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Best headsail roller furling unit?
Hi everyone,
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? Regards, Don W. |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
The Alado is cheap and simple and bullet proof and easy to install. That
said, you'll need a high cut jib and once the jib is tensioned, that's it. Also difficult to get much tension. Gordon "Don W" wrote in message m... Hi everyone, 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? Regards, Don W. |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
"Don W" wrote 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? Don, After 25 years of installing furlers and using them on boats from 22 to 50 ft, I have an opinion, but not a strong one. Profurl - You can't go far wrong - But there are some who got a run around getting parts when in distant parts. But, they are a world wide company and more likely to have service than the lesser known makes. Harken - ( I have one on my boat that is an original Mk 1from way back!) - More streamlined, less rugged looking than Profurl. If sized properly should give good service and parts widely available. Alado - Never seen one despite having been in business - probably a choice if the price is the main consideration. Maybe buy two so you will have spare parts ;) Others to look at: Hood Yacht Systems - Seafurl - Hood were one of the first into modern furlers - probably still worth looking at. sailed many miles on the original units - no experience with recent units. Furlex - Definitely worth considering - Good Swedish engineering. Schaeffer - Installed several of these - not bad, but I would choose them behind Profurl, Furlex and Harken mainly because of lighter duty extrusions and joining system. If faced with same decision, I would price all of above units, except Alado. Then add on any extras that may be needed such as furling blocks, furling line, shackles, halyard wrap preventer, new forestay (may be needed), sail modifications etc. Sometime the price/size breaks result in one make being a better value. Good Luck GBM |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
"Dave" wrote in message ... On Mon, 7 Aug 2006 18:01:36 -0400, "GBM" said: Alado - Never seen one despite having been in business It's a Brazilian company, apparently trying to break into the US market. I have been aware of the company for some time. But what I meant was, that I have never seen one installed on a boat in our area, which might indicate that they have not been too successful in marketing in our area yet. Looking over the installation manual on their site, there is good reason for the low price. This unit should be compared with the CDI units rather than Profurl, Harken et al. Reason - It has no top swivel (it has it's own integral rope halyard. It has no bottom drum bearings - A great saving just there. It does not have the normal S/S support plates at the bottom - Just a plastic clamp. The drum appears to rotate on a plastic bushing. This is not to say it would not work - The CDI units work quite well on smaller boats and are also cheap. But, for a 37 footer, get a decent system! GBM |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
"GBM" wrote in news:kdSBg.63494$Uy1.13613
@read1.cgocable.net: This is not to say it would not work - The CDI units work quite well on smaller boats and are also cheap. But, for a 37 footer, get a decent system! REality check - Will it furl it in a gale with 12' rollers breaking over the bow? I'm with you....the stouter the better! Going up there in that gale to fool around with cheap plastic crap might lose the kids a daddy! |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
Hi Charlie,
The intended installer will probably be me, and I'm trying to figure out what brand I like best ;-) The problem with this type of thing is that furlers are an esoteric and fairly expensive piece of hardware. Its hard to find a place where you can look at different furlers side by side and compare the designs. Once they're installed, pretty much all you can see is the bottom drum. Don W. Charlie Morgan wrote: I'd go with whatever brand the intended installer likes best. Proper installation is truly a large part of the "quality" of any furler. CWM |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
Thanks for your comments below. Since you've seen
so many of the units, can you tell me what to look out for as far as failures? I recall a Cruising World article where someone had their furler shed its bearings at sea while the jib was partially rolled up. They then could not roll it up, or unroll it to strike it IIRC. Am I correct in thinking that some furlers use bearings and swivels such that the furler becomes the forestay, while some furlers install around the existing forestay? If so, what are the advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. BTW, the price difference between the Alado, and a Harken unit of the proper size is fairly negligible (~30%) when you consider how long you'll be using the furler, and the consequences of a failure in a remote area. TIA, Don W. GBM wrote: After 25 years of installing furlers and using them on boats from 22 to 50 ft, I have an opinion, but not a strong one. Profurl - You can't go far wrong - But there are some who got a run around getting parts when in distant parts. But, they are a world wide company and more likely to have service than the lesser known makes. Harken - ( I have one on my boat that is an original Mk 1from way back!) - More streamlined, less rugged looking than Profurl. If sized properly should give good service and parts widely available. Alado - Never seen one despite having been in business - probably a choice if the price is the main consideration. Maybe buy two so you will have spare parts ;) Others to look at: Hood Yacht Systems - Seafurl - Hood were one of the first into modern furlers - probably still worth looking at. sailed many miles on the original units - no experience with recent units. Furlex - Definitely worth considering - Good Swedish engineering. Schaeffer - Installed several of these - not bad, but I would choose them behind Profurl, Furlex and Harken mainly because of lighter duty extrusions and joining system. If faced with same decision, I would price all of above units, except Alado. Then add on any extras that may be needed such as furling blocks, furling line, shackles, halyard wrap preventer, new forestay (may be needed), sail modifications etc. Sometime the price/size breaks result in one make being a better value. Good Luck GBM |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
And that is precisely why I think it's worth
investigating different people's experiences with the units before putting one on my boat. There are a lot of things on a sailboat that are unnecessary, but a working headsail and forestay are not among them. Don W. Larry wrote: REality check - Will it furl it in a gale with 12' rollers breaking over the bow? I'm with you....the stouter the better! Going up there in that gale to fool around with cheap plastic crap might lose the kids a daddy! |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
We have a Schaefer 3100. It has been trouble free and easy to use.
