The old docklines were 4 short lengths of unmanageable dry 3/4″ 3-strand nylon; our new lines are 6 40′ lengths of 5/8″ 3-strand nylon. I bought 4 blue bumpers to supplement our deflated old ineffectual white ones.

The old docklines were 4 short lengths of unmanageable dry 3/4″ 3-strand nylon; our new lines are 6 40′ lengths of 5/8″ 3-strand nylon. I bought 4 blue bumpers to supplement our deflated old ineffectual white ones.

The Profurl has sealed bearings and supposedly cannot be serviced (throw it away and buy another is the policy among riggers). I found a site on the internet that explains how to do it, what parts you need, and what tools you need. I am very thankful to Andrew Bray for posting this information, and also Chris Zinger who wrote up super detailed instructions (available through Andrew Bray via his website). Without their pioneering efforts on this project, we would never have been able to do it. They are gentlemen and sailing scholars, and I salute them. The hardest part was pulling the seals out. We tried the methods described, but to no avail. In the end we used the dremel tool to very carefully grind away the steel ring that exists inside the nitrile rubber seals. Fortunately, we did not damage the sealing surface using this method (we had damaged the sealing surface already, before we knew any better, trying to pry back the edge of the seal with an awl to get grease in/out–damn–oh well).