Kiss the thrust bearing good bye.
Thanks to Stringy and all the folks on this forum for the brilliant ideas on roller furling.
I was looking for a way to avoid the thrust bearing and here is my solution which works quite smoothly.
Parts List
(1) 7/8" multi-gage nylon domed glide (fits 3/4" hole)
(1) 7/8" bimini jaw slide
(1) Stainless Steel or Plastic pad eye w/ machine screws, washers & nylon lock nuts
3/16" nylon furling line
Firstly the plug in the bottom of the mast is flat .. too much drag for a smooth spin. I replaced it with a multi-gage nylon dome glide, those you find on patio furniture. They are available at many patio supply companies online for about 50 cents (shipping is more than the part). The domed plug spins feely in the mast tube.
using a butter knife work the flat plug out of the mast
insert the new domed plug into the mast (use a multi-gage plug)
Use the same 7/8" jaw slide as in Stringy's method notched for the sail bungee. The slide has to be set higher on the mast to spin clear of the revolution hatch. I found adding two twists to the sail bungee and sliding the mast through the loops before the sail sleeve then clip the bungee on the slide tightens the sail to the mast thus making it easier to rotate in the furl & unfurl.
I ran the furling line through a pad eye I bolted in front of the round hatch and then up through the cleat and tied a knot in the end to keep the furling line from coming out of the cleat. Once furled simply cleat off the line.
I run the main sheet through a block attached behind the rear hatch through pad eyes along the gunnel to a cam cleat.
The system works great.
A little dry silicone spray could be used too on the mast bottom but mine spins freely enough without it, again the twists in the bungee make a
BIG difference.
Revo