SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!
I think I have decided to put on a furler - I single hand a lot so make my life a bit easier, also the extra sails down below take up a lot of space - which is at a premium on a Pearson 26.
My big concern - investing $2K in a $3k boat, the boat is in great shape and really needs nothing else but no matter what I do to the boat - it will be a $3K boat( at least in Florida)
I am guessing a furler is going to cost me about $1200 and another $800 for a sail. The headstay was replaced 2 years ago - so the rigging is good.
Unless you are planning keeping this boat for a number of years, putting a furler on will make no economic sense. That said, the CDI Flexible Furler is probably the least expensive option. Some lofts will give you a package discount if you order a sail with it. Like the Sail Warehouse which sells Rolly Tasker sails. The Sailwarehouse
If your current headsails are in good shape, you could have one converted to use on the furler, though that is a less than ideal compromise. If your headsails are on their last legs, then part of the cost can be rationalized as routine sail replacement.
you will not regret it, but do not box yourself into just furling sails.
I have a Pearson 26 one design, i added a harken furler with a race foil a few years back. it has 2 channels for changing non furling race sails.
when my wife and kids go out for day trips and our few overnights the furler makes things much easier. it will make solo sailing a breeze compared to hank on sails.
over the past two years i have started to race my boat more and more.
because i bought the racing foil, i can easily drop the barrel, and use the foil to attach non furling racing sails (to stay competitive the the other Pearson 26 in the club)
I bought the racing foil package as a second thought and reluctantly, i am very glad i did at this point.
Just an offhand suggestion. I sewed a jib bag for my 22' boat. Way cheaper than a furler but still pretty convenient, and it keeps the sail from taking up space below.
The sail stays hanked on and the sheets stay rigged. When it's time to sail you just unzip it and you're ready to go.
My big concern - investing $2K in a $3k boat, the boat is in great shape and really needs nothing else but no matter what I do to the boat - it will be a $3K boat( at least in Florida)
Don't worry about resale - pretty much anything you do to a boat is a loss, just like a car. Do it because it makes it better for you - and roller furling is a godsend to singlehanding IMHO.
I have a Schaefer Snapfurl on my 24' - great furler has never let me down, and is made for smaller boats like ours. I don't care for the CDI flexible furler and the Alado, both which have halyards that lash at the bow.
As for the sail, $800 sounds about right for a new sail for a 26', but keep in mind you can also possibly have your existing sail converted to luff tape if it is in good condition.
Hank on jib, and the jib bag as suggested... remove jib from bag before you shove off... use a snap shackle (yep some will balk at this) for your genoa sheets (leave the sheets installed just clip it off somewhere when you leave.
Steps before you shove off...
unzip bag, pull jib/genoa out.
Attach halyard
Attach sheets.
motor out, head to wind and hoist.
Hank on jibs are nice they don't easily fall overboard, and you can gather the foot by sheeting after the douse. A bungee on the foredeck to attach any extra fluff to the lifeline helps... Also weave paracord from the toe rail to the lifeline for the first bow portion of lifeline all the way to the shrouds... it prevents the head from falling overboard.
This also allows you to keep the sails you already have.
Also weave paracord from the toe rail to the lifeline for the first bow portion of lifeline all the way to the shrouds... it prevents the head from falling overboard.
That's a good idea. I think I'm going to be re-working my lifelines this summer and I may give that a try.
As it is I try to center the jib sheets and drop the halyard mid-tack so that the jib falls neatly to the deck. But occasionally I hit it wrong and and it ends up dropping in the water.
I have 2 jib bags -both would work, my issue is - my boat is on a home made mooring and I have 4 lines coming in - 2 on each side - it takes a little work to tie and untie lines when coming and going ( held through Matthew's 100mph winds) with a sail bag attached froward - very difficult to get to the anchor rodes.
I have a downhaul rigged to the halyard so when I want the sail to come down - it comes down quickly - it is led back to the cockpit.
I have a 170, 140, 80 and a storm jib for the boat- all on hanks , except for the big sail all in good condition, the smallest headsail and storm jib are almost brand new - if I put on RF - none obviously would work, I think I would have a new sail made , would not be much more than adapting the 140.
If I knew I was going to keep the Pearson for 3 more years - I would get the RF - but I am always tempted by something bigger - some sort of sickness.
It is better to have a new one made, especially if you want to use the furler for reefing as you can have the foam luff sewn in.
At the end of the day, only you can decide if it is worth it to switch to roller furling.
I singlehand - alot. I find that anything that makes tasks easier and quicker to perform are very beneficial to singlehanding. Furling headsails are the top of my list in this category - not only are they quick to deploy and douse, they are easy to quickly reef when the wind picks up. And perhaps the nicest thing of all is that once doused, they are already "put away" and don't need to be flaked and stowed.
Although I don't care for the CDI flexible furler, many do like it. It can be had cheaply and, maybe importantly to you, can be put on and taken off your existing forestay without modifications, allowing you to switch back to your hanked sails if you desire.
Upgrade to a quality reefer/furler. You will add much safety and convenience to your sailing, especially when short handed. But really, it's great to have all the time.
While there are always 'bargain' devices for sale, Buy Quality, and you only cry once: Universal Truth.
I single handed our previous 26 footer a lot, for a decade. I rigged a downhaul line for the hacked-on jibs. This helped but it was still a hassle going forward on a breezy day. I did have a tiller pilot, which was even more (!) vital.
Once we moved up to the our present 34 footer we immediately added a new Harken RF. For single or double handed boating, I consider it vital. Works great and we have enjoyed it for over 20 years.
As soon as we used it on the new boat I was sorry I had not put one on the prior Niagara 26!
Further, the guy that bought our former boat immediately put on a furler.
"Affordable" is just another word used to rationalize an expenditure.
You already have an "affordable" Pearson 26, a well-designed boat with a nice sailing and cruising pedigree. No payments to worry about like the stressed out people with the huge RV's-with-a-mast that you see motoring around on nice days.... when some of them actually leave the dock!
Your well-equipped "pocket cruiser" is a great boat. Make it safe and fun and sail the socks off of it!
Minnesail, not my first solo sail on a race boat... Last 2 boats have been hank on jibs and I've come to appreciate the hanks over tuff luff, for shorthanded, and single handed racing... I've found a few things that work well for that that aren't exactly best choices for fully crewed racing. It helps that I also day sail my boat, so it forces me to find the laziest/easiest way to do anything.
Laserbrains... um... I wholeheartedly agree with you, that RF is easier than hank on... but the OP was lamenting spending the $$, we were attempting to offer a cheaper alternative to spending the price of the boat again in additional equipment.
I put a CDI FF 7 on my pearson 28 when I bought a new sail. Package deal. Haven't cried once. The system is so simple and well manufactured I've had zero problems in the almost ten years I've used it. I selected a 120 genoa and don't need an additional head sail, but then I don't race, just sail. Look for a combo furler/sail package and don't worry about over spending for the boat. You'll both love it.
ps. Watch someone install or remove a multi section alloy unit and you will appreciate the CDI design.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
SailNet Community
1.7M posts
173.8K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Sailing, boating, cruising, racing & chartering. Come join the discussion about sailing, destinations, maintenance, repairs, navigation, electronics, classifieds and more