Choosing a headsail furler

[Saltyhog]

BTW, perhaps I'm being too hasty in my judgement of the Harken ESP. I have not actually seen one in person. It just *seems* to be made to a price point not to a specific purpose. If the MK-IV and ESP are constructed to equal quality levels but directed to racing / cruising respectively, then great. If however the ESP is built to a price first and purpose second, I'm less interested. Nothing wrong with a good price, but robustness is my priority for my particular application.

[Jim Fulton]

"I could "deal with" and address the other issues of a Profurl in order to gain the benefits of their anti-wrap thing-a-ka-bob. Does it actually work?"

I bought and installed a Profurl on my Bristol 34 in 2001. The wrapstop feature was a primary reason for selecting Profurl and I can report that it has worked flawlessly. I was a little concerned about the carbon steel bearings but have had no problems with them.

Jim Fulton

[Saltyhog]

Originally Posted by Jim Fulton

"I could "deal with" and address the other issues of a Profurl in order to gain the benefits of their anti-wrap thing-a-ka-bob. Does it actually work?"

I bought and installed a Profurl on my Bristol 34 in 2001. The wrapstop feature was a primary reason for selecting Profurl and I can report that it has worked flawlessly. I was a little concerned about the carbon steel bearings but have had no problems with them.

Jim Fulton

Thanks Jim. By "other issues" I'm referring to the many instances I've read of foil set screws backing out of their own volition. I've experienced this first hand on a buddies boat. I think it's a matter of proper use of thread locker on the set screws and fasteners. Lots and lots of folks seems happy with their Profurl units. -Tom

[Brion Toss]

Hi,
Any of the furlers you mention would be good; manufacturers that have survived this long have attended to engineering shortfalls. Of them all, I'd still favor Schaefer first, then Harken, then Profurl. Improper installation, these days, is what causes most of the problems.
Speaking of which, that halyard-gathering bail mentioned above sounds like a very, very bad idea. Is the angle of jib halyard to foil more than about 8 degrees? If so, in addition to limiting hoist, you are putting potentially dangerous lateral load on the foil, and doing it in an area where there is no bushing to support it. I've seen foils fail from this. A further issue is that much more tension is required on the halyard to achieve the same tension. Note that Schaefer's manual calls for 6" or less from the top of the swivel to the top of the foil.
Also note that, while it is possible to skip the restrainer, I think that it is never a good idea; some boats can go for years with no problems at all, and the next thing you know we are replacing a furler (and sometimes the stay) because of a halyard wrap.
As for the spinnaker halyard thing, I'd much rather have a nicely articulated block on a nice long crane, that could be used on both tacks.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss