Hood Roller furling

[chuck53]

Seems to me I've read some discouraging remarks on this website about Hood roller furling that Catalina puts on their boats.
I even asked a boat broker (who is a seasoned sailor) to list, in order, his preference in roller furling brands.  He listed 3-4 brands and didn't even mention Hood.
So what's the scoop on Hood units?  Are they really that bad?

What's the good, bad and ugly on Hood?
I ask because I'm in the market for a C-34.  I might add that the only other sailboat I had (C-30) didn't have roller furling so that's a feature I've never used before so I'm a newbie on this subject.

[Stu Jackson]

Chuck,

The downside to the Hood furlers were their older double line system, where one continuous loop was used that went around the furler drum.  This is compared to the newer units now used by all manufacturers where a single line goes into a drum and builds up when the sail is unfurled.

The drawbacks to the old Hood system were the mechanics of the drum itself which were improved by Hood much later on with a retrofit kit shortly before they stopped making them, and the difficulty of the making the splice in the rope which needed to be on the boat.

That's the short version. 

If you want more information, I suggest doing a search, using the quotation marks, on "Hood Furler" or "hood furl".  One "hit" is this one, please note the date of the posts:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,496.0.html

[chuck53]

Stu,
Thanks for the quick replay.  Very helpful.
I'm assuming all the C-34's I'm looking at ('87-'91) all have the older version, that if they haven't already been upgraded, need to be or replaced altogether.

[Stu Jackson]

No, Chuck, that's not necessarily the case.  I believe the dealers installed the roller furling, not the factory, so the choices of the original owners would apply.  By now, I would be surprised if many of those "old guy" furlers are left on those boats.  You may also be looking at boats that have had more than one or two owners, any one of whom may have enhanced the gear on the boat.  If they're still on I would think that either the boat isn't being used or the furler still works.  You'll have to take 'em one at a time.  Happy Hunting.

[Lance Jones]

I have the original Hood on my boat and it works fine. Only two drawbacks that I have.
1) Can't reef the sail as it is either all or nothing.
2) The continuous line is a pain in the gluteous maximus!

Other than that, it works well. I had the single line on my old C-27 and LOVED it. However, I wouldn't let a Hood roller furling be a deal stopper on what is a truly great boat.

[chuck53]

Guys,
Thanks for all the comments.  Good advice and info.

If anyone else wants to chime in, please do.

[Ken Juul]

I still have the continious line hood also.  One of the tricks to keep it working is to keep the lower bearing clean.  WD40 followed by lots of fresh water as furler is rotated.  Really makes furling much easier.  The key to reefing is to ensure both sides of the line are tensioned.  My line has maybe a year or two left in it.  Perhaps then I'll make the upgrade, until then there are other more important projects to spend the boat bucks on.

[c34no1471]

My present boat, Catalina 34 hull number 1471, of course doesn't have the old Hood continuous line furler, but I installed the continuous line Hood system on my first boat, a Seafarer 26.  I had no trouble with it, and I don't follow the comment in this thread that it "couldn't be reefed."  I installed a cleat on the cockpit coaming near the line, and the line had enough slack that I just rolled up (reefed) as far as I wanted, then cleated it off.  I might be missing something here.

George Alberts
Breezing Up
Chesapeake Bay

[Bill Asbury]

Chuck, I have the Hood continuous line furler on my '91 C34, and tho it's a bit of a nuisance for the Admiral to use compared to a single line furler for example, it works as it's supposed to and I'm not inclined to spend the $$$ to replace it.  As previously noted,  this is something you can live with, especially compared to other issues such as mechanical, electrical, plumbing, etc. that may need to be addressed.
Best wishes,
Bill   

[Jeff Kimbel]

My C34 also has the original continuous line system, and it works well.  Regarding the reefing issue, a point I will add is that you must completely unfurl the sail before reducing sail & cleating off the furling line.

Jeff

[Hawk]

My 1990 had the Hood furler which worked allright but not great. After reading up I decided to replace it and the forestay with the Harkin Cruising 1. Perhaps not critical if there are other pressing upgrades but I sure like it, particularly when it starts to blow.

Anyway it's a "Boat"...you know, "Bring Out Another Thousand".

Hawk

[Ron Hill]

Chuck : The only BIG problem with the continuous line Hood 915 furler is when you have to replace that continuous line.  All of the other parts are straight forward

The continuous line needs to be spliced with a constant diameter braid on braid splice.  I found that 95% of all riggers didn't know how to make that splice.  I finally made one my self - not the prettiest, but adequate for the job.

The continuous line is reefable - just harder to TIGHTLY cleat a double line!!
 
The single line drum that Hood make to replace the continuous line drum works great.  A few thoughts

[Lance Jones]

Jeff,
Thanks for the insight on how to reef. I'll try it out.

Cheers!

[chuck53]

Guys,
Thanks for all the comments.  Greatly appreciated.

[Ted Pounds]

Lance,
Another trick I found to getting it to hold the reef is to put tension on BOTH side of the furling line when you cleat it  off.  That helps it grab the 'drum' and keep the furler from turning.