Recommend Me a Headsail Furler.

[frozenhawaiian]

hey guys. the old furler that came with my boat is shot so it's time for a replacement.this furler will be going on my 1970 hinckley 38. much as I like the harken MKIV it's just not in my budget so the units I'm looking at are:

harken ESP furler: fairly new on the market from what I understand. I like harken quality but I'm a little wary of a "budget" furler, even from harken.

Facnor LX-165: never used them personally but my understanding is that they're very good quality.

profurl C-350: again, never used them personally but I'm told they're good quality. though not quite at the same par as the facnor and harken, price point is attractive however. the green annodizing is like nails on the chalkboard to me..

the harken and the facnor are within $100 of each other in price, which the profurl is several hundred dollars cheaper. any thoughts on these guys.

[Don C L]

Never used one but I hear Reefrite is good from Australia. Check with Jim Cate here.

[frozenhawaiian]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Never used one but I hear Reefrite is good from Australia. Check with Jim Cate here.

just looked them up, interesting concept of using a locking pawl to lock the drum when reefed instead of relying on the furling line.

[Don C L]

Here is a page from a previous thread that might help a bit, check "Kiwi slides" too:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...s-60888-7.html
Just my 2 cents but if it were me I'd hank on until I had enough pennies saved up to get the best one.

[frozenhawaiian]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Here is a page from a previous thread that might help a bit, check "Kiwi slides" too:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...s-60888-7.html
Just my 2 cents but if it were me I'd hank on until I had enough pennies saved up to get the best one.

my existing headsail is set up for roller furling, just my current furler is in need of replacement.

[frozenhawaiian]

and nailing down which is the "best" is asking for a big argument around here.

[FSMike]

Spent years on various boats with ProFurl equipment, never a problem.

[Scott Berg]

Profurl isn't fancy but they do work (as do all brands). Maintenance matters as much as which you choose...

[ohdrinkboy]

ditto what FSMike said.

[DMBOS]

ProFurl on several boats and never had a problem - bullet proof ! -
bearings and seals are standard, replaceable and available.

[TonyGP]

Schaefer

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by TonyGP

Schaefer

+1


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[Nicholson58]

We have Profurl C520 & C480 on our forward stays. They have been on the boat many years before we bought it. Both work well.


Cruising range

[rocco lombardi]

#1 Harken mark series. #2 Furlex. ALL others are "lesser technology". Profurl use sealed ball bearings, made from high carbon steel(rust prone), Schaefer use stainless cup pressed into aluminum housing(corrosion prone). Harken and Furlex both use torlon balls in a hardcoat anodized aluminum housing(no issues), and most important, both have an independant tack swivel.This allows for much better sail shape, and deeper reefing. Save your dough and get the good stuff... Based on 15 plus years working as a sailboat rigger.

[spiv]

When my 5yo Facnor was getting harder and harder to turn, I discovered that it was unserviceable and that I needed a new drum.
I was in NZ and the Facnor people were not even interested in talking to me about possible servicing options. Just buy a new drum at full price!
Well, never again Facnor for me!