Advise on roller furlers needed.....

RAD · Feb 17, 2011

If I were to replace my old reliable CDI unit I would go with a Harken, my old Bristol had hank on jib and I did all this research back then and CDI was the cheapest way to go, can't remember why but I settled on Harken and ended up selling the boat before the upgrade

Mike Turner · Feb 17, 2011

I'd second taking a look at CDI, had one on our 23' yawl and it functioned well. Current boat has a ProFurl. On both we've found it's absolutely critical to follow the manufacturer's specs on the diameter of the furling line; on both boats, prior owners had up-sized the line and we had all sorts of trouble with overrides before we figured it out and changed the lines to the proper diameter. Lots of fun going on on the 5' bowsprit of the schooner, to fix the override so we could roll in the jib.

Mike Turner
Lazyjack 32 schooner "Mary 'Lis"
Mobile Bay, Alabama

Warren Milberg · Feb 17, 2011

I also had a Hood Continuous line furler on my boat when I bought it in 2003. You are right that is not an efficient reefer. I replaced it with a Furlex 200 which is sort of at the pricey end of the market. While I have found the Furlex to be a very high quality unit, I don't care for the enclosed drum and the exit angle for the furling line must be exact to avoid line overwraps. While I don't think that the CDI is of equal quality, everyone I know who has one loves it. If I were to replace the Furlex, I'd look hard at the CDI with the stainless bearing option.

RAD · Feb 17, 2011

Here's a link I found in my favorites on the subject
http://myboatsgear.com/newsletter/2008228.asp

Maine Sail · Feb 17, 2011

NYSail said:
Hello All!

So off to the market.... Schaffer, Hood, Harkin, ProFurl? I want to get a good unit...

Greg,

Just add Furlex to that list and you've got your top producers, all of them being very reliable. Last time I priced them the Harken furlers had the price lead but that always changes. Furlex comes as a complete kit with a new head stay..

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Feb 17, 2011

If you are going to consider CDI, I would suggest you look at the Alado system too. I looked at both when upgrading my C&C 24 and went with the Alado. We used the system for 2 years before we sold the boat and were very satisfied with the unit. It was simpler to maintain then the CDI and the foil was aluminum and not plastic.

RichH · Feb 17, 2011

If you 'push hard' you might want to take a good look at the 'new' Harken reefing furlers. These do a better job for REEFING and can result in a well shaped sail at beyond the normal MAXIMUM 30% 'furl' (and still have decent sail shape) from the others.

At risk when changing furler/reefer manufacturers is the possibility that you may have change the sail's 'continuous support tape' (fits into the furler foil) ... and that may add considerable expense. So, get the dimensional specs for the correct 'continuous support tape' that you HAVE and match that dimension to any future possibility.

BarryL · Feb 17, 2011

Hi Greg,

I was down at the yard today checking on my boat. Yours seems to be fine.

My last boat had a Selden Furlex unit and I loved it. My current boat also has a Hood system and I don't like it. If I were going to replace it I would get another Furlex unit.

BTW, if you get rid of your old Hood unit I could use the parts for spares.

Take care,
Barry

higgs · Feb 17, 2011

I have had both a Hood and a Harken and both performed very well. I am not familiar with the newer CDIs, but the older ones I have seen seem to be better suited for smaller boats.

JoeWhite · Feb 17, 2011

I installed a CDI on my 25.5 Hunter ( it had hank on ). I did not have any problem with it - but the only bad design was that on the drum where the line entered it had very sharp edges and it would cut into the line. I changed the line a few times. Then I glued on a rounded plastic tube along the inside of the drum opening to avoid this problem.

CalebD · Feb 17, 2011

About 7 years ago we got a Furlex 100 unit from Doyle in Huntington. I've been quite happy with its performance. One reason I've been satisfied is that we had a new jib/genny cut at the same time. The new genny has a foam luff strip in it that significantly helps to keep a decent sail shape when furled/reefed in. Plus I know our fore-stay is only 7 years old.
It wasn't cheap but it is still working well.

Joe · Feb 17, 2011

Interesting that the poster asked for opinions on the top level furlers.... and some folks here just keep pushing the CDI... I'm not sure what they are trying to justify but they are never going to talk the CDI up into the class of the premium systems, including the Furlex... so give it up, boys.

Alan · Feb 17, 2011

If your looking for a quality furler that can also handle reefing your headsail I would highly recommend the ProFurl unit. Mine is 18 years old and still works like brand new.
It has a twin luff grove for sail changes, sealed bearings that never need service, and a removable drum for racing. My furling drum is below deck so I can carry decksweepers.
A note about the furling line: if the core is removed from the line that is made up on the drum it will not overide on the drum.