"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