Code 0 Furlers, What do you have & do you like it

[UNCIVILIZED]

Guys,
I’m trying to get a feel for the pros & cons of the various Code 0 type furling gear out there. And I was hoping for a bit of knowledge & real world experience about some of the various makes, & models available. AKA that you’d be kind enough to share your wisdoms on this, with me... and other forumites.

Gear wise please share what you’ve have, on equipment, up to & including units of this type which can also be converted into top down spinnaker furlers. Ones which only require the addition of a part or three to the system, to facilitate this/such a change/mod’.

- Ah: Probably the easiest way to answer this questionnaire, is to quote this initial post, & then go in below a subject line/question, & type in your answer using a different (stand out type) color.

If you're being kind enough to share your experiences, please include such relevant info as the following:

- Unit; brand, make, & model.

- How long you've had it/the unit's age.

- How much/often it gets used.

- How heavily you load it, especially compared to it's max load rating? Both in terms of halyard load, & sail generated loads.

- How well, & easily it works when the weather goes to crap.

- How well it works when you get fumble fingers while operating it.

- Does it intimidate any of your regular crew? If so, whom and why? Please be kind, but specific on this. IE; Don't "out" or humiliate your mate(s).

- Is it easy for new crew to learn to use it?

- What's your boat's size vs. what size (in square feet) sail(s) which you use it with.

- What conditions & wind ranges are you comfortable using it in, & the opposite also?

- How much wind will you leave a furled sail hoisted on it, up in, when it's attached to the gear?

- Do you use a 2:1 purchase on it's halyard or tack?

- Do you use it for more than 1 sail, & if so, do you have more than 1 top swivel?
Also, what are your thoughts on extra top swivels? Such as 1 for each sail flown from your furler? Both with money factored in, & if it weren't.

- Is your furler a maintenance sensitive piece of kit? If so, please describe.

- What do you carry in terms of spares for it?

- Does/has your unit had any mechanical troubles, & how's the manufacturer been about helping you out with such?

- If given the chance to receive another unit, gratis, what would you pick now? Why?

- Also, would you recommend your unit to a cruising friend, especially if they could get one like yours for a super low price?

- Thoughts & feedback on continuous line types, vs. line on a drum types.

- Do you tack yours to your bow, or to a sprit (even a short one, such as a long anchor roller) and what led you to that choice?

- Money, & your boat's bow configuration being non-issues, would you change your drum mount setup to what, specifically, & why?

- If your drum is sprit mounted, how long is your sprit, & does it have a bobstay?

- Thoughts on tacking your furler to the end of a long sprit? Say 5'-9', thus making it unreachable from the bow. without pulling in the sprit.

- If mounted to the end of a long, semi-fixed sprit, would you want the furler’s drum to be on a sliding (traveler type) car, on a track, on top of the sprit?

- How much of an issue are waves striking; your sprit, furler, & foot of the sail? Also, is such enough of an issue that you've raised the sail's tack?

- How would you rate Code 0 type furlers for downwind sail control & ease of use vs. spinnaker socks/snuffers? Especially ease of use, to the point where it has you flying such sails far more often with one type of sail handling system over the other.
Please describe your thoughts & experiences on this, including gear; brand & model specifics.Plus sail sizes, & contributing weather factors, etc.

- What are your thoughts on your unit’s cost vs. how much you use it/ease of use. IE; In hindsight would you prefer a different method to handle big, foresails? Both for close reaching, & for full on downwind canvas.

- Does the furler & Code 0/A-sails help you make big performance gains, & or have you using your engine a lot less?

- Since getting it, & a Code sail/Asymmetrical, do you use your conventional spinnakers much, any more?

- Money not being a factor, could you see sailing without one in the future? If so, why, & what would you do instead?
And with money factored in, how hard would you work your budget in order to get another one?

- Would you prefer to have a bigger rig, with more standard canvas, vs. messing with Code 0's & spinnakers of various types (given an endless bank account)? Why?

- Any other recommendations, & or words of wisdom for a neophyte buyer? Regarding choosing; this type of furler, sprits, as well as the sails to go with such gear.

And... Thank you so much for your thoughts, & feedback, to assist me with my choice, & with expanding my depth of knowledge. Plus… Especially for reading through my gigantic ;ost of questions.

- Fair winds, & good sailing to you! And, may your rum tank never run dry.

[silversailor]

Great questions. I posed a more general one recently on Sailing Anarchy forum. Check it out.

[monte]

Lots of questions, I'll answer but a few! We had a facnor continuous line furler on our gennaker on our last boat. It was attached to the sprit and rigged each time we flew it. I didn't like it. I would prefer a more substantial fixed furler. The line would sometimes come out if the drum, it was difficult to furl in over 15K and required crew on the foredeck to fart around with it. More suitable to dinghy racing I'd say, but I know some cruisers like them. If I went with another gennaker I'd look at a sock instead. But we have gone with a parasailor. It pretty much does all the gennaker did and more. Better wind range, up to 30K + and still manageable and good angles, up to 90degrees.
One if the few times I rigged the gennaker before sailing we set out in more wind than expected and it managed to unwrap itself and dousing it was difficult. I've had a few friends that have destroyed there's at the dock leaving them up and they unwrap as well because the leech is concave, it's hard to furl well. Since then we just raised it and lowered it after use. The best way to furl is head downwind to take the wind out of the sail while furling, but that's not ways possible. That's when it becomes a bit of a pita.
I doubt we will get another gennaker as there's not enough gap between our white sails and parasailor to warrant it, plus the fact that we just sold the sprit (thanks Tony)
Btw, it's easy enough to attach the drum to the end of the sprit with a line and turning block with a jammer inboard, so you can retrieve and connect it without having to lean out..
I'd be interested to hear others thoughts on furler vs sock for anyone that's used both.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Thanks for the answers. If/when I pick one up, it'll likely be for a Monohull for now. And there are Far better & faster boats than J-boats, for 20% - 50% the price, but lacking sprits. So a DIY carbon one would be easy enough to laminate & bake in a week or less, for well under $1k, even for a BIG boat.

Given that, & that I've sailed & raced a lot, such was what created the plethora of questions. I tried to think it through fairly well anyway. Most of the other stuff on this subject which I've dug up online, & in periodicals is fairly lame.
And, yep, this survey's posted over on Sailing Anarchy too. But I'll go peruse your, so thanks.