Furler Purchasing advice

[Nick J]

We have an older Profurler LC-32 on our 35-3. It has had a few issues since we purchased the boat last year. We‘ve had binds, furler wrap, and a sagging head stay. None of the issues have been too bad so far, but it doesn’t feel great having to play the sheet and furling line or running to the bow to free a bind. This is in contrast to our 30 year old harken unit on our 25+ that worked flawlessly.

Yesterday, I pulled the headsail down to inspect the swivel and drum. Both felt stiff. Not to the point of inevitable failure, but nowhere near as smooth as our old Harken unit. One option is replacing the bearing and head stay, routing the halyard through restrainer (we have one, it just isn’t in use, and adding a tack pendant. This should smooth things up and fix the halyard wrap issue. The other option is replacing the whole thing. I’m not impressed with the Profurl unit, so I’m leaning towards replacing it. Fisheries and Defender seem like good options to purchase, but I’m wondering if it would be better to go through a rigger. I know these are complicated devices, but I would like to install it myself. I’m interested to hear other Ericsson owner’s experiences purchasing and installing their furlers.

 

[racushman]

I have had good experiences with Profurl, and actually have a LC-32 on a non-Ericsson boat that's still working nicely... smooth as silk really... after ~25 years of service.

My O34 had no furler when I bought it last year, so one of the first investments was a new one. My non-exhaustive research seemed to indicate the Schaeffer is widely viewed as the best one. It's also about 2X the cost of the equivalent ProFurl so... you guessed it... I bought another Profurl. I've been treated on my dock to a number of foul pronouncements about Profurls, but my parents have also been using them for years on world cruising boats and have nothing but good things to say about them. My suspicion is that many ProFurls are owner-installed, and potentially incorrectly so. For example, if installed properly it should not be possible for your LC-32 to get a halyard wrap like you've experienced.

FWIW, I bought my new Profurl online from the Marine Warehouse... it was cheaper than Defender, with no tax, and shipping was ~$45... best deal by a lot.

Hope that helps. I think a good headsail furler is arguably the most important piece of gear on a boat... so buy the one you feel best about.

 

[p.gazibara]

I have an old ProFurl P40 on my E 35-2 which we were given second hand and we sailed across the pacific with it. It still functions well.

I also have a friend I met along the way with a Harken furler that spent a few days under his boat after he lost his rig departing Sydney. That same furler made it onto his new rig and has since done 1.5 circumnavigations without maintenance.

I’m pretty impressed by both units.

It sounds to me like you may have a few installation issues causing you grief. Halyard wrap due to a loose forestay will not be be resolved until the forestay issue is resolved. The jib halyard may also be too loose causing the wrap issue. If the lead angle into the drum is incorrect, that can cause feed problems and result in binding.

Might try to remedy those before splurging on a new unit.

They are not complicated devices at all. A long aluminum tube with a couple bearings on either side, one end with a drum fixed to the foil Read the manual and watch some youtube channels and I’m sure you will figure it out.

The drawback to the profurl IMO is the size and shape of the foil (it’s large and round). Harken’s foil shape is much less obstructive on the sail if you are looking to race, but profurl seems to have made their name on ocean cruising yachts. I have seen heaps of them still going that have been in service for decades.

-p

 

[Baslin]

We replaced our furler last year and chose the Schaefer 2100. We absolutely love it. I can furl the jib with 1 hand in relative calm conditions. We did all the work ourselves. Schaefer has a wonderful video to follow. I also installed the long link kit to get the furler drum off the foredeck a bit. Gives nice clearance when bringing the anchor up and keeps the head sail off the bow pulpit.

 

[Nick J]

Yes, most of the issues I have with my Profurl can be attributed to improper installation/usage and all of the other furlers would suffer from the same issues if treated like this. Specifically, not using a tack pendant, not running the halyard through the restrainer, and not tightening the backstay. The halyard wrap is also very difficult to see from the deck. It is only a single wrap and I still have a wire halyard (new one should arrive today). The one issue that is not directly related to the installation issues is the stiff bearings. I'm sure the wrap didn't help, but the bearing issue seems to be more likely related to Profurl's design.

From what I understand, there's only one bearing in the drum and one in the swivel. Both are standard bearings that rely on seals to keep the water out. This is a simple and serviceable solution, but Harken and Schafer seem to have a much better design (at a higher cost of course). Both have multiple rows of bearings and they use Torlon balls that do not require grease.

Between Schafer and Harken, there doesn't seem to be too much of a difference. Schaffer uses an all metal design and round extrusions where Harken uses a foil shape, is lighter, has easier access to the turnbuckle and is a little cheaper. I'm leaning towards Harken. My main question is still how and where to purchase. I just found the Unit 1 for $1,944 at:

Buy Harken 7411.10 MKIV Unit 1 Furling in USA Binnacle.com

us.binnacle.com

I'm wondering if purchasing online is a good way to go or if I should go through a rigger.

 

[debonAir]

Note the unit 1 is for max 36’ and a 35.5 is pretty close. I put a unit 2 on my 35-3 to have one less worry point

 

[Nick J]

I was wondering about that. Using the harken sizing guide, I came up with the unit 1. I think it was based on the head stay and pin diameters. Did you have to increase the head stay to use a unit 2?

 

[Loren Beach]

I was wondering about that. Using the harken sizing guide, I came up with the unit 1. I think it was based on the head stay and pin diameters. Did you have to increase the head stay to use a unit 2?

Be sure to measure the actual pin-to-pin forestay length when spec'ing out your furler. Ours, IIRC, about 45', and yours might be similar. The E-35-3 model is quite a bit larger than our boat, in several dimensions.

Comments on ours (reply 11) and others in this thread: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/furler.16544/#post-126970

 

[debonAir]

I was wondering about that. Using the harken sizing guide, I came up with the unit 1. I think it was based on the head stay and pin diameters. Did you have to increase the head stay to use a unit 2?

I am not sure actually i replaced all the rigging at the time but it looks the same diameter as the old

 

[1911tex]

Be sure to measure the actual pin-to-pin forestay length when spec'ing out your furler. Ours, IIRC, about 45', and yours might be similar. The E-35-3 model is quite a bit larger than our boat, in several dimensions.

Comments on ours (reply 11) and others in this thread: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/furler.16544/#post-126970

Loren ESP Unit 1:
Indicates ESP headstay length is 49'+; and the MKIV Unit 1 is 54'
Ericson 35-3 indicates (see below) headstay is 46' so should be within spec for either ESP Unit 1 or MKIV Unit 1.
Your thoughts? see below:

Sailing Furlers | Defender

Shop Furlers for boats of all types at Defender. Get fast delivery and free shipping on eligible orders over $99.

www.defender.com

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/ericson-35-3?units=imperial

Harken MKIV Unit 1:

Harken MKIV Unit 1 Jib Reefing and Furling | MAURIPRO Sailing

Check out the deal on Harken MKIV Jib Furling System Unit 1 - For monohulls up to 36 ft. at MAURIPRO Sailing & Marine

www.mauriprosailing.com