Old Schaefer Free Flying Furler

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Steve Braverman

Steve Braverman

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Oct 11, 2004
100
Oday 25 O'Day 25, Cutchogue, NY
I just picked up this old furler unit for not much money. I am looking for an inexpensive way to make my life easier. I contacted Schaefer, and they sent me the instructions for their current version of the free flying furler, however, this unit seems different. According to my local rigger, these units are used in conjunction with the head stay, and do not replace it. I understand that it's probably not the most efficient system, but I think it will work quite well for me. Does anyone have one of these? According to Schaefer, they haven't made them in 15-20 years. Any thoughts?
 
B

Bob

It looks a lot like...

What Schaefer now calls its "small boat furling ket." I had one on an 18 footer, and it worked quite well. It is not intended for reefing, only for rolling the sail all the way up. It requires a wire about the size of the forestay to be sewn into the luff of the sail, with eyes on each end, and for all hanks to be removed. Since it attaches behind the forestay, there must be room for the sail to furl completely behind the forestay, and room for the drum to clear at the bottom. The only real issue is being able to tension the halyard enough - the luff wants to sag off if there is much wind, so you need a multiple part purchase or a winch to tweak up the halyard.
 
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mmerriman

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May 21, 2004
36
Sabre Sabre 32 Salem
I had one

I had the exact same unit on my previous Galaxy 32 - it ALWAYS jammed due to halyard wrap. If was very sensitive to halyard tension. I found the only way it wouldn't jam was to have loose tension - too loose in my opinion to sail well so after it was unfurled, I had to tighten the halyard. After 2 years I installed a profurl, had the sail modified and gave the unit away.
 
D

Dave

Was standard on O'Day 222

Steve, I think these were standard equipment on the 222's and I used the one that came with my boat for a couple of years. It worked fine in light winds, but it could be a pain to furl in heavy winds because of the way that the sail torqued in winds over 15 mph. Also, since it didn't have a UV strip on it, I had to take it down (it was hauled up using a jib halyard)after each sail. I bought a CDI after a couple of years and am very happy with it. However, if it was the Schaefer unit vs. hanking on a jib, I would take the Schaefer unit any day given that I single hand quite a bit. Good luck. Dave s/v Hakuna Matata O'Day 222
 
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