Roller Furling upgrade

[MitchK]

Have any of you upgraded the foresail to a roller furling setup. If so, which furler did you go with, and what size sail did you install. We plan on upgrading our N28-2 from hanked on foresails to roller this coming spring. Unfortunately, we al ready have a Jib. Lapper, and a Genoa set up with hanks. All three sails are in good condition, with the lapper in like new condition, and the bag is marked 1985! Doesn't look like it was ever used more than once or twice. Anyway, any experience on a roller furling upgrade would be greatly appreciated.

Mitch

 

[Justin_NSA]

Tons of threads on this in the archive. You will have to modify your sails and probably your forestay.

 

[SailormanDan]

Bacon Sails recommended the CDI Flexible Furler when I had them put together a new genoa and furler for me to replace my original jib. I went with the FF6, has the ball bearing upgrade. Your current sails can be converted by a sail loft to fit a furler if they are otherwise still in good shape.

 

[BobM]

Unless your sail is pretty new it is more cost effective to go with a new one. That is because in addition to the luff tape you need sun protection. By the time you modify an old sail you are over half the price of new. You can add sun protection yourself if you have a machine and are handy. Sailrite and perhaps this site sell an adhesive backed material. The adhesive makes it easy to apply, but you are better off if you sew around it afterwards too. Search for adhesive backed fabric or insignia adhesive backed fabric.

 

[Joe]

I'd get a higher level furling, reefing system that features a rigid, twin groove foil. You can convert all your head sails to luff tape if you like, allowing you many options ... racing, cruising, daysailing...offshore or coastal. My choice would be ProFurl. But Harken, Furlex, Schaeffer, etc., all make a quality product suitable for any type of conditions.

 

[Ned Ludd]

What's your budget and intended use? I purchased and installed an Alado furler on my boat this spring, a very budget minded unit. I also purchased a luff tape conversion kit and sock kit from Sail Rite, did the whole project myself for about $1500.00.

There are definitely pros and cons to how I tackled this project but a 41 year old boat has lots of projects an one needs to spread the boat budget as far as possible.

 

[MitchK]

The budget for this upgrade is approx. $2500 . Due to the age of the sails, travel costs, and cost of getting them modified for the roller furling system, I am factoring in a new sail as well as the cost of the furler into the equation. I have an overall budget of approx. $4000-45000 for the furler, headsail and a new mainsail. The sails are currently serviceable, but as best I can tell, these sails were on the boat approx. 15 years ago when the person we purchased the boat from bought it. So the actual age and usage history is unknown. I know the sail loft who made two of them (Jib and Genoa-McKibbins Sails) are out of business. The lapper (Schauttauer ) is in like new condition. However, the sail bag it is in is dated 1985. (1985 vs 2017 sail design and materials?) I do know the main is pretty dirty, and will be removed this winter for a good cleaning. I really need to bring all the sails home and spread them out for a through inspection/cleaning. Another question, is do I attempt to clean them myself, or take them to a sail loft for cleaning, and repair of any wear items that are identified at that time. We plan on keeping the boat for a number of years so the one of the questions is do we invest in new sails or service the old and replace sometime in the future. I guess it becomes a cost benefit question. At what point does the cost of repairing the old sails no longer make financial sense? At this point, I'm figuring around 50% of the cost of new sails. This includes getting the sails to a sail loft (none locally-Portland, OR, or Seattle, WA are the closest--approx. 4hr drive away) and the actual sail loft service costs.

Mitch

 

[jssailem]

Schauttauer

The Schauttauer boys are great. They did work on my genoa. They can send the sail out for cleaning to a place I think is in Port Townsend. Then they will repair the sail. They did a great job at a fair price. I will go back to them again. They will also evaluate your sails and if they think the cost of cleaning and repair is waiting your money, they will tell you. Old school style that appealed to my thinking.

 

[MitchK]

Good info on Schauttauer. I will keep them and your recommendation in mind. At this point, I would prefer to go to someplace in Portland, as we have relatives (one who shares the sailing bug) there, and can make weekend out of it for minimal cost. But Schautuauer is not out of the running at this point.

Thanks
Mitch

 

[Ned Ludd]

Since you have a fairly decent budget a furler/headsail combo sounds like the ticket.

 

[jssailem]

Understand the convenience of Portland. I do not have any experience with the two lofts in the Portland area. (North Sails Oregon and Banks Sails Northwest). I met the North's salesman at the boat show a couple of years back. Nice person. I got the impression there business is about selling new sails which are manufactured somewhere (think Asia) and then installing. No business dealings with them.
Online you can also reach a business back east (think Pennsylvania) that cleans and reconditions sails. They have a loyal following. Process takes some 4-6 weeks.
Good luck.

 

[BobM]

Sailcare will clean repair and re-resin your sails for much cheaper than new. A friend did the main on his full batten Freedom 28 and was pleased.

 

[jssailem]

Sailcare... That is the online one I was thinking about.

 

[simpsoned]

You might consider a Profurl with two loading channels on the furler. It has a fairly thick main extension (about 3/4 inch) and is very durable...you should also consider replacing the headstay if it is the original. I have had one on my N-30 for about 5 years and no issues at all with performance.