new roller furling

[crieders]

i have decided to replace my harken with a new one when  I do new standing rigging this winter.
trying to decide between Mark IV vs Esp...both unit #1
I wonder what others have done?
I have the tall rig and I said with a 150-155 head sail
Also where folks have purchased the units.

[crieders]

Anyone have the page from the rigging dimensions on the tall rig. Mine is all 1022, 1990

[Noah]

http://c34.org/wiki/images/b/b1/1988-C34-Owners.pdf
Page 21

[Patches]

I replaced my OEM Harken Mark 1 (1990) this fall with a Harken Mark IV, unit 1.  I bought mine from Fisheries Supply.  They order, and Harken will drop ship it to your door.  With my discount, it was cheaper than the sale prices for Profurls and Schaefers on Defender and at Fisheries.

I did a lot of research, and asked a lot of questions including--as always--the knowledgeable members of this forum before deciding on the Harken.  Even my riggers said they preferred the Harken.  I posted on this back in October.

Harken's torlon bearings need only a fresh water flush for maintenance, and the headstay is easily accessible and adjustable.  I also went with the long link plates to get the foot higher off the deck.  This is very useful because my boat is a charter boat and my guests like the extra visibility.  Also it makes anchoring a little easier as well.

I didn't go with the Schaefer because of their use of rivets on the foils.  There were some reports that these work over time, loosening, and making it harder to raise/lower sails on the furler.  Otherwise, many like them and consider them a quality furler.

I didn't go with the Profurls because they were noticeably harder to furl than the Harken, and there were also reports about the luff groove being a tad tight for the #6 luff tape on our sails.  My riggers confirmed both of these observations to me. Although I was attracted to the "sealed bearings", there are also reports that maybe they aren't so sealed and trying to replace those is reportedly both (1) a pain, and (2) expensive.

Furlex gets high marks, but was out of my budget.

I had the riggers install it, but was there to help and observe.  Harken's instructions are good, and everything you need is in the boxes including silicone and Loctite. This can be done by you and a couple of friends, but you'll need to be up the mast a few times, and have a new forestay ready to go.  I was happy to let the Pros do it.

Hope this helps.

Patches

[crieders]

I went with the same Harken as well. Ready to install!
The bottom line is whether it made a big difference to you