Questions on Roller Furling Systems, H23

[Michael Slough]

I would like to add a roller furling headsail setup to my 1988 Hunter 23, as I sail with my son, age 12, and my wife, and think this would greatly simplify sailing. Any comments/reccomendations as to what system to get, features, etc? Also, what is required to install? Can I do this myself? Does mast need to be down to install? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am in Las Vegas, and have to purchase items via mailorder, and I only want to do this once.

 

[Hunter 23 303]

I like the CDI roller furler

I installed a CDI furler on our H23 and it works great. No matter what brand of furler you buy, you will need to take the mast down. You will need to have the forstay shortened by about 12 inches, and then buy and mount 12 inch link plates to be able to mount the furler above the deck. Why Hunter choose to mount the the lower end of the forstay IN the anchor locker I'll never understand. I modified my anchor locker doors to mount the furler in the locker but I wouldn't advise that unless your pretty handy with fiberglass. There are plenty of posts on this subject in the archives, just do a search.