ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

I know that this is a no win debate, but anyone have any
useful opinions?

Doug
s/v Callista

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

Doug -- the Profurl NC32 on my Rawson 30 is much easier to use than the
Harken MkII was on my CT-41. Go figure, eh? ;-)


--
Karin Conover-Lewis
Fair and Balanced since 1959
klc dot lewis at centurytel dot net


"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
I know that this is a no win debate, but anyone have any
useful opinions?

Doug
s/v Callista

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
I know that this is a no win debate, but anyone have any
useful opinions?

Doug
s/v Callista

Hope this is useful:

Harken pros:

- has separate top furler unit (licensed from Hood I think) that allows the
foil to start turning before the top and bottom furlers, which allows for
better sail shape

Harken cons:

- smaller models have a drum that is a bit too small to accommodate decent
sized furling line.

Profurl pros:

- a bit more bulletproof construction IMO
- easy to get replacement bearings if the seals go

Profurl cons:

- the seals can sometimes fail on the bearings
- additional extrusions are more costly than Harken if the unit you want
doesn't provide enough length

Basically I think they are both pretty well developed pieces of gear. Happy
to have either on my boat (though last boat and this boat have Harken)


--
Evan Gatehouse

you'll have to rewrite my email address to get to me
ceilydh AT 3web dot net
(fools the spammers)

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

I have a couple of friends who've sworn by Schaefer.

CDI seems a bit problematic, however.

Me, I am a simpleton who uses hank ons. What a Luddite. G

R.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 18:04:56 -0500, "Karin Conover-Lewis"
wrote:

Doug -- the Profurl NC32 on my Rawson 30 is much easier to use than the
Harken MkII was on my CT-41. Go figure, eh? ;-)

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

I had a friend in Los Angeles harbour whose mantra was, "Sails go up and
down -- toilet paper goes round and round." I noticed, though, that he
didn't seem to mind using the roller furler on MY boat. lol

--
Karin Conover-Lewis
Fair and Balanced since 1959
klc dot lewis at centurytel dot net


"rhys" wrote in message
...
I have a couple of friends who've sworn by Schaefer.

CDI seems a bit problematic, however.

Me, I am a simpleton who uses hank ons. What a Luddite. G

R.

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

On Thu, 1 Jul 2004 12:10:40 -0500, "Karin Conover-Lewis"
wrote:

I had a friend in Los Angeles harbour whose mantra was, "Sails go up and
down -- toilet paper goes round and round." I noticed, though, that he
didn't seem to mind using the roller furler on MY boat. lol

I have used Harken without problem on charter boats, and others with
problems on friends' boats. If that is what is there you try to make
it work.

There is a boat like ours here with Profurl, and I haven't seen it
give any trouble.

I prefer hanks on my own boat.






Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a

"That idiot Leibniz, who wants to teach me about the infinitesimally small! Has he therefore forgotten that I am the wife of Frederick I? How can he imagine that I am unacquainted with my own husband?"

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

How does this help me decide between Harken and Profurl?

"rhys" wrote in message
...
I have a couple of friends who've sworn by Schaefer.

CDI seems a bit problematic, however.

Me, I am a simpleton who uses hank ons. What a Luddite. G

R.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 18:04:56 -0500, "Karin Conover-Lewis"
wrote:

Doug -- the Profurl NC32 on my Rawson 30 is much easier to use than the
Harken MkII was on my CT-41. Go figure, eh? ;-)

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

On Thu, 1 Jul 2004 21:19:54 -0400, something compelled "Doug
Dotson" , to say:

How does this help me decide between Harken and Profurl?

It doesn't. The advice you are receiving is worth every penney
you paid.

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

I've had 2 Profurl's. One a lot longer than the other. After 2 years
of solid So Pac cruising the seals in the lower unit failed and the
bearing started to be hard to turn. The bearings (2) were standard
off-the-shelf carbon steel - they rust and seize solid in salt water
after the seals fail. Make sure you can get spare seals and bearings
if you choose Profurl. Also watch out for putting the rotating
extrusions together - the s/s setscrews weld into the Al extrusions
without miracle goop.

I might buy another Profurl but only after looking at other products
and spares available. Profurl in the US were miserable assholes to
deal with from NZ.

My opinion of Harken as a co. is much higher than the Profurl
distributors in the US.

Of course, if you're a marina sailor - it won't matter.



Thu, 1 Jul 2004 21:19:54 -0400, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

How does this help me decide between Harken and Profurl?

"rhys" wrote in message
.. .
I have a couple of friends who've sworn by Schaefer.

