As a guy with an M17 with a CDI roller reefing head sail, I'm very satisfied with it. The only problem I've had is when I didn't keep enough tension on the furling line when I let the sail out and the line jammed in the reel when I tried to roll the sail back in. On Jan 8, 2008, at 10:03 AM, Tom Smith wrote:
If funding isn't a problem, go with roller furling--that from a hanked on sail bigot. I watch my friends easily adjust to conditions in Idaho, and I'm envious. 9 times out of ten, if you can get the headsail under control (down or rolled up), you won't have to worry about reefing the main sail anyway.
I believe the roller furling systems available are quite reliable, and a well constructed headsail isn't going to make the boat suffer much from a performance perspective. t
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--Gary Hyde 2005 M17 sailboat #637 'Hydeaway 2' We can't change the wind, but we can trim our sails.