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#1
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Best headsail roller furling unit?
In article ,
Don W wrote: We're going to purchase a new headsail roller furler for our Irwin C 38, and know very little about the pluses and minuses of the various units. Which units are the best for long term cruising, considering overall quality of construction, and ease of repair if something does go wrong? Right now, we're looking at Harken, Profurl, and Alado Nautica. Are there other brands we should consider? If you consider price, ease of maintenance, longevity in a salt water environment, etc, which unit do you think is the best overall value? I put CDI Flexible Furlers on our last two boats. We've had zero problems in over two decades' use. They've always dealt fairly with me, even recommending against my buying something they didn't think was appropriate for our application. http://www.sailcdi.com/ffmain.htm Dead simple, nearly fool- and bullet-proof and easy to use, with virtually nothing to go wrong, particularly for cruisers. Their warrantee tells it all "[includes] All hazards at sea, including winching against obstructions, unseamanlike use, and dismastings. This warranty remains in force for charter and other commercial operations. No maintenance is required to keep the warranty in force.". [Hmmm, used to be a lifetime warrantee, but I can read between the lines to what people have done and tried to claim.] It won't allow racing-speed sail changes, but that's not a consideration for cruisers. We choose a sail in the morning and keep it up the rest of the day, furling if necessary. That it's also probably the least expensive in that size is an additional plus. I installed both, BTW. Was trivial except for the measurement. Note: If you get the FF9, I suggest ordering it direct from them, uncoiled, as even the FF6/7 is a BEAR to straighten. If you get the 7, get the 6' coil and straighten it immediately upon receipt. You'll probably want the bearing, though we haven't needed it as I have only winched it in once. It rolls so easily that a simple tug on the line does it. -- Jere Lull Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD) Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
#2
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Best headsail roller furling unit?
Hi Jere,
We would for sure need an FF9 because our headsail luff is ~52.2 ft. This means the FF9 would be just barely big enough since it is for a maximum headstay length of 53 ft. I'll take a look at them. Don W. Jere Lull wrote: In article , Don W wrote: We're going to purchase a new headsail roller furler for our Irwin C 38, and know very little about the pluses and minuses of the various units. Which units are the best for long term cruising, considering overall quality of construction, and ease of repair if something does go wrong? Right now, we're looking at Harken, Profurl, and Alado Nautica. Are there other brands we should consider? If you consider price, ease of maintenance, longevity in a salt water environment, etc, which unit do you think is the best overall value? I put CDI Flexible Furlers on our last two boats. We've had zero problems in over two decades' use. They've always dealt fairly with me, even recommending against my buying something they didn't think was appropriate for our application. http://www.sailcdi.com/ffmain.htm Dead simple, nearly fool- and bullet-proof and easy to use, with virtually nothing to go wrong, particularly for cruisers. Their warrantee tells it all "[includes] All hazards at sea, including winching against obstructions, unseamanlike use, and dismastings. This warranty remains in force for charter and other commercial operations. No maintenance is required to keep the warranty in force.". [Hmmm, used to be a lifetime warrantee, but I can read between the lines to what people have done and tried to claim.] It won't allow racing-speed sail changes, but that's not a consideration for cruisers. We choose a sail in the morning and keep it up the rest of the day, furling if necessary. That it's also probably the least expensive in that size is an additional plus. I installed both, BTW. Was trivial except for the measurement. Note: If you get the FF9, I suggest ordering it direct from them, uncoiled, as even the FF6/7 is a BEAR to straighten. If you get the 7, get the 6' coil and straighten it immediately upon receipt. You'll probably want the bearing, though we haven't needed it as I have only winched it in once. It rolls so easily that a simple tug on the line does it. |
#3
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Best headsail roller furling unit?
"Don W" wrote .. Hi Jere, We would for sure need an FF9 because our headsail luff is ~52.2 ft. This means the FF9 would be just barely big enough since it is for a maximum headstay length of 53 ft. I'll take a look at them. Don W. Don, Shipping is a factor with the large CDI units. Here is an excerpt from the CDI site: -------------------------------------------- Shipping Options: UPS delivery: The FF1 through FF7 can be shipped via UPS. The luff extrusion is coiled in a 40" ( 50" for FF7) hoop and will require a straightening process requiring 3 people. You must follow the straightening directions on the box or the luff won't come straight. You will need to cut the bands on the coil within a day or two of receipt. Air freight delivery: All Flexible Furlers (including the FF7.0 and 9.0) can be shipped via airfreight in a 6' coil. If you uncoil the hoop within a day of receipt, no straightening process is necessary. Air freight costs are approximately $100 when sent to a commercial address and approximately $120 when sent to a residential address. Air Freight shipments take 4 days. Available within the continental US only. Motorfreight delivery: (Not available everywhere in the US) All units can be shipped in the flat (not coiled). The advantage to this is that is requires no straightening. Shipping costs will depend on destination. Available in most of the continental US and Canada. --------------------------------------------- Straightening units that have been coiled for some time is not easy - You need a lawn near the boat where you can drive in some stakes that will hold the foil straight while exposed to the sun. For the larger units, much better to have them shipped straight, but this adds to cost. We used CDI furlers on several local 22-27ft boats using up to FF6/7 size. They ARE very simple and don't give many problems. BUT, with due respect to Jere's experience, we felt they were great for lake or light coastal use, but would not recommend them for offshore use. The people that make them ARE easy to deal with and we sold a lot of their FF4 units for 22-24 footers. Our experience: We did have lufftape pull out of PVC foil on one unit and under heavy load, the flat sections, unlike round aluminum foils, do twist. Changing or removing sail is inconvenient in that you have to go to the bow, attach a temporary halyard extension and then haul the sail down. In heavy seas, not the greatest place to be! Keep up the research - It's great to consider all options! GBM BTW - The pyacht site is a good place to compare pricing: http://makeashorterlink.com/?B21A1288D |
#4
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Best headsail roller furling unit?
