Attaching reefing line directly to cringle cuts line aloft

[foojin]

The other day a rigger was aboard my boat. As an aside, while dropping the main, I bemoaned the mess of reefing lines. I have slab reefing.

He asked why, rather than running the lines up to the clew cringles and back down to the boom, I didn't just clip the line directly to the cringle. That would reduce the amount of line.

He said lots of people do it, and we went on to other business.

Anyway, he's put a bug in my ear. It's not something I've noticed and don't think it has been a feature on any boat I've actively sailed.

Anyone do this? What sort of hardware do you use? Chaffing is a bit of a worry.

[Hydra]

On my yacht, the reefing lines exit the boom at the end. If they were made fast to the reef cringles, they would have a wrong angle when reefing the sail: there is much more tension in the leech than in the foot of the sail.

I would not do further business with this rigger: he seems incompetent to me.

Alain

[Three Sisters]

Will have to lookup what a reef cringle is.

Interesting.

[Cheechako]

Leech/Clew: looping thru gives you 2 part purchase, kinda handy I think. I often find it takes some effort getting the sail reefed on a bigger boat anyway.

[quill]

Seems like direct attachment reduces line aloft but you might need some line (6 feet or so) to lash the excess sailcloth after reefing. So what have you gained. (I need an I hate emoticons emoticon)

[Tayana42]

Originally Posted by quill

(I need an I hate emoticons emoticon)

I just learned from my 10 year old granddaughter the little face thingies are emojis not emoticons. Those are the ones made from punctuation marks

On edit, oddly the emoticon I typed in using a colon and an end parenthesis turned into an emoji of a smiley face?


S/V B'Shert

[jackdale]

The leech reefing line needs to pull the leech both down and back. Attaching the reefing line to the cringle will not do that. The 2:1 purchase will also assist on getting sufficient leech and foot tension.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by jackdale

The leech reefing line needs to pull the leech both down and back. Attaching the reefing line to the cringle will not do that. The 2:1 purchase will also assist on getting sufficient leech and foot tension.

Isnt that a function of where the block is, not the line?

[admiralslater]

the main on Our Outremer has 2 inch dia cheek blocks sewn on to both the leach and luff ,yes it is a lot of rope aloft but I cannot imagine reefing the 700 sq ft sail with out the advantage of 2-1. fyi it is a single line system

[foojin]

Originally Posted by Three Sisters

Will have to lookup what a reef cringle is.

Have no idea if that's correct terminology for cringles at the reef point, but works for me.

[Cheechako]

noun, Nautical. 1. an eye or grommet formed on the boltrope of a sail to permit the attachment of lines.

[Three Sisters]

Originally Posted by foojin

Have no idea if that's correct terminology for cringles at the reef point, but works for me.

An grommet or eye sewn into the leech and luff at reef points...


Nautical Dictionary, Glossary and Terms directory: Search Results

The whole function appears to maintain sail shape when reefing = very important !! ??

We're learning.

You guys are so patient !

[UNCIVILIZED]

As to attaching the reefing lines directly to the cringles in your main's clew. Go over to Sailing Anarchy Forums, & do a search on reefling line locks (&, or similar searches).
Some guys have setup their boats so that for all intents & purposes, they have Halyard Locks on their reefing lines. And there's but one line & lock, connected to each reef point per clew.
It would seem that those that have them, seem to love them.


Making reefing easier 101; "the Beta Test"
1) Attach an Antal (or other) low friction ring to your reef cringles with short Spectra (Dyneema) strops, or lashings. Both Tack, & Clew.
2) Make semi-disposable pendant "ends" (strops) for your reefing lines, where they take the most wear; out of Dyneema. And splice loops into both ends of these.
3) Splice loops into the ends of the working parts of your reefing lines. Being sure to add a bit of extra anti-chafe sleeve, to the loop in the working part of your reefing line.
--> The purpose built stuff, not just standard line cover.
4) Thread the end of one loop through the other, linking them together.
5) Secure the Spectra pendant/strop to your boom in the usual place. Via either; a commercially made "shackle", a soft shackle, or a Spectra lashing.

So now, you have super low friction, long lasting, easily replaceable reefing lines (disposable strops, rather).
And done right, with regard to their length, you'll have zero issues with them sticking (or getting near) your in boom reefing sheaves. Plus, yeah, the effort required to haul in that last, super sticky bit of a reef will drop by a Lot.



NOTE: And this is an educated guess (meaning I haven't tested it on an ocean crossing yet). But if you make long strops, & also use Dyneema cored reefing lines anyway. You can link the strops together with the working parts of your reefing lines while at the dock. And then feed the joint of the two lines through your boom's sheave(s) while the boat's stationary. So that the joined section resides inside of the boom.

Plus, if your reefing lines are Dyneema cored anyway, you might just leave the cover off in the vicinity of the splice. Thus making for a svelte line joint, where the two are connected.
And some such connections feed pretty seamlessly over sheaves. Depending on the bulk of the lines, & the width of the sheaves.

Can't hurt to try, at least for your 1st reef. As if something chafes through where the lines join, you can go to reef #2 until you have a chance to sort it out.
It's not as if lines in booms are tough to thread, so have at it!


PS: If you do leave off the cover on the end of your reefing line(s) proper, remember to do a structural taper & bury with it. In addition to lock stitching it into place.

[thinwater]

My last boat (Stiletto 27) had 3 reefs and no lines:

+ The tack cringle had 8:1 purchase on it, if the halyard tension weren't enough. Faster than a reefing line, no problem.

- Getting a hold of the clew, with the sail whipping around unrestrained, was a pickle. As for out-haul, the was provided by the same outhaul car, no problem. But it was hard to attach in any kind of sea, impossible on a larger boat.

[roverhi]

You would need a cheek block or some kind or a fairlead that would take the side load of leech when pulled down. No problem hauling the leech cringe aft and down with just the blocks on the mast but side loads will cause the line to chafe if it is a standard cheek block on the boom. Might be fine for daysailing but probably wouldn't work on a cruising which may see a week or even longer running 24/7 with a reef tied in.