second hand one.

Peter

[Guy Rossey]

The point on the radial corner is well taken. My code zero (hauled down on the picture ) when furled  shows like an 'ear' at the top indeed.

The pattern in my case was the following:
A: 560   ( longeur totale y compris un émerillon et ses 2 manilles: 100 et l'emmagasineur et 2 manilles: 110 )
B: 610 jusqu'au taquet arrière
C: 495
D: 610
E: 256

This is a good price, I paid 480,- in Jan 2013.
Guy
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Catchando Bay (BR#48)

[Peter Cockerton]

Guy

Many thanks for the information i will take the measurements for the pattern and send it with the order. Hopefully the price doesn't change if mine requires a different pattern, we shall see.

Peter

[Guy Rossey]

Something I forgot to mention :  when you take the measurements for 'A' be aware that one needs to leave something like 25 cm between the code zero top and the mast top in order to be able to tighten the code zero well, even if the bowsprit is fastened to avoid lifting -which it will do anyhow to a certain extent-.

Guy
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Catchando Bay (BR#48)