Furling installation

If you are replacing or adding a furler, plan to replace your headstay. Most Harken and Schaefer furlers are designed for owner-installation.

Work with your local rigger if you are in doubt concerning your rigging skills. Racers want to save weight in the bow, position the tack of the sail closer to the deck, and make headsail changes as the wind increases or decreases. Independent head and tack swivels help improve sail shape. Make sure to order the necessary terminals, furling line and toggles or Leg Kits to complete your installation. You often need to cut the headstay length slightly, and add a Sta-Lok or Norseman terminal.

You may also install a foam luff pad for reefing deep draft sails. It allows the center of the sail to maintain an aerodynamic shape when partially reefed, without the draft moving to the back of the sail.

Add a Sunbrella sun shade to the leech and foot if the sail will be exposed to the sun for an extended time period.

Better yet, replace your tired, blown-out genoa, and buy a new sail with these modifications designed into it. Unfortunately, our services and products are not available at your location. West Advisor Articles. What type of sailboat do you have?

The jib on our Ultimate 20 has special vertical battens that work with the furling system. The leech line is not a sail shape control but an essential tool to prevent leech flutter. The leech line will have a purchase system and Velcro closure above the clew and a cleat with in front of the clew. Your sail will either have micro-blocks or a tunnel to direct the leech line around the clew. Use the leech line to prevent leech flutter in higher wind speeds and when reefed.

Excessive leech flutters can cause serious sail damage. You can control the depth and position of draft in your new mainsail by adjusting the halyard tension. A tighter halyard will move the draft position further forward and result in a flatter sail. When your sail is new, pull the halyard up just enough to remove any horizontal creases along the luff. In stronger breeze you will need more halyard tension. Around the world in 49 days, 3 hours, 7 minutes and 30 seconds.

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Sergent had helped design new 3Di sails for several teams,… Read More. Related News. December 25, Bravo Thomas! These older systems were stiffer and heavier than todays models, and many were plagued by issues with halyard wrap, but the latest generation improves on all these aspects. When issues do arise, there are reports of great customer service. A stainless-steel luff feeder snaps into place on the appropriate foil segment with a click.

One of the big pluses for this system is the variation it offers in drum clearance and swivel positioning, a feature that has gained rigger approval for decades. The system places no torque loads on set screws, and seems to have overcome issues such as halyard wraps and foil segment separation that plagued earlier equipment. Profurl uses a hardened carbon-steel ball bearing set packed in grease and protected by a double-lip seal. Profurl is owned by the same company that owns Facnor. This headsail furler is a favorite among Europeans, and like other Facnor products, it has been sea-trialed in grueling offshore racing conditions.

The system is well engineered and blends a high torque-carrying, rounded foil shape with nicely machined connecting links. During installation, neither the wire nor the turnbuckle have to be replaced, and the mil hard anodized parts are quite corrosion resistant. Bottom line: This unit has gained attention of builders and do-it-yourselfers alike. One minor issue testers noted was that the articulating tack bearings are exposed to continuous UV degradation. Our research turned up multiple reports of LS model becoming stiff, suggesting problems with bearings over the years.

Unfortunately, the bearings are not serviceable and require the whole system to be replaced. In , Facnor was bought by the same company that owns Profurl. The unit retains the full rotation tack and head swivels that cause the furling and reefing operation to flatten the mid portion of the headsail first—a feature that many sailmakers prefer. On both systems, thrust and axial loads are handled by a combination of Delrin and Torlon bearings nicely tucked away in the drum and hidden from sunlight.

The interlocking foil segments are secured with captured links that are held in place with adhesive and mechanical fasteners. Bottom line: We found the Mark IV is a compact and efficient furler. We would prefer to see Harken either ship without a furling line, or include a decent quality line. The total cost of the installed system is one of the reasons we recommend Furlex over Harken. Among all the units we looked at, the S was the only one that came with a new headstay wire complete with turnbuckle, toggle, and the recommended Sta-Loc compression fitting.

Covering a questionable headstay with a new furler can lead to problems. Furlex prevents such complication by offering the total package. In addition to a well-designed and packaged array of parts, the Furlex comes with a superbly illustrated manual in four languages—no need to learn new words while trying to put together this furling system.

The system handles thrust and axial loads very efficiently. Bottom line : Among a field of quality products, Furlex stands out for its investment cast stainless hub and bearings. While the upfront cost may be slightly more than the competition, the included forestay and ease of installation make this one of the least expensive systems if you install it yourself.