Profurl furlers

[Art Mullinax]

I went in on the web and looked at the Profurl furling systems and noticed they have the "Classic system" and a "Basic system". Has anyone had any experience with the basic system? There is a big difference in the price. We are lake sailors and the demands on a furling system wouldn't be as great as on the the big blue?
Art M.

 

[Seth]

Profurl

The Profurl line is great for cruisers-it is not quite as nice for racer/cruisers who want to go back and forth from one mode to the other. Not as adaptable as Harken, for example in that respect-especially the "basic". My understanding is that the basic system has only one groove on the back side for hoisting the headsail, and the classic has 2 (like Harken or like a racing boat headfoil).

This means that with the basic, you can't do an in-line sail change (hoist the new sail on the "free" groove before the old one is dropped-this way you are never bare-headed).

So, the basic is strictly for cruisers, the classic better for racer/cruisers-the main difference is the extrusion.

Why do you say that furlers for lake sailors don't have the same demands as ocean sailors (I assume you mean Great Lakes). Unless you are on a small, inland lake, "offshore" is "offshore" whether you are on Lake Michigan, Superior, or the Pacific or Atlantic ocean.
IMHO, anyway,
Cheers

 

[Art Mullinax]

"Small" lake sailors

Seth,
Thanks for the feedback. I think I could get along with just 1 luff groove. In looking at the systems, it appeared the parts were the same with the exception of the extrusion. I'm sure the Classic system is more polished than the Basic.
As far as lake sailors, our lake is small compared to some of the lakes you guys sail. From end to end we can sail about 10-12 miles, maybe 1 mile wide at the widest point. Can't go under the bridge on the upper end, but it's sailing...
Thanks,
Art M.

 

[Seth]

It's all good!

Correct-you will be fine with the basic-the only reason for the classic is if you expect that some time in the future you will want to race and have the ability to do headsail changes as previously described. Usually folks actually remove the top and boottom drum (for weight and luff length) and end up with a double groove headfoil on which full length headsails can be flown.

Your lake sounds fun! I enjoy sailing on all kinds of water-
Cheers,
S