geem
Well-Known Member
If you are bashing in to big seas with the furler under sever load and salt water getting in to every orifice, yes, I am sure that far better than it sitting there doing nothing.........not!
Headsail furlers
- Thread starter zoidberg
- Start date
Refueler
Well-Known Member
There will always be extremes ...... so I suggest your bashing into seas etc. is not exactly many peoples idea of fun.
My post is based on furler sitting idle vs regular frequent normal conditions use. As I made clear - if my furler sits for long period unused - it tends to bind and requires more effort. If I use it often as on a cruise - it works well ....
Before you or anyone says it ... there is nothing wrong with my furler ...
Of course my PLastimo 609 is a cheap bjt of rubbish and nothing to compare with yours ... as is my lack of ocean going experience ... Ha Ha !!
DFL1010
Well-Known Member
I'm sure it's not intentional, but you're coming over quite gatekeeping-y at the moment.
geem
Well-Known Member
The point I am trying to make is that age has little bearing on how long kit lasts. If you hammer the kit it will find weakness. Saying you have had a furler for years and it's been great doesn't really tell us anything. If you tell me you have sailed around the world twice on the same furler with no failures I am going to think, wow! That's a great bit of kit. Forums can be a great source of knowledge
Supertramp
Well-Known Member
The difficulty is not having independent evaluation and comparison leaving you in the hands of the manufacturer specification, brand name and individuals opinions.
Given a choice I would always specify a size and quality of fitting that will cope with more than I expect to demand of it within cost constraints. Hence the opinion of long distance sailors is valuable to me. I may become one! Looking over a Vendee Globe boat the other day taught me a lot. It had three Selden Furlex furlers.
I replaced an old Hood furler this year. It was 32 years old and worked OK but had been repaired several times. The reason to replace was wear and deterioration of the foil at the joints and of the top swivel casing, and the discovery that it covered a 7mm rigging stay on a boat with new 8mm rigging. I chose a Selden Furlex based in part on looking around the marina at what the seriously sailed boats used. It also has open, not sealed, bearings. Another £500 and I got a 10mm stay/foil so worrying less about the mast falling backwards. For about half the cost I could have had a Plastimo with sealed bearings and an 8mm stay. Which is used on a lot of "normal" boats in the marina.
The point of the story? Like most boat fittings you decide what is value to you. And with furlers it's worth considering the whole package including foil and stay. It's a big spend item, part of what I call primary safety systems like engine, mast, rigging, rudder with a 10 year plus life so worth thinking carefully.
Given a choice I would always specify a size and quality of fitting that will cope with more than I expect to demand of it within cost constraints. Hence the opinion of long distance sailors is valuable to me. I may become one! Looking over a Vendee Globe boat the other day taught me a lot. It had three Selden Furlex furlers.
I replaced an old Hood furler this year. It was 32 years old and worked OK but had been repaired several times. The reason to replace was wear and deterioration of the foil at the joints and of the top swivel casing, and the discovery that it covered a 7mm rigging stay on a boat with new 8mm rigging. I chose a Selden Furlex based in part on looking around the marina at what the seriously sailed boats used. It also has open, not sealed, bearings. Another £500 and I got a 10mm stay/foil so worrying less about the mast falling backwards. For about half the cost I could have had a Plastimo with sealed bearings and an 8mm stay. Which is used on a lot of "normal" boats in the marina.
The point of the story? Like most boat fittings you decide what is value to you. And with furlers it's worth considering the whole package including foil and stay. It's a big spend item, part of what I call primary safety systems like engine, mast, rigging, rudder with a 10 year plus life so worth thinking carefully.
Refueler
Well-Known Member
I always remember chatting to a guy who was nearing departure time for his circum-navigation. Not as part of a race .. but purely he wanted to do it over any length of time needed.
He had twin foresails.
It was noticeable that only one had a furler. I already had a good idea why ... I had known others with similar and would also be my choice. The hanked on will always work ... the furler is convenience but can always fail.
I don't think since that conversation about 15yrs ago - that much has changed sufficient to alter that.
There are times I wish i had hanked on .. my Tallin based race boat was hanked on .. PITA to carry all those different sails but it won its races ....
My "Eola" winning Baltic Regatta 2003 ... Pirita, Tallinn .. photo taken from Carter 30 as we tramped on past !
He had twin foresails.
It was noticeable that only one had a furler. I already had a good idea why ... I had known others with similar and would also be my choice. The hanked on will always work ... the furler is convenience but can always fail.
I don't think since that conversation about 15yrs ago - that much has changed sufficient to alter that.
There are times I wish i had hanked on .. my Tallin based race boat was hanked on .. PITA to carry all those different sails but it won its races ....
My "Eola" winning Baltic Regatta 2003 ... Pirita, Tallinn .. photo taken from Carter 30 as we tramped on past !
Aeolus
Well-Known Member
To answer the original question, I think you'll find the lowest cost (and best value for money) furler available (new) is an Alado which is manufactured and shipped from Brazil. Well made, easy to fit, simpler design and hence fewer potential failure points. Support from Andre in Brazil is excellent. I ordered mine and it arrived (in the UK) 10 days later. Very happy with it.
michael_w
Well-Known Member
Another vote for Harken. It just works.
jwilson
Well-Known Member
A vote against Facnor (and Profurl are now very similar). If I had had 10 years trouble free from a Facnor SD165 I would have been reasonably happy - not the case though, substantially more was spent on fitting replacement top swivels (3) and drum units (2) in 14 years than a complete new setup cost in winter 2020. I did not replace with Facnor. So far a new Bamar C2 unit has worked better than even when the Facnor was new, but it's early days......
I did consider Harken, but they make two qualities - the cheaper one was cheaper than the Bamar but the top end one a lot more expensive. So "Harken" is not a definite recommendation without knowing which product. One local rigger pushed Selden Furlex, the other said try Bamar, a lot cheaper. Both agreed Facnor were #@*#.
I did consider Harken, but they make two qualities - the cheaper one was cheaper than the Bamar but the top end one a lot more expensive. So "Harken" is not a definite recommendation without knowing which product. One local rigger pushed Selden Furlex, the other said try Bamar, a lot cheaper. Both agreed Facnor were #@*#.
