Hi Andy,
I'm not sure why Mr. Costa is so adamant, however he is not totally wrong
either. The CDI is rated very highly among those who have them, but these
are mechanical devices and as such can fail.
The tradeoff between the simplicity of traditional hanked versus mechanical
furler must be weighed with going forward in *potentially* dangerous
conditions by relatively inexperienced hands versus staying safely in the
cockpit. Only you can make this decision.
Currently I have a Harken furler, not a reefing model, and this is a BIG
mistake; worse than either traditional hanked or CDI! Often it won't fully
furl (despite extra windings), or it get's jammed (see previous) and the
biggy - it doesn't support reefing. In addition the blocks and tracks on
my P-19 don't do the job of properly shaping the sail. I have bought a CDI
unit but haven't yet installed it AND the associated supporting hardware.
It's a poor sailor who blames his equipment.
But..
I have seen my wife forward on the deck dealing with the foresail in the
aforementioned situations under worsening conditions and I didn't envy her
situation. The thought of using traditional hanked headsails brings these
visions back to my consciousness. The Potter doesn't have a lot of deck
room, and my personal opinion is that any device that can minimize leaving
the cockpit is a good investment.
A CDI is not itself the total solution. The reason why JudyB can point so
high is because she has customized her rig to complement the CDI; she has
tracks and cars properly placed to shape the sail under any condition
(reefed or not). This is critical!!! Well and she is a dang good sailor
too, or so I hear. :-)
-Scott