Pewaukee, Wisconsin—Harken Yacht Equipment has added a range of Cruising Furlers to its popular furling offering. It is built of the same quality materials as our performance MKIII and IV furling systems, with strength, longevity, ease of use, and price vital design considerations.

“The Introduction of two new lines of furling in one year is the result of a huge effort at Harken,” explained Peter Harken, president of Harken Yacht Equipment. “This is the first time Harken has designed to the specific needs of the performance market AND the cruising market, with two distinct furling product lines. We expect these two different lines to position Harken very well for the future. Now, both cruisers and racers have just what they need from Harken.”

“Whether gunkholing or passage making, when you cast off the lines you’re on your own,” said Greg Hartlmeier, senior engineer furling technical manager. “That’s why having a dependable, free-running headsail-handling system like the Cruising Furler is so important—especially when sailing shorthanded. The Cruising Furler makes light work of the heaviest going, keeps crew safe in the cockpit, and the boat fun to sail.”

Harken’s introduction of this line marks a new effort at providing the daysailor and cruising customer with a value-oriented design that is smooth running and dependable, without emphasis on racing features.

The Cruising Furler features multiple rows of ball bearings in the halyard swivel and drum for smooth furling. The secure foil to drum connection is built to last and handles the high torque loads created when reefing and furling in heavy air. The halyard swivel, line guard, torque tube and bearing races are deep-saturation Hardkote anodized with a black additive to stand up to the corrosive effects of saltwater and sun.

Installation is easy: C-shaped open connectors with low-friction plastic isolators slip onto the headstay wire and into the foil without the need to cut your headstay. The turnbuckle is accessed by raising the drum.

Stanchion Lead Block Kit
These strong, lightweight stanchion-mounted blocks feature free-rolling ball bearings to smoothly lead line aft for safe furling from the cockpit. The 7403 29 mm outboard stanchion blocks lead line outside and close to the stanchions to keep sidedecks clear and safe. The 7401 40 mm forward
block is used in the pulpit as an inboard lead. The 57 mm cockpit ratchet provides drag on the line to prevent overrides in the drum. Both the 7401 and 7402 feature ball and socket bases to align blocks for smooth furling. All blocks mount with split clamps that fit 1.00 in (25 mm) diameter stanchions.

Harken, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and distributor of innovative sailboat hardware and accessories. Headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Harken manufactures in USA and Italy. Their network includes offices in Rhode Island, California, Florida, France, Italy, Japan, Slovenia, Sweden, Australia and the United Kingdom and New Zealand.