Replacement roller furling for a 1979 Hunter 30

[Robert1224]

Ahoy fellow Hunter sailors,
I need to replace the roller furling on my 1979 Hunter 30. I am curious on what people consider the best value for a sailor who only cruises his boat on Lake Ontario. I am not involved in racing my boat and I'm certain that is a significant factor in choosing. Anyone have thoughts on a sensible choice and what is the best current value in roller furling for a cruising sailor?
Thanks, Bob

 

[jssailem]

RACING....I'm certain that is a significant factor in choosing.

This conflicts with my thinking.

Function, reliability, and performance are factors I consider in a furler.

• Function
  • Is the design structurally sound
  • Is it a design that has been proven in the types of conditions I will sail in
  • Is the design easy to clean and maintain
  • Does the design maintain sail shape as the sail is reefed
• Reliability
  • What are the results of other sailors using this design
  • If there is a failure, are the parts available where I sail?
• Performance
  • Can I use the furler in all wind conditions I may face
  • Does the sail shape when reefed help or hinder my sailing
  • Can I get to the reefing line if there is an overwrap?

I had a Profurler provided on my boat when purchased. I replaced it 10 years ago with a Harken Mark IV 1 Unit.

MKIV Unit 1

Nothing beats the MKIV Jib Reefing & Furling line for effortless headsail control and great sail shape for optimal speed. With its ability to reef, simply furl and unfurl instead of changing sails to suit conditions, reduce speed, or gain visibility off the bow. Split drum removes for racing...

www.harken.com

The Mark IV Unit 1 is designed for boats in the 28 to 36-foot range.

Good luck with your project.

 

[Davidasailor26]

The only really racing specific feature of furlers I know of is that some have two tracks in the foils, so that a new sail can be raised and the other peeled down without losing power. If you’re not racing a foil with one track should be fine. Sail shape when reefed is mostly a function of the sail itself - whether it has foam battens or similar in the luff to keep a better shape when reefed. Battens like that do come with some tradeoff of slightly worse sail shape when not reefed though. A racer might avoid the battens, preferring to change sails than go partially reefed. For a casual sailor the battens might be better to give more flexibility.

Some roller furlers (especially those without rigid extrusions) are really just furlers, not reefing systems. They aren’t designed to hold the sail partially furled for reefing. Those will give you less flexibility on windy days than a proper roller furler.

 

[jssailem]

I know of is that some have two tracks in the foils, so that a new sail can be raised and the other peeled down without losing power.

As David shares, racers often raise and lower sails to maintain speed. The dual tracks are very helpful for this purpose.

On the other hand, this can be helpful if you have more than one suit of foresails and are trying to maintain power in a seaway. Stealing from the racing community, when working to maintain headway in serious chop, raising and lowering sails using the twin slots can be used to accomplish this.

It can also be used, in the trades, to hoist two foresails when sailing downwind.

 

[Joe]

You will most likely end up with a CDI furling system. Look up their website... prices are far below the top end systems. They work a little differently than the higher priced systems, but should give you the level of performance you want. good luck

 

[dlochner]

The issues with roller furling and racing are twofold. Racers are always looking for perfect airflow over the sails, to accomplish this racers look for furlers with airfoil shaped foils as opposed to round foils. Off the race course the difference doesn't much matter, except round foils are a bit easier to furl at the start.

The second issue is the shape of the luff when the sail if partially furled. The luff is not a straight line, it is an arc. As a result the sail does not furl evenly, the middle of the sail will furl first, this causes a bulge in the luff. The bulge affects airflow over the jib and makes it less efficient. Important if you are trying eke out that last 1/100 th of a knot of boat speed, not an issue if out for a day sail. Sailmakers try to compensate by sewing foam panels into the luff to reduce the bulge which helps. Without the foam luff the sail shape is awful, the foam helps to maintain good sail shape.

The most robust furlong system on the market is the Schaeffer system. It is all aluminum, easily maintained, and just works. They are also on the more expensive end of the price range.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I had a CDI on my boat when I bought then then 12-yesr-old vessel in 1998. You need to know that this furler had (and still has) a unique internal halyard system different than ALL the rest. Please do your homework as Joe suggests. What happened to my unit is that it failed big time, such that I could not drop the jib. Because this persisted for years before I bought the boat, it had disintegrated the sacrificial jib cover and ruined the leech and foot of the sail. When I finally got it down, it was because I was redoing all of the standing rigging including a new furler. I wouldn't touch a CDI for any boat over 22 feet because of the internal halyard system and comparison of materials and strength between it and the competitors. I had purchased another 110 lightly used jib that had been made for a sistership, so I had this jib cut down to an 85. I sailed back then in San Francisco, so the 85 was my summer sail for high winds, the 110 for winter. I chose the size jib for conditions and have never reefed a jib when sailing, ever.

I looked at all the furling systems available. Not much different now than then, same vendors, just some different details. My final choice was between Harken and ProFurl. I chose the ProFurl because of the built-in top swivel halyard restrainer instead of having to install a block on the top of the mast to restrain the halyard. After 27+ years I remain extremely pleased with my choice, LCI32. It always worked for it's intended purpose, sails dropped effortlessly, easy to raise with special tool slipped into the foil for the luff tape, and regardless of wind speed furled easily. No maintenance needed, ever, other than cleaning. The "Darth Vader" restrainer top swivel is a remarkable piece of design thought and engineering. It simply just works perfectly.

Good luck, happy furling.