Re: Roller Furler for Cal 29

Carolyn: I just replaced the old furler on my Cal 30 with this furler from Hood and am very pleased with its construction and performance: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/pompanette--furler-707-sl-6-sections-38ft-4in --16554198 It has simple, rugged construction and was very easy to install. If you have access to a mast crane to step your mast it is very easy to make a professional installation by yourself simply following the instructions provided. This will likely save you $600 to $1,000. in labor at the yard. You can make the installation with mast up if you get the help of a rigger who will go up the mast to disconnect the forestay at the top and attach again after you have built up the foil sections and drum. I used about50' of 5/16" Stay-set for the furling line and stripped the core from the first 1/3 as recommended by Hood. This Harken Carbo block set is complete with all you need with a lead block, 3 stanchion outside blocks and a ratcheting turning block and cleat: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/harken--carbo-furling-lead-block-assemblies-- P002_069_003_508?recordNum=47 Greg Murphy S/V Amalia 1965 Cal 30 Muskegon, MI

Carolyn, I am the North American rep for Reef-Rite furlers. They are not the least expensive choice, but they have many features that provide advantages over other designs. I bought one for our Cal 29 when we lost our rig; at that time, Cal List guru Brian Cleverly was the rep for Reef-Rite and I bought it through him. I installed it myself at the dock with the mast still standing, and I had zero rigging experience prior to undertaking this task. Later when he retired to go "walkabout" (and before his untimely death), I took over the rep assignment from him because I was so impressed by the quality of the product. Among the features that I like is that the furler drum relies on a locking pawl that ratchets. This prevents un-commanded unfurling, and also means that there is no strain on the furling line when sailing with a partially-furled sail. You can find out more about furlers at https://reefrite-na.com/, or feel free to write me if you have any questions. Alfred Poor 1973 Tartan 34C #288 "Jambalaya" P.S. It has come time for me to pass along the rep assignment after these years. If anyone on this list is interested in taking over - or if you know a sailmaker or rigger who might be interested - please contact me at ap… [at] verizon.net.