Roller reefer

[sol invictus]

Hi there,
Happy new Gregorian calendar year to all.

has any one had any experience with a ProFurl C260?
I have ordered one through Withworth but the Reefurl unit looks OK too http://www.justboatparts.com/
the profurl is $100 cheaper the Withworth, looks a little more pro.
eitherway I think I'll fit a new forestay and go to 3.2 mm or a little bigger to over-kill.
the 3.2 wire is rated to around 900Kg, (more than the boat weighs)

btw.
great work on the new site. haven't had a chance to get my boat on the water since last season, 5 days from Southport to Hobart taking it easy.

[Yara50]

The furlers with a rigid torque tube like you are getting are IMHO the only ones worth having, as they really can reef the sail. However, for trailer-sailer use it might be a bit fiddly to rig.

Looks like you are the first of the Investigator 563 s to go this way, however there are a few who have used them over on trailersailer place. http://trailersailerplace.com.au/forum/ ... jib+reefer

[Calaway]

Calaway has a solid torque tube and it works very well for reefing. As for stepping the mast with this system and headsail attached, it adds a bit of weight but I can manage the lift on my own. I weigh 70kg. Calaway has a reefing/furling line running down the starboard side to the cockpit.

Happy New Year.
Pete

[Normanby]

I fitted one of these to my investigator:
http://www.furlings.com.au/index.php
I had one on my former boat and loved it. Some might think it a bit agricultural, but it worked easily every time, simple and tough.
It's made no difference to my mast raising, especially since i bought the new Mastmate TC (trolley car) mast raising system:
http://www.mastmate.com.au/products
I promised the maker (David Jenkins) that i'd take photos and post them here and on TSP, which i'll do, as soon as the good sailing weather stops...

[Yara50]

It is interesting to see that there is a number of users of the reefing system. Definitely far better than the original furler.

I would love to give myself some "retail therapy" by getting one, but at the moment I am trying to simplify the exercise of taking the boat out. Not having an interested family, all the work ends up on my shoulders. Maybe I should advertise for a nubile female crew....

[sol invictus]

OK folks...
I ended up buying the Profurl 260 for $599 from Whitworths....
I'll try to take some pics as I rig it up and make notes in case some other punter goes the same way.
I have done considerable work to my investigator, got her in a sad but structurally good condition on a mooring.
a year latter she lives on a trailer, has been repainted in and out and some holes fixed as well as re upholstered rewired and re-almost all.
she came with a rather large genoa that can become a struggle on anything above 15 knots, so the roller reefer should pay off.
I'll have to do some mods to the sail and may as well rig up a new forestay.

I may take her up to the big island one day and join a cruise with other Investigators.... not many that I know off here in Tas.
there seems to be a lack of any trailer yacht solidarity

I'll post some pics of the renovation job at some stage.

cheers
David