Dick McKee S/V ONE9TEEN Don W wrote: Hi everyone, 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? Regards, Don W. |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
"Don W" wrote Wrote a long reply (twice) and both times my computer froze just before I sent it! Trying again! Causes of drastic failu 1. Halyard wrap (do a web search for "halyard wrap" and furling) 2. Sail luff too short and no pendant to allow swivel to go all way to top. 3. Lack of proper rigging swivels top and bottom of forestay. 4. Foils sections coming loose - poor installation - needs locktite to prevent 5. Bearing failure - usually due to lack of maintenance or heeding warning signs. Regarding design - all modern furlers fit over forestay - only differences are that some incorporate turnbuckle in design (Harken/Furlex) while others fir over existing turnbuckle. Profurl, Furlex and Harken installation manuals are all on-line - do Google search - They should explain all. This is a good summary by Brian Toss - I agree with everything he says: http://www.briontoss.com/education/a.../miscnov03.htm GBM Thanks for your comments below. Since you've seen so many of the units, can you tell me what to look out for as far as failures? I recall a Cruising World article where someone had their furler shed its bearings at sea while the jib was partially rolled up. They then could not roll it up, or unroll it to strike it IIRC. Am I correct in thinking that some furlers use bearings and swivels such that the furler becomes the forestay, while some furlers install around the existing forestay? If so, what are the advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. BTW, the price difference between the Alado, and a Harken unit of the proper size is fairly negligible (~30%) when you consider how long you'll be using the furler, and the consequences of a failure in a remote area. TIA, Don W. |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
Thanks Dick,
BTW, how long have you owned it, is it on sal****er or fresh, and how much do you use the boat each year? What is the highest wind speed that you have used the furler in? Don W. dick wrote: We have a Schaefer 3100. It has been trouble free and easy to use. Dick McKee S/V ONE9TEEN Don W wrote: Hi everyone, 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? Regards, Don W. |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
I've been looking on the Profurl website. Based
on the prices I see on the web, it looks like the properly sized Profurl(C350) for my boat would be about price equivalent with the Alado. I'm still researching. Don W. GBM wrote: "Don W" wrote 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? Don, After 25 years of installing furlers and using them on boats from 22 to 50 ft, I have an opinion, but not a strong one. Profurl - You can't go far wrong - But there are some who got a run around getting parts when in distant parts. But, they are a world wide company and more likely to have service than the lesser known makes. Harken - ( I have one on my boat that is an original Mk 1from way back!) - More streamlined, less rugged looking than Profurl. If sized properly should give good service and parts widely available. Alado - Never seen one despite having been in business - probably a choice if the price is the main consideration. Maybe buy two so you will have spare parts ;) Others to look at: Hood Yacht Systems - Seafurl - Hood were one of the first into modern furlers - probably still worth looking at. sailed many miles on the original units - no experience with recent units. Furlex - Definitely worth considering - Good Swedish engineering. Schaeffer - Installed several of these - not bad, but I would choose them behind Profurl, Furlex and Harken mainly because of lighter duty extrusions and joining system. If faced with same decision, I would price all of above units, except Alado. Then add on any extras that may be needed such as furling blocks, furling line, shackles, halyard wrap preventer, new forestay (may be needed), sail modifications etc. Sometime the price/size breaks result in one make being a better value. Good Luck GBM |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
All RF's have weak points and you can find failure stories about all of
them. Most RF's have to be installed by a rigger, not Alado. All use plastic bearings including Alado but Alado doesn't use screws to hold them in. If you've never used or installed or even seen an Alado, how can you knock em? Price doesn't mean anything! Yes, I've installed and used one on a 32' Gulf Pilothouse. I didn't have the boat long enough to really evaluate the Alado but I can say it is simple and strong and easy to install. Drawbacks are that it sits quite high on the stay and the drum holder needs to be secured at the base so it doesn't turn. Go to the seller and ask for other owners names and email addy's and ask them. Gordon "Don W" wrote in message m... Hi Charlie, The intended installer will probably be me, and I'm trying to figure out what brand I like best ;-) The problem with this type of thing is that furlers are an esoteric and fairly expensive piece of hardware. Its hard to find a place where you can look at different furlers side by side and compare the designs. Once they're installed, pretty much all you can see is the bottom drum. Don W. Charlie Morgan wrote: I'd go with whatever brand the intended installer likes best. Proper installation is truly a large part of the "quality" of any furler. CWM |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
Practical Sailor did a piece on furlers recently, the first few
paragraphs of which can be seen he http://www.practical-sailor.com/issu...es/4996-1.html ....and (of course) you can purchase the entire artilce if this whets you apetite. MW |
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/ |
Best headsail roller furling unit?
"Don W" wrote in message ... I've been looking on the Profurl website. Based on the prices I see on the web, it looks like the properly sized Profurl(C350) for my boat would be about price equivalent with the Alado. I'm still researching. Don W. If you have a turnbuckle, you should order the "I" version with turnbuckle cylinder - this allows the drum to be lower. Otherwise, you would need the optional long link plates so that the turnbuckle will be below the drum (Some suppliers may include them as standard). Check what length of extrusions are supplied as standard - you may need an extra one. Make sure you have enough turnbuckle adjustment so that you can install rigging toggles top and bottom if they are not already there - probably need about 2.75" for each. GBM |
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. |
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/ |
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 |
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/ |
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/ |
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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