Furlers - Hood vs. CDI
I installed the Hood "Seafurl" on my O'Day 222. (I'm unsure about the difference between the Hood SeaFLEX vs. Hood SeaFURL.) On a previous boat I had the CDI. If I could turn back time, I would install the CDI on the 222 instead of the Hood furler. I now have learned that jib halyard tension affects the friction in the upper swivel of the Hood. It's touchy to get it right -- tight enough for good sail shape, but not too tight to make it difficult to furl. Note that halyard tension does not affect upper and lower bearing load on the CDI. The other problem with Hood is that, out of the box, the connection at the bow stem is not easy, and therefore bad for mast raising and lowering. Again, the CDI design is better here. (I modified the Hood to retain the forestay when the furler is disconnected from the stem. The only problem that I had with the CDI on my other boat was that the lower swivel bearing seemed to have excessive friction. If I had the ball bearing model, this would not have been a problem. Therefore, from experience, I'd highly recommend the CDI, with ball bearings, instead of the Hood.
