Facnor Furler - Difficulty Furling

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   S&J - do you have similar geometry and equipment as on the 430 - under deck FACNOR furler, and self tacker etc? 
I looked online at a couple of H458 and they appear to have an above deck furler. Totally different animal as the under deck furler requires a couple of almost 90 degree turns in the line before reaching the stanchion blocks. 

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Issywa Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commander Joined: 13 April 2022 Location: Seattle Status: Offline Points: 143	Post Options Post Reply Quote Issywa Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 16 December 2024 at 02:07
	S&J - do you have similar geometry and equipment as on the 430 - under deck FACNOR furler, and self tacker etc? I looked online at a couple of H458 and they appear to have an above deck furler. Totally different animal as the under deck furler requires a couple of almost 90 degree turns in the line before reaching the stanchion blocks.

S&J Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral Joined: 30 August 2014 Location: Perth WA / Med Status: Offline Points: 1371	Post Options Post Reply Quote S&J Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 16 December 2024 at 02:53
	Correct. I have an above deck drum which simplifies things. However I'd still advise reducing friction by using a thinner line and trying the downwind furling technique as there is no load on the sail this way Good luck!
	H458 #159 Primal Mediterranean cruising

Mark Pullen Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commander Joined: 20 July 2022 Location: London, UK Status: Offline Points: 90	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mark Pullen Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 April 2025 at 20:40
	I've a Facnor on my 350. 14 years old. I experienced trouble with it over two years, with it eventually jamming completely after wintering in Greece. I tried many things including rinsing and loosening the backstay. I applied the winch occasionally, but this has its dangers, as you can inadvertently damage the forestay. For instance, if the halyard is wrapped around the forestay at the head, which can feel similar to a problem with the drum. I contacted Factor, who explained it was probably the age of the unit. They also said the drum was not a serviceable part. There is one post on a site (I'm afraid I have lost the link), where someone successfully services the drum, but to do so takes some skill, equipment and know-how. In the end I replaced the drum and had the marina technicians fit it. It works perfectly and can easily be sweated by hand in all conditions that I've experienced so far - up to Force 7. I brought the old drum back to the UK and tried to get into the workings. However, the seal washers top and bottom were rusted into the drum and nose. In the end curiosity got the better of me and I took an angle grinder to the drum. The result was interesting. Seems that over the years the seal washers top and bottom had been slightly damaged, allowing water and grime into the bearings, spacers and circlips. As a result the seals and circlips were rusted into the side walls of the drum, and the bearings had started to come apart. An critical step in servicing is removing the circlips, which in my case would have been impossible. So, fortunately it was a write-off. A key sign of trouble is damage to the rubber seals at the top and bottom, particularly the top seal. It is possible to loosen the top plate sufficiently to view the top seal without removing the drum from the forestay. If this is damaged and the drum is tight, it might well be time to consider replacing the drum. If the other components are sound, you can purchase the drum and nose only. Swapping the old one out. You will need to detach the forestay at the bow. In my case, for an LS160 the cost was around £900 plus fitting. Edited by Mark Pullen - 14 April 2025 at 08:43
	Mark

Issywa Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commander Joined: 13 April 2022 Location: Seattle Status: Offline Points: 143	Post Options Post Reply Quote Issywa Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 April 2025 at 02:27
	Great information - I’ll check it out but sounds like some new parts are in my not so distant future.

Dogscout Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Captain Joined: 10 July 2017 Location: Wandering About Status: Offline Points: 207	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dogscout Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 April 2025 at 23:44
	I winch my furling line without much care. I have never been able to comfortably furl my jib by hand. I have done it but it is a work out that is about equivalent to furling the asymmetrical spin. So I use the winch on the furling line. Like many I learned to furl and unfurl by hand on many boats. When buying the 430 I was amazed at what it took to pull in the furling line. I researched it, inspected the top swivel as I had read that it often was the cause. My top swivel is tight but spins freely. I looked at the furling line friction and routing and it is not ideal. In the end I realized that I was worried too much about it and I now use the winch. yes I am careful about the forestay binding, but dam that's a lot of stainless that I would have to rail on to mess up.
	Adventure awaits

Aussieangus Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commander Joined: 03 December 2019 Location: sydney Status: Offline Points: 93	Post Options Post Reply Quote Aussieangus Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 June 2025 at 10:54
	ive sprayed WD 40 and silicone on the top but not the bottom furler. However i will do so mine is a 430e 2008 model and because theres so many curves in the furling its pretty hard to furl unless its low wind.
	Sydney Australia GODS COUNTRY

Issywa Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commander Joined: 13 April 2022 Location: Seattle Status: Offline Points: 143	Post Options Post Reply Quote Issywa Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 August 2025 at 17:08
	So to close out my post, I finally replaced the Facnor furler with a new Harken Mark IV unit. Amazing difference - I can now furl by hand! The rigger had both units sitting side by side on his work bench. The top swivel on the Facnor had to be manually rotated whereas the Harken would spin freely. In hindsight, I should have done this at the time I bought the boat. Next up - new standing rigging and an adjustable back stay.



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