Roller Furling

[Guy Shields]

I need to add roller furling and a sail. Anyone have experience with CDI? Main use is day sailing with limited coastal cruising.

 

[Bill]

Furler

I have no direct experience with the CDI but several people have indicated they like it on various threads. I may be wrong, but I think most of these were small boat owners. The 28.5 carrying a 150 has a pretty large headsail since it is a masthead rig. If you intend to keep the boat for any length of time I would probably opt for a little more substantial unit despite the cost.Try going into the archives and look under furlers and more specifically, CDI. Remember that you want a furler/reefer. Some units just roll up the sail and are not intended to reef the sail. On my 28.5 I have a Famet which is very simple and trouble free. It is also built like a tank. Some people don't like them because they think carry too much weight aloft. I disagree with this . You probably can't go wrong with Profurl or Harken.I would add that I would never again have a boat 25ft. and above without roller furling.

 

[Tim Schaaf]

works

Bill's Famet furler is based on the same principle as the CDI, ie a halyard integral to the furler. This complicates raising and lowering the sail, but vastly simplifies the design. Eliminating the bearings and the possibility of fouling a jib halyard are much of the reason for either of these furler's popularity and relative lack of problems. I have sailed a little with a CDI (I, too, have had a famet, for about eighteen years) on San Francisco Bay, on a Catalina 27, and it worked just fine. If you are planning to use lots of different sails on your furler, you might want to stay away from either the CDI or the Famet and go with the Profurl, Harken, etc.

 

[Greg]

Get a fuler/reefer

My used 28.5 came with basic Hood furler. I cannot reef with it and I wish I could, so get a roller furler that you can reef.

 

[John]

Harken

The 28.5 I bought about a year ago has a Harken that works fine for me...

 

[Dick]

Question for Greg of Keyport

Are all older Hood head sail rollers non-furling? I've tried to furl mine and it most often unfurls. Is is safe to assume that they all are not meant to furl?