J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Hanks, foil or furling ?

so OK ... I am thinking about replacing my Harken roller on 505 to start the season ... I am looking at the Harken Mark IV unit 1 ... has anyone had any experience with it?

Yes, we are about to "start" the season in Naples. Look us up if you are thinking Everglades and gators.

I have a foil with pre-feeder. It works great (what do I know I never leave the tiller ). My girlfriend has been looking at the Harken Mark IV as well. Any feedback would be appreciated.

[This is basically a post to tie two threads together with update]
So OK now have 2 of these harken IVs through two Vee Jay seasons.
they are invisible to me ... which means they work and are more reliable than some of my crew. We use them in spin racing and day sailing, but I guess cruisers could use them as well. duh....
Related Thread on harken IV here

We've had a Harken IV on our boat for the past half dozen years. I have a Kevlar 140 attached and in Narragansett Bay, where it blows 15+ on virtually every day, it's a great combination. The Harken unit is heavier than the foil feeder I also have but it's a great way to go. You don't send one or two men on the foredeck to douse the sail. Think of it as a J105 without the A-spin. You can drop the pre feeder on the Harken and still run a big genny down to the tack horns. There's a bit of distortion around the roller furler drum. Still, I think it's a good way to go. The NBYA PHRF rating with this combo (140% headsail and roller furler) is 168, by the way. With kite, it's 151.

Bob Rude
Mmmmm

Bob Rude