Recommended furler for a 23.5

[PropellerHead]

Can someone recommend a furler? I'd like to keep the price in the range of the CDI FF2 or the Shaefer Snapfurl CF500.

Can I use my existing jib with the hanks removed?

Thanks.

 

[Meriachee]

In a word, no. The sail fits in the foil for lack of a better description, and you will need to either get it modified so it will fit in the foil, and roll up properly, and have some UV protection on the leech, or get a new sail that has the proper bits.

 

[mgiraz]

I've seen video of a hanked gib being converted to a "furler" gib. I think they referred to it as a luff tape conversion. So you can convert an existing sail or buy a new one. I'm sure there are more guys here that know more about this.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

If you want to use your existing sail or new one, a number 6 luff tape had to be added and also a sunbrella cover be added to prevent the sail being damaged by UV rays if leaving up. If you are going to trailer the boat alot and wish to leave it on the curler go with cdi ff2 as it has its own halyard. Otherwise the sail must come off in order to use the jib halyard for the mast raising.

 

[Rick Webb]

I went through this a few years ago and came up with these conclusions:

For the furler I decided on the FF3. It is the FF2 with the bearings from the FF4,the FF2 has disks not bearings.
For the sail get a new one the numbers don't add up doing the alterations to an old sail.

Just when I was about to get the furler there was a "Yankee" Bag in the clearance section in the chandlery on this website. I bought the bag keep the jib in the bag on the deck added a down hauland have not thought about a furler since.

 

[PropellerHead]

Dave: I will be trailering so it sounds like the CDI is the way to go. Does this mean that I will have two jib halyards running to the cockpit?

Rick: I normally am all for keeping it simple (and cheep) but I'm also getting lazy in my old age. When you lower the jib with a downhaul, don't you have to still go forward to deal with it to keep it from flogging? During my last overnight, I had to get up at 3am to move the boat because the winds had changed direction and increased over night so we were no longer in protected water. Working around the lashed jib in the dark on a (moderately) pitching deck to get to the anchor road and locker is what got me thinking about a furler.

 

[Meriachee]

The FF series of furler has an internal halyard that is used to raise the sail in the foil and is used to tie the sail off to the furler drum. It does not run back to the cockpit. The existing halyard is used to tension the whole furler on the forstay. If, like most people with these seem to do, you intend to leave the sail installed even when trailering, you'll find that the halyard simply gets tied off and pretty much forgotten. It's certainly not something that you'll be adjusting with any regularity.

 

[justsomeguy]

Does this mean that I will have two jib halyards running to the cockpit?

No. The CDI's halyard is self-contained in the foil. You'll only have the furler control line and sheets.

 

[Dennis Kitchen]

PR,
The CDI has it's own internal halyard so your normal halyard you will flip back behind the spreader and hook to lifeline or stantion. You will need to keep a length of light line to tie to that (furler) halyard as a messenger for when you take the sail down. Keep it stowed somewhere handy on the boat.
http://www.sailrite.com/PDF/FF2-Online-Manual.pdf

Dennis

 

[Justin_NSA]

Just know that trailering with any furler is more complicated. When you (un)step the mast you now have to control the foil as well. You also have to tie a messenger line to the halyard when you drop the sail. I had a CDI on my Mac, but Rick's idea sounds appealing for a trailer sailor.

 

[Dennis Kitchen]

Just know that trailering with any furler is more complicated. When you (un)step the mast you now have to control the foil as well.

This is true!

 

[Meriachee]

Just know that trailering with any furler is more complicated. When you (un)step the mast you now have to control the foil as well.

Is that like we do now? Twice the hard ware to bonk you on the noggin or threaten to scratch the shine? Sometimes these previous boats were more fun.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Is that like we do now? Twice the hard ware to bonk you on the noggin or threaten to scratch the shine? Sometimes these previous boats were more fun.

Pretty much

 

[PropellerHead]

Couple more questions:

After lowering the mast, is it practicable to unpin the forestay from the mast and move the whole assembly aft to keep the drum from extending past the bow?

The CDI manual, indicates that the forestay turnbuckle must not extend beyond the bottom of the drum. I was planning on replacing my forestay turnbuckle with a quick release to aid in stepping the mast. The quick release takes the place of the turnbuckle, if it has to ride inside the furler drum then it's useless... Is there a way around this?

 

[Dennis Kitchen]

PR,
I do as you suggest and unpin the forstay from the mast and slide aft for trailering.

Only way to use quick release would be IF you could mount it under the turnbuckle as the furler drum mounts to the lower t-bolt and toggle. This would require new fore-stay length and sail cut to fit.
Dennis

 

[PropellerHead]

Drat. That complicates things as I really want that forestay release. I could not pin the forstay with the shrouds tensioned according to the manual. I am currently running with considerably less tension and no mast bend. My hope is that the quick release will remedy this.

 

[Rick Webb]

With Bag the jib stays hanked on, the bag fastens around the forestay. The halyard attaches to the bag and holds the bag up off the deck and the sheet then attach to the back of the bag and pull tight to keep everything in place.

When not in the bag the down haul pulls and holds the sail down then pulling the sheets tight keeps the sail from flogging all over the deck.

 

[PropellerHead]

I think I'm going to fall back to the bag idea while I learn more about furlers and quick release options. I have a feeling that there will be a furler in my future but maybe I can just wait until I get the next boat .

Thanks all for the help.

 

[Rick Webb]

This is the bag:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?53939

Worth the price to see if it satisfies your wish for the jib when not sailing. The way the boats sail plan is designed there is very little need to ever furl the jib part way it is pretty much in or out as the jib is relatively small. To put a larger jib on does not make sense either.

 

[isaksp00]

Propellerhead: I have a Harken, not a CDI, but the principles may be similar. I don't trail-sail, leave boat in all summer, so I only do the mast work once up/down per season.
I remove the jib before I lower the mast, and then after I use the jib halyard to pin the mast forward with a block and tackle, I remove the furler drum assembly. In the Harken the drum is the turnbuckle, so that involves unscrewing the drum from the studs (one on the forestay, other pinned to chain plate/extension tang). I loosen the two sets of sidestays, so when I raise the mast next season I am able to attach the drum and tighten the forestay; of course, I have to go through the process of adjusting shroud tension and length each mast raising (I suppose I could mark the threads, but have not yet bothered). I could easily unpin the foil at the top after lowering, as Dennis notes, but since I only have to move the boat about 1/4 mile to the storage yard, I don't bother - without the drum attached, the foil isn't really much in the way.
The first year or two I had the boat, I did not remove the drum from the forestay, and damaged a foil connector as a result. As the yard guys helped slide the mast forward toward the pulpit, the drum jammed against a stanchion and caused the foil to bend as they pushed (and then really pushed) on it, and a connector snapped. Luckily, parts were available (this is a '91 boat) and I was able to repair it myself for a very small amount of (boat) bucks. Think about that if you go with a furler.