I have a CDI furler on my Catalina 22 that I installed myself. The CDI furler has a single piece luff extrusion. When shipped, the manufacturer winds this luff extrusion into a coil. After the recipient carefully unwinds this coil that can easily spring open as it is like a clock spring coil, one must rewind the luff extrusion in the opposite direction. The luff extrusion must sit rewound in this opposite direction for about 24 hours. This mitigates the effect of the luff extrusion sitting wound in one direction when shipped. The reason many CDI furlers then have a crooked shape is due to failing to rewind the luff extrusion properly and let it sit in that rewound position for about 24 hours. My CDI furler is almost perfectly straight because of my care in this first step. Further, it has been my experience that many with furlers do not have a practical fashion to check forestay tension, which for furlers must be high. I personally feel that besides the issue described above, that insufficient forestay tension also may contribute to a bent CDI furler luff extrusion, or at least, allows bends to remain while a more tight forestay may help to eliminate them. Go ahead, ask anyone who has a furler how he checks his forestay tension. Trying to do it by the backstay does not really work. For my discussion about this, please see my response to a question about new sails for a Catalina 25 entitled “Not so simple an answer” over on the Small Boats section here. Nevertheless, the CDI furler does have the least pin to pin deduction of just about any furler, which translates into the ability to have the greatest jib luff length and therefore most powerful sail. This aspect of the pin to pin deduction for some reason never comes into discussions about different furlers, yet it is a highly important consideration. For a small boat like the Catalina 22, the CDI furler with its internal halyard makes much sense. As a furler will harm sailing performance, I see no reason to spend more money on a more expensive brand that will only permit a smaller maximum luff anyway. However, the CDI furler can really use some modifications. One can see my modifications at the link listed below. I am modifying the tack fitting still further, and I hope to update my site with this change soon.