In article ,
"GBM" wrote: Straightening units that have been coiled for some time is not easy I made the mistake of getting our FF6 early and leaving it coiled until Spring ;-) I DID eventually get it mostly straight, but that's why I suggested he get his shipped flat. The FF6 is *considerably* beefier than the FF4/5. The FF9 specs indicate one serious extrusion. BUT, with due respect to Jere's experience, we felt they were great for lake or light coastal use, but would not recommend them for offshore use. The people that make them ARE easy to deal with and we sold a lot of their FF4 units for 22-24 footers. We have the FF6, the next size up from the 4 and one down from the 9, and have had no problems in a decade with a big genny, often furled. We are coastal, but I wouldn't consider we're "light", as we do 60-80 days a year, and we've been through some "stuff" as a result. Remember too, their warrantee includes charters and mishandling, so it's covered anyway. Our experience: We did have lufftape pull out of PVC foil on one unit and under heavy load, the flat sections, unlike round aluminum foils, do twist. I haven't seen a luff that didn't twist a bit, including the charter boats I've crewed, but it's tougher to see with a round luff. That you do "a lot" of the smaller units and can point to only one failure sounds like a pretty good track record. I see more failures on our dock each year amongst the various types. Changing or removing sail is inconvenient in that you have to go to the bow, attach a temporary halyard extension and then haul the sail down. In heavy seas, not the greatest place to be! VERY true! That's why it's a good cruising sail, as we either put a smaller sail up early, or reef for the duration. All luffs require someone at the bow to change out sails. The primary difference is that temporary halyard -- and we could lead *that* back to our cockpit for the other crew member to winch in with if we really had to change in nasty conditions. (via the chute downhaul block.) -- Jere Lull Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD) Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
#5
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Best headsail roller furling unit?
Riggers will tell you CDI are a piece of crap only because they hate
installing them. In actuality, users seem to like them. Gordon "Jere Lull" wrote in message ... In article , Don W wrote: We're going to purchase a new headsail roller furler for our Irwin C 38, and know very little about the pluses and minuses of the various units. Which units are the best for long term cruising, considering overall quality of construction, and ease of repair if something does go wrong? Right now, we're looking at Harken, Profurl, and Alado Nautica. Are there other brands we should consider? If you consider price, ease of maintenance, longevity in a salt water environment, etc, which unit do you think is the best overall value? I put CDI Flexible Furlers on our last two boats. We've had zero problems in over two decades' use. They've always dealt fairly with me, even recommending against my buying something they didn't think was appropriate for our application. http://www.sailcdi.com/ffmain.htm Dead simple, nearly fool- and bullet-proof and easy to use, with virtually nothing to go wrong, particularly for cruisers. Their warrantee tells it all "[includes] All hazards at sea, including winching against obstructions, unseamanlike use, and dismastings. This warranty remains in force for charter and other commercial operations. No maintenance is required to keep the warranty in force.". [Hmmm, used to be a lifetime warrantee, but I can read between the lines to what people have done and tried to claim.] It won't allow racing-speed sail changes, but that's not a consideration for cruisers. We choose a sail in the morning and keep it up the rest of the day, furling if necessary. That it's also probably the least expensive in that size is an additional plus. I installed both, BTW. Was trivial except for the measurement. Note: If you get the FF9, I suggest ordering it direct from them, uncoiled, as even the FF6/7 is a BEAR to straighten. If you get the 7, get the 6' coil and straighten it immediately upon receipt. You'll probably want the bearing, though we haven't needed it as I have only winched it in once. It rolls so easily that a simple tug on the line does it. -- Jere Lull Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD) Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
#6
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Best headsail roller furling unit?
In article ,
"Gordon" wrote: Riggers will tell you CDI are a piece of crap only because they hate installing them. In actuality, users seem to like them. I suspect riggers hate them because they don't do the work! All of the ones I've seen were owner-installed. -- Jere Lull Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD) Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
#7
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Best headsail roller furling unit?
Jere Lull wrote:
In article , "Gordon" wrote: Riggers will tell you CDI are a piece of crap only because they hate installing them. In actuality, users seem to like them. I suspect riggers hate them because they don't do the work! All of the ones I've seen were owner-installed. We installed a CDI FF6 on our Irwin 28 which we trailer sail. We replaced a CDI Reefer II which wasn't compatable with trailer sailing. It used alumimum sections for the foil which had a tendency to bend when we stepped the mast. We didn't uncoil the new one immediately and did have some trouble staightening it. It's still not prefect but seems to work just fine. Installation was very easy. Jim -- |
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