Roller Furlers..

[groundhog]

I did a search of the forum and can't find info on this..

Can you list the best roller furler systems and the worst ones?

I am thinking of buying one and I need to know what to aim for and what to stay away from.

Also maybe, desired features...

Thanks!
groundhog

[sailingdog]

Are you talking for mainsails or for headsails? It would also help if you said what kind of boat it is, since some furlers aren't made small enough or large enough for certain boats.

[Joel73]

The Harken MKIV Unit 0 has worked great for us. It's a little pricey compared to some but i've never had a single problem with it.

See: http://shop.sailnet.com/product_info...=Harken%20MKIV

[groundhog]

Sorry..
Headsail. 27' Albin Vega.
gh

[Joel73]

Originally Posted by groundhog

Sorry..
Headsail. 27' Albin Vega.
gh

Our Harken is on the headsail of our Pearson 27... so if you went this route you would want the Unit 0 as well. Never had a jam... smooth. Now i've probably jinxed us!

[sailboy21]

In my experience quality of the furler has far less to do with its success than quality and arrangement of the installation.
For a 27' cruiser you might check out the CDI or Alado types that have integral halyard. These usually cost less, and avoid the struggle with the halyard swivel.

Another way to look at things: warranty

Harken: seven (7) years from date of purchase. This warranty covers defects in materials or workmanship.

Schaefer: free from factory defects in material and workmanship for a period of five (5) years from the date of purchase

CDI: six years from date of purchase. covers unseamanlike use, winching against obstructions, and rough and abusive yard handling.

Alado Lifetime warranty to the original purchaser.

Profurl: covered by a 5 year worldwide warranty.


Of course terms and conditions muddy the waters a lot. I think having a warranty like CDI (they will replace it if you run it over with a car, or winch it to pieces) is a huge plus, vs those that only cover material defects.
Disclaimer: some of this info was from second hand sites so check it out for yourself.

[T34C]

I had a Harken (Mk III) on previous boat. Worked fairly well, but for a few jams when line would override inside drum. On my current boat I went with Profurl after much research and cost analysis. Very high quality has performed well in all conditions, and was easy to install.

I would agree that installation issues like the feed angle of the line have a lot to do with how well a unit works.

[Joel73]

Originally Posted by T34C

.......
I would agree that installation issues like the feed angle of the line have a lot to do with how well a unit works.

Same here. The 90 degree angle is crucial.

[sailingdog]

I have a Furlex 200 unit on a telstar 28... and it's a solid unit. You'd probably want to go down a size, but I'm not 100% sure of that, as it depends on the sail measurements IIRC.

[Maine Sail]

Wow I've owned a lot of boats and had a lot of furlers;

Here's the list and my take on the ones I've owned.

Hood - Served me well, always worked, but had minor corrosion issues. (this was not the single line model)
Furlex 200S- Served me well, and always worked, but had some small plastic pieces that broke like the lower bearing cover for the swivel.
Schaefer 2100- Served me well, always worked, zero problems.
CDI - Numerous problems upgraded to the Furlex listed above.
Hyde- Worked, but of questionable quality, esoteric, and now defunct.
Pro-Furl #32- Served me well, always worked, zero problems but company tough to deal with (parts).
Harken MK-IV - Installed last spring and working flawlessly but the line that comes with it sucks!

So in short I'd recommend a Harken, Furlex or Schaefer. I personally feel the Schaefer is the most robustly built but it's also the most expensive unit of the three. That being said the Harken MK-IV, I feel, currently offers the most bang for the buck and I like the "over turnbuckle" design. A Unit 0 would work well for your boat..

If you're doing it yourself the Harken was the easiest to assemble. Not that any of them are hard though..

The drum will slide right up the extrusion for access to a head stay turnbuckle..