Roller furler for 45'+ boat

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by Rubikoop

What maintenance is one supposed to do with a sealed bearing? I can't even begin to guess how many Profurl units are tossed into the dumpster per year just in my small marina. They seem to last between 3-5 years. The rebuild cost with labor is just short of a new one and that just doesn't make sense. Furlex is the favored replacement and they seem to last.

Here is a small cut and paste from Profurl's website. …maintenance-free :
The ball bearings are sealed in grease to eliminate any risk of corrosion. Additionally, two double-lipped seals ensure that the drum and halyard swivel are totally impermeable to sand, salt and water, or other impurities. You can forget about maintenance with Profurl reefing-furling systems!

Does that mean they are designed to be disposable?


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

They have a small grease niple in the drum, if you believe Harken is maintenance free you are wrong , i have 2 big harken drums in the shop , both wrecked,, torlon balls wear with time ... Maintenance is about something else, not just bearings, how many take out the screws holding the drum to the link plate to lubricate? in my boat i have a LC42 , is old, never need to replace a bearing and the seals are like the first day, work smooth and never ever give us a problem in all those years... the key is installation , maintenance and operation..

Facnor is a piece of crap , but we install a couple of Facnor furlers in a big cata 5 years ago, the guy made a TW around the capes and stop in SXM just to say thank you, both furlers inspected by me and found it in excellent condition, and others just last a couple of seasons ...

Furlex is a great furler, but, ss inner ball bearings: maintenance.... the wire is end it with a stalock terminal or you can preorder a swaged wire , parts is dificult to get,, you can call a dealer and order by mail. Time... and if you skip in the installation a small drop of antiseize compound you can be screwed in a couple of years..

And Harken got the torlon balls , those also wear to making dificult reefing , furl and urfurl tasks.. the old foil conector system is pesky and dirty and a pain in the ass, but those are just installed in the old MKIII and other small models, the foils are prone to be bend in rare circunstances....

So to me Profurl is one of the best , easy to dismantle, easy to repair, and they are robust , last for years with care, bearings last a lot despite the comments here,, just my opinion.

[Hudson Force]

I expect that maintenance is going to be required to keep any of these working well. I like the old Schaeffer rig that I have maintained for over thirty years and refit with new bearings at times. I'll keep what I have, but if I was starting fresh, I would have the ProFurl and expect to spend sometime time taking care of it. All of my stuff would end up in the dumpster if I wasn't on task!

[Sailmonkey]

We've got a Schaffer furler.....I'm very pleased with it, it's stoutly built and turns freely. However they're seldom mentioned in these threads.....for the life of me I can't figure out why!


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

A lot depends upon what your intentions for the boat are. Obviously, any of the major marques will work. Some are more durable than others, some offer lower frictional losses, some fancy add-ons like easily removable drums for racing, some light weight aloft, some have independent swivels at the foot for draft reduction when reefing. All of those are good features... ranking their importance isn't easy!

If you are going long term cruising, especially to out of the way places, durability and freedom from unique parts are important factors. The best furler in those respects that we've ever had was a Reef-Rite, made in the Bay of Islands in NZ. It was extremely sturdy, used common automotive bearings and seals available anywhere there are automobiles, had "bullet-proof" foil joiners, and a built-in ratchet mechanism that took the loads off the furling line when operating in the reefed mode. Disadvantages were heavier than many (due to very robust foil sections) and slightly more no-load friction than the open race Torlon bearing types. We loved it.

Just another option to consider...

Jim

Thanks for the Reef-Rite endorsement and info Jim !

I've heard nothing but good things about them... In the very limited info available...

Originally Posted by neilpride

They have a small grease niple in the drum, if you believe Harken is maintenance free you are wrong , i have 2 big harken drums in the shop , both wrecked,, torlon balls wear with time ... Maintenance is about something else, not just bearings, how many take out the screws holding the drum to the link plate to lubricate? in my boat i have a LC42 , is old, never need to replace a bearing and the seals are like the first day, work smooth and never ever give us a problem in all those years... the key is installation , maintenance and operation..

Facnor is a piece of crap , but we install a couple of Facnor furlers in a big cata 5 years ago, the guy made a TW around the capes and stop in SXM just to say thank you, both furlers inspected by me and found it in excellent condition, and others just last a couple of seasons ...

Furlex is a great furler, but, ss inner ball bearings: maintenance.... the wire is end it with a stalock terminal or you can preorder a swaged wire , parts is dificult to get,, you can call a dealer and order by mail. Time... and if you skip in the installation a small drop of antiseize compound you can be screwed in a couple of years..

And Harken got the torlon balls , those also wear to making dificult reefing , furl and urfurl tasks.. the old foil conector system is pesky and dirty and a pain in the ass, but those are just installed in the old MKIII and other small models, the foils are prone to be bend in rare circunstances....

So to me Profurl is one of the best , easy to dismantle, easy to repair, and they are robust , last for years with care, bearings last a lot despite the comments here,, just my opinion.

As always Neil... A TON of helpful informative knowledge !

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

I expect that maintenance is going to be required to keep any of these working well. I like the old Schaeffer rig that I have maintained for over thirty years and refit with new bearings at times. I'll keep what I have, but if I was starting fresh, I would have the ProFurl and expect to spend sometime time taking care of it. All of my stuff would end up in the dumpster if I wasn't on task!

Hmmm... Schaaaaa... Furrrrrr.....
Me likes mine on the one boat too Hudson...
Although... I'd have to say I'd be slightly anxious on a 50' install...

