Considering cheap furlers ;D

[Doug]

But does it feef?

If the haylard does not go to winch it does not have enough force to reef, it only furls. Very big difference. It has nothing to do with quality ,riggers or any one who is not off shore in a breeze. If you try to reef a low cost furler they leave a lot fuller (bagging)in jib than the other typ. The result is a lot more heel a lot and not a lot of speed. This is still a lot better than changing a hanked on jib on a pitching deck but not a reefed jib. As the wind kicks up into 20-30 knots or more you need to be keep boat from heeling or sailing on its ears. A flat sail does this, but you need a lot of haylard tension to get there. Be carefull I don't think a some of the other posters have. You get what you pay for. CDI are very good at getting you off the foredeck but will not make a 20 mile beat into a 20 knots breeze much fun.

 

[r.w.landau]

Doug, what are you talking about?

The CDI furls just like the rest of them. ALL furling sails mis shape the sail as they furl/reef. That has to do with the sail not the furler. I don't care what halyard tension you have.Can you explain why you think the CDI would not do a 20 mile beat in 20 mile/hour winds? The CDI furles/reefs the sail just like any of the other furlers. The sail wraps around the foil. The drum and furling line keep it furled/reefed. If you sail with one head sail and are not going to change it for every wind condition, the CDI out performs most.If you want to change your headsail under different conditions, buy a dual track foil furler.r.w.landau

 

[Ross]

R.W.Landau, the bearings

are not corrosion resistant. They fail with predictable regularity and results. My friends are committed to replacing CDI furlers with more reliable systems or else they refuse to work on them

 

[OdayDave]

Don't need bearings

Chris,I have an O'Day 222 and have the CDI FF2. I was advised against getting the BB add-on for the CDI from a friend who sails his Precision 23 with a CDI furler (FF3 I believe). He has had the CDI without BB's for 8 seasons and it has worked flawlessly for him. (See the Precision owners web site for some details on roller furling. I would note that it pales in comparision to Sailboatowners.com). Also check the archives on this site. I've had my CDI for 2 seasons, and it has also worked great. Given the loads on my sail, even in heavy winds, I have never had any problems furling the sail. In addition to sailing on an inland lake, I also sail occasionally on Lake Michigan and on Green Bay and have been out in close 20 knots of wind on occasion. In those conditions, I put a reef in the main and then furl most of the jib. No problems getting the furler to work well even when adjusting the jib in those winds (I typically depower somewhat to make minor adjustments). All in all, I have been very happy with the CDI and would recommend it without reservations, but I don't think you need the BB's for a 23 foot boat.Daves/v Hakuna MatataO'Day 222

 

[r.w.landau]

You don't need to chose the bearing

option and by the way they are non corrosive.I sail with an FF4 no bearings.Ross, Name a system that is more reliable.Besides they are so simple that there is nothing to repair.r.w.landau

 

[Peter]

CDI

I've got a CDI on my boat. The CDI was installed in 1985, and works extremely well. It's not as smooth as some of the new units when furling, but given that the system is so simple, there's also nothing to go wrong. 20 years and functioning well, I bet you most other brands would have needed repairs or new bearings by now.

 

[Bob]

A couple of corrections

My Schaefer came with a halyard retainer, but I have found it to work well without it, because of the lead angle of the halyard. It furls relatively easily with the forestay tensioned and the halyard somewhat eased. And it employs luff tape, so the foil is not 'point loaded.' The torlon balls in the upper swivel are open to the elements, so rainwater washes them and they are easy to spray with dry lube (when the sail is dropped.) Several years ago I called Schaefer about ordering a furler part I had broken from my last boat, which I bought used. They sent me the part, gratis, and paid the shipping too. That helped me make my decision to buy a SnapFurl, as well as Practical Sailor's choosing it as a best buy.

 

[Mark]

furler

Man, this thread sure is getting some action. A friend of mine has a CDI on his Catalina 30 and it works pretty well. That said, the halyard cleat on the side of the drum broke off shortly after it was installed and the metal spool cover got caught on a shroud and got bent. CDI replaced the broken drum very quickly, at no cost I believe. One thing we have trouble with is luff tension on the headsail; it’s hard to get the luff smooth when the wind pipes up. What we do if we are racing is run a “cunningham” from the tack to the stem fitting to get better shape. You have to remember to undo it before furling.Not sure about the point loading comment on the Snapfurl, mine has a round foil that accepts a #5 luff tape. Also, once the Snapfurl is setup correctly it has no tendency to wrap the jib halyard, you do have to watch out for a loose spinnaker halyard though!

 

[Mike]

Very interestingq

I have a CDI on my Oday 23. I have used it without incident for three seasons and recommend it wholeheartedly. I reef and furl my 135 Genoa with it. I do not have the BB package. It seems that the chief complaint against the CDI in this thread is that the luff tension is not adjustable. This will make a difference in racing, but almost no difference in cruising. I once had a question about the unit and called the company. I asked a question about the unit which implied a mild criticism of the design, and the CDI employee got a little defensive. However, he quickly apologized and explained it was because he was the designer of the unit! He and I had a nice talk, and he sent me a cleat to mount on the side of the unit for free. I did like that: call up for free advice and get the designer. My point here is: CDI has great customer service, and (as my new friend at CDI told me) the "CD" in CDI stands for "Cruising Designs". This is why the unit is designed as is; it sacrifices some sail control and performance for reliability. Nuff said.