CD roller Furling

[Linda]

I am thinking of converting my headsail to roller furling on my CD 30 cutter. Any suggestions? I want enough clearance on the deck for anchoring, good performance when reefed, removable drum and easy installation. Harken, Profurl or CDI ?
Linda

[Warren Kaplan]

Many good ones out there providing you take good care of them and do annual maintenance.

I've got a Furlex on my CD27. Works well.

[Tom in Cambria]

With roller furling clearance on the deck is not an issue at all. You just roll it completely up and the deck is completely clear. If you have a manual windlass you might have to bend the handle a little bit to clear the rolled up sail. Working good when reefed is a relative judgment. When partially rolled up none of them set as well as a hank-on headsail imho, but they tack just fine and "perform" fine from that standpoint. It's a small price to pay for such a convenient set up. I guess they all have removable drums if you're willing to go through what it takes to remove them. I've never removed mine since 1990, but it's just a matter of pulling a clevis pin to drop the housing with the drum onto the deck. Or are you talking about removing the drum from inside the housing? I don't even know if you can do that with the Harken I have on my CD 31 and I'm not sure why you would want to. There is virtually no maintenance required with the Harken, you just hose the salt out of the bearings for maintenance, and you don't have to remove anything to do that. It's one of the best buys I every made for the boat and I think you'll learn to really love it if you cruise at all. If you race you probably might want the performance of a hank on foresail. Outside of that a roller furling sail is one of the best buys you'll ever make. I don't know about the other brands although I've heard good things about the ProFurl. My Harken has been trouble free for 17 years and I'd certainly recommend it.

[Clay Stalker]

Roller furling is great, especially for the single-hander. I wouldn't be without it, and gladly sacrifice the small loss of performance for simplicity in sail-handling.

I personally think most of the furlers sold today are good...this is a very competitive market. I have used CDIs, Harkens, and now have a Profurl, and have had excellent luck with them all.

[Bob Ohler]

Linda,
I would not have a Schaefer on a dare. Their customer service is the worst in the industry.

I have a Harken that I installed about 5 years ago and it has been worry free. No issues whatsoever. The convenience factor is wonderful.

Two points that I would like to add:
1. I had one year old sails when I added the roller furler. Making the roller furling adjustments to the yankee did alter the way the boat balanced under sail, but only slightly. After the changes, the boat develops weather helm a little quicker.

2. The bow area of a CD30 is tight anyway you look at it. If you have your furler installed by a rigger, mention to him that he needs to be aware of the anchor on the bowsprit. I use and really like a 22# Bruce anchor on the Chesapeake. When hoisting the anchor into the bow roller, you will need to aware that the roller furler drum "could" be in the way. Other types of anchors may not be as much of an issue.

Good luck with your purchase!

Bob Ohler
sv Aloha Spirit
CD30 #335

[Ron M.]

I installed a Pro Furl system a few trouble free years ago. It has a link plate option I took advantage of, getting the drum about 10 - 12" Above the bow sprit headstay fitting. This gives good access for anchor handling. I got a 135% genoa with the furler and modified the yankee with a luff tape and foam pad (Sailrite). It is quick to change headsails.
I would like to put a furling system on the staysail also - maybe next year. A new engine, prop, shaft this year put a sizable dent in this season's boat dollars.
________
MERCEDES-BENZ F 200 IMAGINATION SPECIFICATIONS

[Paul D.]

I installed a Harken on our 33 five years ago and have had no issues at all. In the big stuff she works great. Lessons learned:

1) It is a rather tedious job to install yourself but absolutely worth it.

2) I would get the extra tang below the furler and measure and cut the headstay appropriately for anchor clearance at the stem. With a cutter you should have plenty of sail clearance but double check your luff length

3) watch your halyard angle at the top of the mast to the swivel and be sure it is in the recommended angle zone

4) Play with different halyard tensions to see how your sail rools up. I had my halylard too tight after a friend bent on the sail and it was difficult to roll up. so play with it on a nice day before you need it. Once you know how tight to have your halyard you will have no issues.

5) I never hear of problems with Harken units and I recommend them. I am a conservative sailor and only decided to install the Harken when we bought the boat as the old CDI unit was so old it was UV powder and we have limited sail stowage aboard. I also knew how good and reliable the Harken and Profurl units have become.

6) Put some thought into your sail. If you want good shape partially reefed, sew a foam luff in there. Mine doesn't have one and I don't like my reefed sail shape - I have a 25 year old genny though and stay busy sewing it up to stay in one piece already!

Hope this helps,
Paul

[Stan W.]

I would not have a Schaefer on a dare. Their customer service is the worst in the industry.

I installed a Schaefer two years ago. It was not too hard to install myself (but you do have to go to the top of the mast) and it has performed flawlessly. IMHO it is equal to or better than the Harken and generally runs a few bucks less. I can't speak to Schaefer's customer service but I am only dealing with the retailer, Rigging Only, anyway and they are great.

Pro-Furl also would be a good choice although I personally prefer the Schaefer or the Harken. IMHO, a CD 30 is too big for the CDI.

I did not go for the raised drum. The clearances are tight, but I can still use my bowsprit mounted CQR.

[Bob Ohler]

Linda, If you decide to buy the Schaefer, say a prayer that you do not need any assistance from the Schaefer customer service department!
IMHO.

Bob Ohler

[Dean Abramson]

Hi,

Last year was my frst with roller furling; the new boat came with ProFurl. So far, I have bee quite impressed with its ease of use, and reliablity. The design seems wonderfully simple. It's easy to tell what you are looking at. Thus far, thumbs up.

Best of luck in your search.

Dean

[Neil Gordon]

IMHO, a CD 30 is too big for the CDI.

Mine has worked well (i.e., flawlessly) on 28'. What changes from 28 to 30 that crosses over the line?

[Stan W.]

IMHO, a CD 30 is too big for the CDI.

Mine has worked well (i.e., flawlessly) on 28'. What changes from 28 to 30 that crosses over the line?

I know you and others have had satisfactory results but my purely personal prejudice is that the upper limit for a plastic foil is about 25' LOA.

[Michael Abramson]

I have the CDI on my Intrepid (30'), which I also installed. It is a good, reliable setup, and the best bang for the buck. Occasionally the line will override as it feeds onto the drum, but I think this can occur with most units. I have no issues with the plastic foil, but one does need to coil it in the reverse direction than it is in the shipping box to remove the set it takes from being tightly coiled. It is like wrestling an anaconda, but the overall installation is within the skills of an average mechanic.

Michael