Oy
Hello,
Even with a massive purchase, that furler will still continue to set your luff well to leeward, and at some point, if you keep trying to tension it, you are liable to pull it apart, and then the entire sail will be set well to leeward. That's why the only contemporary free-flying furlers are either for drifter-type sails, or are engineered as standing rigging.
The nearest thing to a traditional-looking furler that sits on the stay, and is likely to work well, is the Reef-Rite. And by traditional I mean not modern-looking, and a bit rough.
As for downhauls, the single greatest cause of jams, in my experience, is attaching the downhaul to the head of the sail; it wants to be attached to the top hank's ring, so it doesn't pull the head over to one side, causing it to jam the top hank. I've sailed thousands of miles with properly-led downhauls, with zero problems. They certainly present fewer opportunities for malfunction than, say, a jib furler.
Still, given the need to go out on that bowsprit, and in the absence of lazyjacks for the jib, a good furler, regardless of appearance, might be a better choice.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss
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