[Rhodes22-list] New Headsail furling system

[The Rhodes 22 Email List]

I have an old Cruising Design furler. The luff has a rigid aluminum tube
with two sail tracks that allow me to raise and remove my headsail easily.
Although I have never tried it, I could raise two sails for a wing on wing
configuration gong downwind. It works great and has never failed me.

What I don't like about the system is that the rigid luff pieces (about 5')
are linked together with alumimium pieces that are not really strong enough
to take the stresses of the furling gear when the mast is down. They can be
bent and once this happens they cannot be straightened. They can also fall
out and so far as I can tell the pieces are no longer available anywhere.
This means that I will probably need to replace the entire gear once I am at
that stage of my rebuild.

I don't want to spend a fortune on new gear and am inclined towards the new
Cruising Design model (CDI FF1 or FF2) that has a flexible luff in that it
will coil for shipping and bend for raising and lowering the mast but still
has tortional stiffness for furling. Sounds great but does it work? I do not
know anyone with this system and wonder whether any of the rhodies out there
have experience with it. If so do you have the FF1, designed for boats up to
21' or the FF2 for boats up to 28'. Presumable the latter is the best
choice. The FF2 is $750 in Canada and about 625 in the US. Getting stuff
shipped to Canada costs a fortune.

If anyone has either advice or alternatives to suggest that would be
welcome.


Graham Stewart
Agile. R22, 1976
Kingston Ontario Canada




-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of The Rhodes 22 Email
List
Sent: March 22, 2016 5:22 PM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Gelcoat Repair/ New Headsail furling system

My boat was recycled in 2014 and the headsail can be changed without
dropping the mast. There is a grove in the plastic piece that covers the
forestay and two pullies at the top. I'll insert a photo that shows the
bottom part of this. I have taken my 170 off the last two winters without a
problem.
Although, this would not be possible under sail -- just too much sail to
feed in the groove. My boat came with two lines to clip on the bottom of the
double halyard so I can pull the sail back up in the Spring.
<http://rhodes-22.1065344.n5.nabble.com/file/n51690/IMG_1371_20141202_111639
.jpg> 



-----
Bob Weiss
Beach Spring
1998 Rhodes 22 Recycled in 2014
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