Hello Bob,
Our boat came with a Hood 705 furler on it. It has worked great for the 6 years we have sailed Eagle. We have a 150% genoa on it now, but when we go for new sails we will do a 130 or 120, since for the area we sail the 150 is usually too much. Our sails are old so this may not apply to newer sails, but when we reef, the sail is even baggier so we need to reef further to depower. You will need to have the hanks removed on the headsail you have now and have a luff tape installed to accommodate whatever furler you find. Eagle also came with the main halyard and one reef line run back to the cockpit. I had to remove it all and put it back on the mast because of all the friction. It was miserable to use. It obviously was not run very fair. Having turned 60 myself, I know where you are coming from. So far I do not mind going to the mast, even single handing. But I did keep the parts for down the road. Be very careful how you route the system!
Fred Liesegang
Eagle #662