CDI seems a bit problematic, however.

Me, I am a simpleton who uses hank ons. What a Luddite. G

R.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 18:04:56 -0500, "Karin Conover-Lewis"
wrote:

Doug -- the Profurl NC32 on my Rawson 30 is much easier to use than the
Harken MkII was on my CT-41. Go figure, eh? ;-)

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

Comments below.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Hank" wrote in message
...
I've had 2 Profurl's. One a lot longer than the other. After 2 years
of solid So Pac cruising the seals in the lower unit failed and the
bearing started to be hard to turn. The bearings (2) were standard
off-the-shelf carbon steel - they rust and seize solid in salt water
after the seals fail. Make sure you can get spare seals and bearings
if you choose Profurl. Also watch out for putting the rotating
extrusions together - the s/s setscrews weld into the Al extrusions
without miracle goop.

I've heard about the problems with the seals and bearings. Only an
idiot would put ss screws into an al extrusion without protection.

I might buy another Profurl but only after looking at other products
and spares available. Profurl in the US were miserable assholes to
deal with from NZ.

Isn't ProFurl a French company? If so, why go through US distributors
from NZ?

My opinion of Harken as a co. is much higher than the Profurl
distributors in the US.

I have heard that Harken is very good company. Most of the other hardware
on our boat is Harken or will be soon.

Of course, if you're a marina sailor - it won't matter.

If I were a marina sailor that I would be happy with the Famet
furlers I have.


Thu, 1 Jul 2004 21:19:54 -0400, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

How does this help me decide between Harken and Profurl?

"rhys" wrote in message
.. .
I have a couple of friends who've sworn by Schaefer.

CDI seems a bit problematic, however.

Me, I am a simpleton who uses hank ons. What a Luddite. G

R.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 18:04:56 -0500, "Karin Conover-Lewis"
wrote:

Doug -- the Profurl NC32 on my Rawson 30 is much easier to use than
the
Harken MkII was on my CT-41. Go figure, eh? ;-)

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

Doug

The set screws for the extrusion sections on my NC32 came pre-coated with
some type of hard sealant coating (green), with instructions to not use any
other sealants when assembling it. My rigger had assembled quite a few
Profurl units, and said that they had no problems with them (I didn't buy it
from him). Can't speak to longevity myself since the whole assembly spent
less than a year on the boat before decommissioning and being shipped to the
Great Lakes, and I've still not put it back in the water. And when it does
go back next year, it will be fresh water.

--
Karin Conover-Lewis
Fair and Balanced since 1959
klc dot lewis at centurytel dot net


"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
Comments below.

Doug
s/v Callista

I've heard about the problems with the seals and bearings. Only an
idiot would put ss screws into an al extrusion without protection.

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

On Thu, 01 Jul 2004 18:40:30 -0700, "Steve Daniels, Seek of Spam"
wrote:

On Thu, 1 Jul 2004 21:19:54 -0400, something compelled "Doug
Dotson" , to say:

How does this help me decide between Harken and Profurl?

It doesn't. The advice you are receiving is worth every penney
you paid.

Actually, it could be good advice.

The guy poses a problem;

"I don't know whether I should choose X, or Y?"

The advice was;

"I know some people who have chosen S, and some who have chosen
T....I, myself, ...I've picked Q."

Interpreted Advice;

People make decisions for a variety of reasons.

You need to figure out what's important to you; price, features,
function, workmanship, herd instinct...etc.

He knew some people who thought the merits of X and Y didn't meet
their criteria, and any difference between X and Y is immaterial.
Neither was selected.

His selection of Q is tossed in just to prove that in the end it
doesn't really matter what you choose. As reasoning creatures we can
always find a reason to support any decision....

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

On Fri, 02 Jul 2004 00:44:09 -0400, something compelled Horace
Brownbag , to say:

On Thu, 01 Jul 2004 18:40:30 -0700, "Steve Daniels, Seek of Spam"
wrote:

On Thu, 1 Jul 2004 21:19:54 -0400, something compelled "Doug
Dotson" , to say:

How does this help me decide between Harken and Profurl?

It doesn't. The advice you are receiving is worth every penney
you paid.

Actually, it could be good advice.

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that the quality of the
advice was substandard. I was pointing out that even if the
answers didn't fit into the parameters he set, it wasn't costing
him anything. Getting upset because someone answered foo when
you were looking for bar is a bit . . . unseemly.

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

1. there are lots of idiot "professional riggers" in this world

2. The French told me that since I bought it in the US - I had to deal
with the US dist.

BTW, try out your Sony or ICOM or xxx "international" warranty outside
the US. See what happens.



