Roller Furling

[Ann and Neil]

We have several questions, and wondered if you could answer or forward this email to another MacGregor owner.. We have a 19ft 1994 MacGregor sailboat. We are looking to add a roller furling this year with a 150% genoa. What are people's experiences with the CDI, Model FF2 (or higher) roller furling system? (We read about someone's experience with the flexible CDI roller furling, where it got stuck in the out position, they could not roll it back in, and they ended up hitting hard at the dock causing significant damage to the boat. Why could they not just let go of the lines controlling the jib, allowing it to just flap free in the wind?) Any suggestions about other type roller furling systems for "trailer sailors"? We do not keep our boat in a slip all season but trailer it from place to place, meaning we drop our mast all the time. Any trailering experiences with the roller furling system that would be enlightening? What are peoples' experiences regarding any improvement in 1) speed and 2) performance reliability (particularly in tacking), when upgrading from a regular jib to the 150% genoa?

 

[Dick Turney]

Think that the majority of Mac/Ven users have the CDIFF2 unit. There are other units that compete with it that are available nowdays.The Schaefer SnapFurl and Harken OOAL. Snap is the closest.I have it on an M25 and love it. Think its better than CDI(and so does Practical Sailor).150%gen Vs work jib. Like adding turbo to your car with complete control. End cost CDI vs Snap about same.Could leave gen on furler when trailoring if you chose.

 

[Jeff Drumm]

Furler Experiences

I've got the CDI FF2 on my 26X, and I'm having a tough time imagining it getting stuck in the "out" position unless the furling line got fouled on the drum somehow.Regarding trailering: the furler adds quite a bit of weight to the forestay, so it will be more difficult to pin it when you rig for launch. If you don't have the mast raising system (is it available for the 19?) you'll probably want it.When trailering, I put a 5' piece of 1x4 between the mast and the furler, and bungee the mess together with the furler drum just hanging over the end of the 1x4. Keeps the luff fairly straight and the drum from dangling and bouncing around while I'm on the road. Other folks have built special supports that slip into the bow pulpit mast support, but a simple 1x4 seems to work fine for me.When raising the mast, I find the furler's a lot easier to manage if you leave it bungied to the mast 3-4' above the base plate until you're ready to pin the forestay. Keeps things from flopping around too much, and makes it easier especially if you're rigging by yourself.Haven't looked at the alternatives, but the FF2 seems to be fine for my needs.--  - Jeff

 

[Ann and Neil]

Thank-you for your reply. You say that you like the Snap better than the CDI. Could you please tell me more about that - what is it about Snap that you like better - where does the CDI fall short? Thanks again!---Ann and Neil