Home Made furling system

[Eric Rauscher]

I would like to know if there are plans out there for making your own furling system for a Hunter 25. It seems relatively simple in concept, but I would like to know if anyone has done it or has plans or info that would help. I am not racing the boat, so I don't need the absolute most perfect system.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

furling

Unless you know what exactly you are doing, I strongly suggest buying one. A simple system is the CDI or Cruising Design. You can go through the How Store for purchase. You will need to send the sail off and of course suggest the 150 genoa which will need a sunbrella cover and #6 luff tape. You will need to advise which side of the boat your furler will go down either port or starboard so the sailolft will put the cover on the appropiate side.Crazy Dave

 

[Dick]

PVC

Wish I could remember just where I saw it. Might have been in the Trailer Sailer archives or somewhere like that. There was a whold article and pictures on how someone had made a furler out of PVC pipe and other PVC parts. Good luck surching. Try searches like "PVC furler", ect.

 

[Steve Dion]

How much money are you going to save

if it does not work?I would be concerned that this thing would not work at the most inoppurtune time. You know, it jams and you cannot drop the sail either.Like Dave sayz, get yourself an inexpensive CDI unit. You can probably get an older one at the used gear shop or from ebay for less than you can make one!

 

[Pops]

What I did

What I did was to put (hand Woven) nets on the forward life lines, and then installed a jib down haul. With the auto tiller I have all the time in the world to go forward to put the sail in the bag, or re-hoist it.

 

[Frank]

PVC Furling instructions are on the Compac Owners

Website. There is also a link to the article on the Trailer Sailor Bulletin Board. So far I know of two folks that have them and really like them. For $10 or $20 it might be a fun experiment. I met one sailor who plans to take his current RF system off and build the pvc one because it is so light. That says a lot. However, a 25 foot boat has much greater loads than a 16 foot boat. If the system failed I don't know how you'd get the sail down without dropping the mast.Every Hunter at my local lake and most other boats have CDI furling systems. That says a whole lot about what it reliable.