[weinie]

There is an interesting article in Practical Sailor reviewing roller furlers for asyms. In general, it seems they were mostly positive as far as simplifying hoisting, lowering, furling, and unfurling.

I was wondering if anyone has any personal experience with them for a small cruising boat.

I single hand my Catalina 27 and was going to add a asym with a sock this summer, but the roller furling seems like a better solution. The only problem I would have is that I don't have a pole to mount the drum.

 

[jimrafford]

I installed the selden system on my boat last spring. Love it.
Have used a sock for years and while it made short handed take downs easy, opening the sock in light air was a PIA.
The chute stores more compact now too.
Jim

 

[Stumble]

I have two. One for a screecher (luff rope) and one for a asym. There is no question that for a core sail they are amazing. For asym's they do work, but take a little tweeting to get right. Just be sure what you are ordering. The two major types are captive luff and torsion ropes, and they are not the same!

 

[sailortjk1]

I installed the selden system on my boat last spring. Love it.

What was the cost for your system?
If you don't mind.

 

[bacampbe]

I installed the selden system on my boat last spring. Love it.
Have used a sock for years and while it made short handed take downs easy, opening the sock in light air was a PIA.
The chute stores more compact now too.
Jim

I've been thinking about getting the Selden furler for a while now, for my Bene 31. I'm surprised to hear that it's more compact for storage than the chute+sock in a turtle. I assume you are coiling the chute wrapped on the anti-torsion line? How tightly can you coil that?

 

[jimrafford]

W/ the bow sprit around $2500.
I coil the chute in it's original bag. The fabric is more compact than when it was in a sock.
Jim

 

[capecodda]

We've got a code zero on a furled, and can highly recommend it. You haul it up like a big snake, hook up the furling line, and then go back to cockpit to deploy or roll up.

At least with this system, it is important to be able to tension the luff rope for it to work right. On our boat, we built a slightly extended anchor roller system (which provides the equivalent of a pole straight forward), and a fraction rig. This makes it possible to tension the luff and have the whole mess end up in front of the rolled up jib (like a solent rig).

It works great, at least until apparent exceeds about 12-13kts, then it's time to roll it up (given the size and weight we choose). Turns a a boat with a small fractional non-overlapping jib into a reasonable light air performer without much work.

Tacking, well that's another story.

 

[Tim R.]

I installed the selden system on my boat last spring. Love it.
Have used a sock for years and while it made short handed take downs easy, opening the sock in light air was a PIA.
The chute stores more compact now too.
Jim

Ditto.

 

[JonEisberg]

For the OP, don't get too hung up on the need for a sprit. They're nice to have, of course, but by no means a necessity. I've flown asyms from a tack line thru a block mounted just aft of the furler, it works fine - especially if you use a Tacker, which brings the tack of the sail even with the headstay...

I'd like to try a top down furler sometime, but unfortunately none of my delivery clients have been very big on free-flying sails

I have an older Facnor continuous line furler for my Code 0, and even without the torsion rope, it works great... But I'm sticking with my ATN sock for my asymetrical for the time being, as I see 2 liabilities to a T-D furler for a chute...

First, you take away the option of flying it from a pole, the torsion rope will be too long to do so... I know few cruisers will ever bother flying an asym deep from a pole, but I've had pretty good luck doing so...

Second, you eliminate the possibility of "reefing" an asymetrical, as can be done with a sock... Again, not something most folks will ever try, but there are times when the ability to do so can come in mighty handy...

As long as you can get beyond how freakin' stoopid it might look, that is...

 

[travlin-easy]

Having owned a 27 Catalina, I would go with a roller furler, and for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I can pick up a complete system, one that is listed by Practical Sailor is the best, for about $750. I have the Alado Nautica USA Reefing and Roller Furling Systems Home Page system on my Morgan 33 O.I. and had the same system on the 27 Catalina and it worked like a charm. It furls very easily because of the oversize drum, and it can be installed by one person in about 30 minutes. No special tools required other than a couple wrenches and a pair of vice grip pliers.

Additionally, with the roller furler, you can fly just a tab of sail in nasty weather, or more when the weather improves. What more do you need?

Gary