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Gentlemen, I am considering buying a roller furling system for my MkII. I need some input as to the "best" furling system for this size boat. Right now my reading indicates a Harken system, unit 0 would be a good fit for my boat. I also need help in sail selection etc. I've been told a good sail loft can fit my existing sails for a furling system, is this so? I'm sure the best thing is to order a new head sail for the furling system to ensure I get the UV protection I want. Also the term "rope luff" and "draft stripes" are used in sail selection. I am unsure of their meanings specifically, although I assume the "rope luff" helps in furling smoothly, and the "draft stripes" give you an idea of whether or not your main sail, or any sail is formed efficently. Also, several furling system manufacturers imply a split drum will slip right over my existing head stay and will be easly to mount, possibly not even having to disconnect my head stay. Any ideas or suggestions?
I'm going with a ProFurl for a couple of reasons but can't say that the Harken is any less practical. The rope luff means that instead if hanks the sail will have a rope sewn into the luff of the sail. It fits into the track of the foil. Consider the difference between roller furling and roller reefing when you get your headsail recut. I know the sailmaker can add the UV cover, but they may be able to add foam to the sail to make it reef as well as furl. Finally unless you headstay is new now may be the time to consider changing it too.
Mike M
SV Wind Horse
#375
Galveston, Tx
Mike M
SV Wind Horse
#375
Galveston, Tx
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Carriden is fitted with a Harken Unit 0 system which has been in place for several years. I find that it is reliable and works very well, but I did fit a halyard restrainer to the mast a few inches down from the masthead halyard sheave. This corrected a problem in which the halyard would tend to wrap around the forestay when furling the sail. This is not a problem specific to Harken, it often happens with all brands of roller furling. By fitting a halyard restrainer (available from Schaefer or Harken), you slightly change the angle of the halyard's connection to the spinner unit at the head of the sail, moving it away from being parallel to the headfoil. This change of angle guarantees that the spinner will do its job instead of letting the halyard wrap around the forestay.
Remember that mylar- and kevlar-based sails are not a good choice for roller furling, dacron is the optimum material. Whether or not you need a new sail as opposed to a retrofit is mainly an issue of what condition your current genoa is in. Let the sailmaker be your guide in this but consider his opinion carefully, to be sure that he does not just want to sell you a new sail.
In my time working in the marine retail industry, it was generally acknowledged that the most reliable furler brands were Harken and Furlex (from Selden).
Happy shopping, Marcus
I have a Harken system and like it. The split drum part means you can remove that easily for racing. As far as I know, you have to remove your headstay to install any system.
Most (not all) systems fit over the existing wire, but I was advised that a furling system will expose any weakness in the existing headstay; better to replace it. Mine was C$90.00 - no big deal. Assembling the furler over the new headstay and getting it on the boat wasn't hard, but you have to follow the instructions carefully. Read three times, dry-fit once, cut once, dry-fit once more, apply Lok-Tite and assemble for real - I'm sure you know the deal. Do not do as an acquaintance did, who said, "I'm a Professional Engineer - I can figure this out as I go along." No sympathy.
I had a new headsail made for the furler; after a year, my sailmaker applied a very expensive, lightweight UV cover over the areas that had been discoloured by sunlight. Despite the light weight of this material, its weight ruined the sail for light air. Accordingly, the replacement sail was given a Sunbrella sock that we zip up over the sail, hoisting it with the chute halyard. Works like a charm.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
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Thank you guys for the valuable information. I live a long way from a sail loft, so all the input I can get will help me in the long run. I'm looking forward to having roller reefing. One last question and I will let someone else hog the forum for awhile. I hope to paint the deck and nonskid areas on Sea Robin this spring. As far as I can tell I have no delamination or structural damage, just old age and discoloration. Has anyone had success in an off-white paint, something that will not blind you on sunny days? Has anyone completely painted deck and topsides to the water line? Again, any information is invaluable.
Hi David.
I like the sock idea. I have roller furling, and the sail is poor on light air. I assume the sock must be split and zippered so you can get it around the furled headsail?
I guess the other alternative that may help would be a whisker pole.
Barry. 1987 Mk. V Oasis
The sock has a 3 zippers (super-long zippers are v. expensive - using a series of them keeps down cost and has no downside that I'm aware of). On the other side are a set of laces that you snug up once the sock is up; this prevents it from flapping in the wind, chafing itself and the sail.
A whisker pole is nice for off-wind sailing; absence of the weight of a UV cover improves sail shape on all points of sail in light air.
I got mine in dark blue Sunbrella from Triton Sails in Mississauga (905-891-8166). I won't quote price because this was a first for him, but I think I can say that it was a fraction of what a friend paid a major loft for a comparable product. To make one, he needed the sail's luff length and the circumference of the normally rolled sail.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
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Charles:
Harken introduced two new furling systems this year. The Mark IV is an updated version of their popular racing/cruising system, and the Cruising Furler is a value-oriented product with less features. Both are very competitively priced, and the Mark IV, less expensive than the previous model, looks very good. Can’t speak to the reliability of the Cruising Furler since it’s an all-new product. I just did a comparo of Harken, Profurl, Selden, and Schaefer for a performance-oriented installation on a client’s 41’ and the Harken Mk IV’s the recommended unit based on price and features…
A sail loft can retrofit an existing genoa for use with a furler, but it all comes down to your expectations and your allowance on what the best solution is for you. You could go as simple as changing to a bolt rope luff to attach an old sail to the furler (a few hundred bucks) all the way to a new high-tech laminate furling sail complete with UV and foam luff to improve reefing shape ($3000+). All choices to do with furling are going to be tradeoffs of money spent and performance or convenience expected…
FYI, draft stripes are the horizontal lines (usually done in the same colour as sail numbers) on the sail which allow you to view the sail’s draft and camber quickly.
For performance, a sock is a much better (albeit less convenient) choice than UV protection sewn to the leech and foot of the sail. On the other hand, don’t people put furling on for convenience’ sake in the first place?
David:
I hope Ron didn’t tell you “super-long zippers are v. expensive”. Sail lofts buy zipper material in long lengths (100m+) and cut them to length. On the other hand, if he made your sock out of zipper ends lying around the loft and then passed the savings on to you, that’s a different matter, but anyone paying full price for a sock should get one continuous zipper, it’s more convenient and elegant…
Cheers,
Tal Wolf
Critical Path
C&C 27 Mk III #632
disclaimer: the Path came with an original Harken Unit 0 Mark I Unit which we used a bit the first year, then got so frustrated with the performance compromises I took the (non-split) drum off and just use the foil, whether we’re racing, daysailing, or cruising. Haven’t looked back in the 9 years since!
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What I have on my cover are finished zippers with moulded ends rather than the continuous ones that lofts normally use. Those are rubbish and very likely to pop open halfway along their length. Originally I looked askance at the multiple zippers (despite my loathing for continuous zippers), but this worked out well. Ron managed to arrange them so they provide an opening for the sheets right at the clew, so they can be led outside the sock and tied to the lifelines. (So that's one other measurement that anyone ordering a sock ought to provide - the distance between the clew and the tack when rolled.)
After a season of using the sock, the convenience of one zipper vs three is neither here nor there and the break between zippers is invisible unless you're looking for it.
As to why people put roller furling on, I did it for safety's sake. I got caught east of Cobourg in a rapidly rising wind while bringing the boat home by myself; this gave me a very long hard sailing day, nothing serious, but it made me think about what might have happened had it blown any harder.
The roller furling genoa was great at first but even the lightweight UV material ruined that one's shape in light air. For us, the sock is a good compromise between sail shape and convenience.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
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