Home made electric furling head sail.

[scoobert]

so. why not?
my furller uses a small diameter cable, tied into a rope.
why not cut the cable at the rope, and attach a small winch?
when i say winch, i mean as in
ATV Winch - 12 Volt ATV Winch with Load-Holding Brake

the only issue i see with this is if the headsail becomes jammed.

to prevent this issue, i could attach the winch to a undersized breaker.
as soon as the load goes too high, the breaker flips, and the winch stops.

(what if it fails) if the winch is stuck in the out position, i can simply rig a snatch block over the line, attach to a fixed point amidships, and use a winch on the other end of the line. if it gets stuck in the in position, then i need to replace the winch, and rig it as i said just now, pulling the cable release, and using it as manual.

i could carry a spare winch, in case the first one seizes up. i could also make it part of a once yearly maintenance schedule, to completely replace the winch.

on sale this winch is $39. a bit cheaper then the ones profurl sells, right?

mounting, i could mount the winch in the aft portion of the anchor locker, and fit a nice rolling block, to prevent chafe.

drawbacks:
1the winch will not last long in a saltwater environment, thou sealing with silicone, may make it last a full year without issue.
2power consumption.
3having to go to the foredeck in case of failure, perhaps in adverse conditions.

have i forgotten something?

[sonar]

Great Idea but as you say you will be for ever replacing the unit.

But I do like the idea though.

[Stumble]

It sounds like a lot of work to automate a rarely used line, but it could work if it was that important.

I would probably look at using a drum anchor winch though. In the same price point but made for the marine environment.

Trac™ Electric Anchor Winches : Cabela's