Magic Furl vs Furlstrom

[Tucepi]

I'm looking for those with experience of one or the other. Both do a same kinda thing i.e. furling the sail but are they both too similar to compare.
1. Elvstrøm FurlStrøm downwind chute
2. Magic Furl by Crusader

 

[Polly's Kettle]

Those are sort of at opposite ends of the quality spectrum. The cloth is very different, and the furling mechanism is totally different.

I'd ask to try each, then make your mind up, as there is a big difference in price too.

I wouldn't describe either as "downwind" - they are more reaching sails.

 

[Tucepi]

Those are sort of at opposite ends of the quality spectrum. The cloth is very different, and the furling mechanism is totally different.

I'd ask to try each, then make your mind up, as there is a big difference in price too.

I wouldn't describe either as "downwind" - they are more reaching sails.

Both of these including the cruising chute are custom made so unlikely to have one to try first. Cost wise depending if you want a bad with the magic Furler or not they are both around £3600 for 42 ft boat so not much difference. Elvestrom blurb state "Our FurlStrøm downwind chute provides easy off-wind
performance. Ideal for safe family sailing and making life easy for your crew too!" So both do downwind for small crew but wondering if anyone has actually used either.

 

[Tranona]

Most of the regular sailmakers offer similar sails - Top of my list to find out more about them at Southampton. The difference (if any) from what I have seen so far is mainly in the sophistication of the furling gear and this accounts for the difference in prices. Harken gear (for example) is inevitably the most expensive and Selden simpler and cheaper. The actual sail quality and cut will depend on what you agree with the maker. There will be a choice of sizes and shapes depending on how you intend using the sail.

It is difficult to get prior experience for the reasons you mention so you have to rely largely on what the maker tells you and assess how that fits with your perception of what you think you want. For me, ease of handling as I mostly singlehand will be top priority. So well thought out and easy running blocks and line runs will get my attention. The Selden gear looks good in this respect as does Harken - I have both makes already on the boat.

Also worth looking at the Elvestrom twin running sail version.

 

[Polly's Kettle]

The marketing blurb on my wife's mixer said she'd make great cakes, and yet ...

I guess it depends on your definition of downwind - I'll let you decide but this may help. http://elvstromsails.com/media/widg...romsails-df9a01d95eadc1eb95392cd85ae92077.png

When I was looking I concluded that for true downwind, the Furlstrom XL was the right sail, not the Furlstrom which is cut quite flat.

I don't mean "try it by getting them to make a £5k sail then rejecting it" - I rather meant go into the loft and ask to see how the furler works, and get a feel of the cloth.

 

[zikzik]

I had a magic furl for my last boat, a Contessa 26. As said, its a reaching sail. Its a good one man sail as easy to set and, in a blow, easy to furl if you set the jib or genny under it.
Its the only one I have experience of so can't offer a comparison.

 

[rudolph_hart]

As I said on a previous thread about MagicFurl, I had Crusader fit one to an existing Dolphin cruising chute, because the snuffer that came with the chute was too much of a faff.

MagicFurl made a huge difference in controlling a sail that was really too big for the boat (13.5 x 7.65 metres on a Dehler 35).

Although Crusader says it's not strictly a 'Top-down Furler', it works in the same way, in that the luff of the sail is connected to the Spectra/Dyneema foil by two 'grab lines' attached to the luff about 4 metres apart. These are wound around the foil as the drum is rotated, drawing the luff up to then around the foil, which is then furled as the drum continues to be rotated.

Crusader were far & away less expensive than any other system, & the hardware is of good quality s/steel..

As my last birthday started with a '7' we decided to have a smaller, flatter Code Zero made & fitted to the existing furling drum & top swivel hardware. This has a Spectra/Dyneema foil sewn into the entire luff of the sail so that it furls just like a Jib (i.e. no grab lines).

Hope this helps

 

[Tucepi]

Thank you as usual for the good comments, a little more wiser prior to the SBS.

 

[KellysEye]

We had to replace our furling gear in the Caribbean and I asked a number of riggers which furling gear they had to repair least. The unanimous answer was Furlex which we then fitted.