Ericson 25+ roller fuller off a Catalina?

This morning I bought a Ericson 25+ without a headsail, and while looking for one, I found a guy parting out a Catalina 25. He has a roller furling Jib but the luff on that boat is 29’. The luff on the E25+ is 30’5” according to sailboat data. The foot on both are the same. Is it possible for me to use that RFJ, and if so what would it take to make it work? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Hi. Congrats! Need a little more information to figure out the right answer. The headstay length is quite different, and many furlers are somewhat integral to the headstay e.g. the headstay may have been passed through the drum assembly to then have the hardware swagged on. So, you need to see if the furler is able to come off the headstay, what diameter the headstay is and is it worth pursuing? What make and model? If it's worthwhile and your headstay is the same diameter, you probably can move it over and use it with the reduced foil length. Ideally, you could find a foil that was longer than one in the set and swap it out/cut it to make the length correct.

Thank you very much. I sent the guy an email and he never responded so probably ain’t getting that one anyway.

You may want to try a little trick I used on my SJ26. I tied a downhaul line to the jib luff and ran it through a block at the forestay tang and back to the cockpit. When it was time to lower the jib, I released the jib halyard and pulled the downhaul down. This brought the jib all the way down and kept it there with no creep up and no need to go forward. The sail was bagged on deck. Never felt the need for a furler.

I don’t have a foresail at all right now. I’m in the market and since I had to buy one anyway, why not try to get a RF.

The biggest advantage to a hank on sail is the ease of changing headsails. I had a 150, 110 and blade for the San Juan. Rolling furlering jibs don't work very well when rolled too deeply even with padded luffs. On my 34, the jibs are gigantic. One welcomes not having to wrestle with them. Changing from a 135 to a 70 is a major chore in the 34. One didn't give it a second thought in the 26. Using the downhaul meant not having to go forward to drop the sail which is a big advantage normally for the furler.

Sonny,

A used hank on jib/genoa will get you sailing cheapest and fastest. Here's the used sail selector at Bacon in Annapolis:

https://baconsails.com/bacon/select_sailboat_API.php

They can be trusted for good condition and dimension details. For any used sail that "fits", just double check the dimensions so you know if the used sail is a lot smaller. It still may be worth it if the sail is like new or a great deal. You probably have a shop like this near you on the west coast. You can call and talk to Bacons for more info and to get a shipping estimate.

Mark

Check these folks out: http://www.boatersresaleshopoftexas.com/sails-and-sailing-hardware

In California: http://www.minneysyachtsurplus.com/headsails.html (shipping is not cheap)

Actually, putting on a used roller furler is quite a job. They have to be fully reliable, or cause big trouble. Old sails don't furl well on them--to be able to reef for heavy air you need a new sail with foam luff, cut for the job. And then you want a sliding jib track to keep the angles right.

On a 25-footer, hanked headsails are fun and you can carry several sizes purchased for a song.

Thanks for all the replies gentlemen. I will give them much thought. There is a used sail shop near me, but I haven’t been able to get up there yet.