Also watch out for putting the rotating
extrusions together - the s/s setscrews weld into the Al extrusions
without miracle goop.

I've heard about the problems with the seals and bearings. Only an
idiot would put ss screws into an al extrusion without protection.

I might buy another Profurl but only after looking at other products
and spares available. Profurl in the US were miserable assholes to
deal with from NZ.

Isn't ProFurl a French company? If so, why go through US distributors
from NZ?

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

The Harkin has a major design flaw that cost me a sail. They use a small
plastic piece that fits in a slot in the extrusion and this keeps the
extrusions from twisting on each other. They are held in place by tiny set
screws coated with locktite. The problem came when the screws backed out
(locktite failure because the proper color was still on the other screws
when I dismantled the furler)...this allowed the plastic piece to slide down
into the lower extrusion. This happened in 45 kt winds and big seas so when
we tried to roll in the sail, it started ripping the sail in half at that
joint. When I told Harkin about the flaw in our 1.5, they just blew me
off. I would not own a Harkin if it was given to me.
I now have two profurls that in am installing on my renovation
The Harkin might be OK for the charter and coastal boats, but I would never
go offshore with one.
For what its worth.
Bruce

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

Was this a reply to my comment? Yes, there are lots of idiot "professional
riggers" in this world. There are also a lot of idiot newsgroup trolls.

--
Karin Conover-Lewis
Fair and Balanced since 1959
klc dot lewis at centurytel dot net


"Hank" wrote in message
...

1. there are lots of idiot "professional riggers" in this world

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

On Thu, 1 Jul 2004 12:10:40 -0500, "Karin Conover-Lewis"
wrote:

I had a friend in Los Angeles harbour whose mantra was, "Sails go up and
down -- toilet paper goes round and round." I noticed, though, that he
didn't seem to mind using the roller furler on MY boat. lol

Oh, don't get me wrong: furling is a wonderful thing, particularly on
bigger boats and in rotten weather. But it's a compromise, and the
compromise is that you lose on shape and pointing ability, and you
court mechanical failure with few alternatives (short of the
interesting "Gale Sail", I suppose). Add to that the tendency NOT to
strip the stay in heavy weather, creating potential foredeck hazards
and windage should a tear begin, and the issue of UV
degradation...well, it's not the Holy Grail it might seem at first.

The positives (ease of use, not having to carry sail inventory, not
having to brave the foredeck in wet weather, not having to wrestle and
stow huge genoas) are of course well known.

Me, I like hanks for mechanical simplicity and reliability. I have
blown one sail and wrecked one piston hank since 1999, and I carry
(generally) five sails (No 1, 2, 3, genoa staysail and cruising
spinnaker, with maybe a storm jib in the forepeak), which fill a
quarterberth I don't otherwise use. I cruise like I am racing, which
means trimming and setting for long legs, because I like to navigate
on paper, too G

When I go South, as they say, I will almost certainly go to the
"yankee-cut genoa on a furler" which is nearly universal. But as I
favour a cutter and/or ketch rig, I will likely want to keep a
hanked-on staysail stay for back up and peace of mind, and I won't
have mainsail furling, preferring to reef early.

Having said all that curmudgeonly stuff, I think the double
roller-reefing forestays called "Solent rigs" and found on many modern
cruisers like Sagas and so on are very, very appealing, and if I ever
win a lottery it's "hanks" for the memories...I've gettin' one of them
beauties!

R.

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

On Thu, 1 Jul 2004 21:19:54 -0400, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

How does this help me decide between Harken and Profurl?

Because the statement:

I have a couple of friends who've sworn by Schaefer.

presents you with an option that you may not have considered and that
may save you money and gain you quality. My friends have investigated
furlers extensively, having owned them for years, and I hear good
things about Schaefer that convinced them to switch from the more
obvious Profurl and Harken options.

I bet you own a Yanmar, with an attitude like that. G

R.

ProFurl vs Harken roller furling, any opinions :)
 

On Fri, 2 Jul 2004 07:39:45 -0500, "Karin Conover-Lewis"
wrote:

Was this a reply to my comment? Yes, there are lots of idiot "professional
riggers" in this world. There are also a lot of idiot newsgroup trolls.

--
Karin Conover-Lewis
Fair and Balanced since 1959
klc dot lewis at centurytel dot net


"Hank" wrote in message
.. .

1. there are lots of idiot "professional riggers" in this world



....and the world is full of burn victims.