John,
The Schaefer Marine 750 is the factory furler for the C270, so it would be
Catalina's choice if they were still making a C27. We've had ours for 12
years with no issues what so ever.
There are some big differences in roller furling gear. Beside the obvious of
needing roller bearing construction, a design using a double swivel. A
double swivel rides on the extrusion and connects the halyard to the head of
the sail. This allows you to continue to shape the sail properly under
varying conditions. Furlers without a double swivel are often run at a fixed
tension tied off at the drum.
The only caution I'd give is make sure you get a clear understanding of the
difference between roller furling and roller reefing before you invest. The
later is more about features in the sail than the actual furling unit,
although one should never use a continuous loop control system on a roller
reefing sail.
Also trying to reef a non-reefing headsail with a roller furler unit cause
the draft of the remain exposed sail to increase which exactly backwards to
what you want to happen in high winds.
Phil Agur
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Oppenheimer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 6:27 AM
Subject: catalina27-talk: Preferred Jib Furling System?
I have plans this spring to upgrade to a roller furling jib. I find
three predominant choices:
Harken MKIV Unit 0
Schaefer CF-700
Schaefer System 750 (Catalina Direct kit available)
All of the above suggest that no rigging modifications are needed and
they can be just bolted on. Is this true? Without lowering the mast?
Are these "bolt on" systems a compromise, and are there better options?
What are your experiences? Good, Bad, etc? Other suggestions?
John
1985 C27TR 5956 Cool Change
Lake Travis, Austin, TX