[KadeyKrogen38]

I have two Schaffer furlers, genoa and staysail and never an issue.

[sailingfarmer]

All I know is that the yacht brokers get a twinkle in their eye when you list a boat or ask about buying a boat that has Harken.

[Joyful Noise]

I have Harken furlers on both my Jb and Staysail on my 38" cruiser the one on the Jib is larger than the one on the staysail. A sailing buddy tells me that they are not off-shore capable. Twice now, after sailing with the jib fully open, when I have gone to furl it the line is taken up and several feet of jib are still flying. I have put 10 extra winds on the furler buy the same thing happened again. What can that mean?

[fchurtic]

Durability is the reason why swans, Baltic yachts and similar serious builders go with Reckmann. I had mine, an RS 2000 in a 47 foot yacht , 13tons, for 16 years without the slightest problem. Check it out. There is a US rep.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Joyful Noise

I have Harken furlers on both my Jb and Staysail on my 38" cruiser the one on the Jib is larger than the one on the staysail. A sailing buddy tells me that they are not off-shore capable. Twice now, after sailing with the jib fully open, when I have gone to furl it the line is taken up and several feet of jib are still flying. I have put 10 extra winds on the furler buy the same thing happened again. What can that mean?

First there are a lot of sailors going offshore with Harken furlers that might disagree with your buddy.

Regarding the problem with the jib, I would add more turns to the drum. 10 winds at the core of the drum will only add 3-4 feet tops to the length of the furling line.

[Sailorbob8599]

Surely we just discussed furler's in the past week or so? I know I contributed with my comments on ALADO ... do they not make furler's in the size you require?
I'll say once more ... the ALADO product is well made, simple to install and requires no maintenance, There are no expensive bearings to seize up because they use Delrin bushings. It is basically trouble free.
So unless they do not produce a unit in the size you require ... which I doubt ... why don't you investigate this product for your requirement?
The added bonus is, fantastic customer service ... and a lifetime guarantee.

[waterman46]

I have had a Profurl on my 46' Morgan which I installed in 1998. This is big sail, J is 18' and the jib uses all of that. Can't say if its hard or easy to rebuild since there has been no need. It still operates smoothly and no problem the few times I dropped the sail for repairs. It wasn't hard to install with the mast in place, just rigged a temporary forestay. I haven't crossed oceans with it, but lots of SF bay sailing where reefing is happening all the time, several trips to SoCal and one trip to Acapulco and back. I don't give it any maintenance.


Doug

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Joyful Noise

I have Harken furlers on both my Jb and Staysail on my 38" cruiser the one on the Jib is larger than the one on the staysail. A sailing buddy tells me that they are not off-shore capable. Twice now, after sailing with the jib fully open, when I have gone to furl it the line is taken up and several feet of jib are still flying. I have put 10 extra winds on the furler buy the same thing happened again. What can that mean?

Can the drum be slipping on the furling shaft?

[JTHAW]

I agree with last post, skip mac,.. for the Joyful furling line fix....I made this exact adjustment yesterday...but yes the drum could be turning; loose fittings inside,needs to be taken apart and adjusted, tightend

my 2 cents for the op...
my forestay length is about 52' , so mine falls in your 40' plus category lengthwise..
I have to say I am impressed with the apprx. 32 yr old Harken mk1 furler came on my boat...though perhaps light use over the years by previous owners has contributed to its longevity...I would have Harken at the top of a new purchase list followed by Schafer...
I loved the simplicity of my old Schafer system used in the late '70's
If I could find one now I would buy it...they were common
It had a separate simple open drum on deck, just behind the forestay, and a simple top swivel that had opposing open hooks that wrapped around forestay..thus no foils...the luff of the foresail had wire sewn into the sail...just a bit smaller than the forestay;
rope wire splice for the furling line, and rope wire splice for the halyard, the system was so easy and simple to maintain ie grease stainless bearings, no foils, ultra simple and fast to change sails, ie down from a 140 to a working jib... Though lost a few degrees pointing to windward, with luff sag to leeward, but all roller furlers have that issue...

[northwestsailor]

We have two Reef-Rite furlers on our solent rig. They are bomb proof, will not unfurl unless pin is pulled and Kiwi-slides are something else. Don't know why other manufacturers don't use them.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by northwestsailor

We have two Reef-Rite furlers on our solent rig. They are bomb proof, will not unfurl unless pin is pulled and Kiwi-slides are something else. Don't know why other manufacturers don't use them.

Ahh, yes, Kiwi slides! I forgot to mention those in my earlier post. For those not familiar with them, instead of having the typical 5 or 6 mm luff rope on the jib, and then sliding that up the groove on the furler foil, the Kiwi slides are short low friction polymer rods that are sewn to the luff of the sail, spaced about the same as hanks would be. These rods then are inserted in the luff groove and hold the sail in place. The advantages are: much lower friction, so hoisting and lowering the sail are easier, and when lowered, the sail is still attached to the foil (again like hanks) so that a short handed crew is not so likely to loose the sail overboard. At least some models of the Reef Rite are arranged so that the entry slot for the slides is high enough up the foil that the old sail can be lowered and still be attached and a new one fed in above it. This means that one can practically change from a large genoa to a small storm sail, even at sea under harsh conditions... and yes, we actually have done so a few times on our previous boat.

We too wonder why this isn't a common feature!

Jim