Single Line Reefing

[Ian McD]

No reef lines were rigged when I bought my boat and I have been simply using a line to the cockpit for the leach and going up to the mast and hooking the luff cringles on the hooks bythe gooseneck. Works but not ideal. The boom has three turning blocks on each end along with internal jammers at the gooseneck. I have assumed these are for a single line reefing system as they would suit just such a system. There are also turning blocks at the foot of the mast. My question is simply that this is a forty foot boat with a large main and I wonder if it is simply too big for such a system. Ihave three reef pja mmersoints as well as a fourth IOR storm reef. Two line reefing would appear to be a better choice. Does anyone have experience with single line on a boat of this size or larger? I'm quite sure looking at the rig, that single line has been used in the past. All the gear is there including jammers on the coach roof etc.

[svHyLyte]

Friends of ours have the same boat as we (42') and tried to impliment single line reefing led to the cockpit. Unfortunately, even with a block attached to the luff reef cringles, there was too much friction to be able to get a good set on the sail and they abandoned the system after one cruise. While your boat is slightly smaller, your main is relatively larger and may be about the same size as ours so you may have similar issues.

Like you, our boom has shives on the outboard end of the boom and at the gooseneck/mast end, with clutches. We also have a #40 winch mounted on the aft side of the mast below the boom with which to tension the outhaul, reef lines. (If you have turning blocks at the mast base, and a deck mounted winch--thay may be an alternative design for your system.) At the luff, we have straps with rings through the luff reef cringles that attach to reef hooks in the inboard end of the boom. Our halyard, which is pre-marked for each reef, is led to the cockpit. To reef we free the vang (rigid Garhaurer), ease the mainhalyard to the pre-marked position, haulin and tighten the leach reef lines and lock them down and set the luff cringle over the hook. (All the foregoing takes more time to describe than to do.)

FWIW...

[nigel1]

I've got single line reefing on reefs 1 and 2. When I first had the boat, I could not get the sail to set nice when reefed, mostly single handing, but found the problem to be that when the reef line was hauled in, the luff block would jam up against the boom, making for a lot of friction.
I now have the halyard marked for the reef positions. The method now is ease kicker and sheet, and I also pick up on the topping lift even though its a rod kicker.
Lower halyard to the mark, which puts the luff block just above the boom, at same time hauling in the reef line. When the luff block is in the right place and halyard locked off, continue hauling on the reef line to bring clew down to boom. Lock the reef line, ease the topping lift, sheet in and snug up the kicker.
This method makes it so much easier.
The deep reef is two lines, one for the luff and one for the leech.

[Cheechako]

Yeah, single line reefing has too much friction, especially when the wind really pipes up. You could easily lead separate leech and tack lines aft though.

[Ian McD]

I also have a winch on the mast under the gooseneck. I was just hoping to avoid going forward to reef but it looks like there is no easy way out. What I have been doing is handling the leach line and halyard fromthe cockpit and only going forward to hook up the luff cringle. I have noticed that even with only the leach line led aft to a winch, there is a lot of friction. It is hard to get it down properly in a blow unless I reef early. Back to the drawing board.

[Cotemar]

Our single line reefing works very nicely from the cockpit.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post692781

Mark

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Ian McD

I also have a winch on the mast under the gooseneck. I was just hoping to avoid going forward to reef but it looks like there is no easy way out. What I have been doing is handling the leach line and halyard fromthe cockpit and only going forward to hook up the luff cringle. I have noticed that even with only the leach line led aft to a winch, there is a lot of friction. It is hard to get it down properly in a blow unless I reef early. Back to the drawing board.

I was going to ask if you had that winch. Are there sheaves in the boom above the stoppers? Cant remember, but seems like my Forespar rig like that didnt have sheaves in the boom above the stoppers....

[roverhi]

Why don't you go with double line reefing. Run separate lines for the clew and tack. No friction problems and you don't have to leave the cockpit. I didn't even try single line reefing because of the excessively long tails on the reefing line. Couldn't imagine hauling in the nearly 70' of line for the third reef that a single line system would have required. I've run the halyard and tack lines to stbd, just release the halyard to premarked spots, haul in the tack lines and rehoist the luff. Then pull in the clew lines.

Unless you use a topping lift and/or release the vang, hauling in the last of the clew reefing line will take some muscle. I use a #12 Anderson winch on mine and it hauls it in without too much effort if I don't lift the boom with lift. If I use the lift, can pull the pull clew reef down pretty much by hand. Oh, it also makes it a lot easier if you have the boat headed up as much as possible and the boom completely.