Single Line Reefing

[sailorboy1]

My Cal 39 has single line in cockpit reefing. It really has 2 lines for each reef with a pulley in the boom. On 1 of the reefs the line for the aft crew has come loose and off the pulley so I removed it as it became a hanging noose hazard.

So now I need to run the line again and the pulley is way up at the mast end of the boom. Any suggestions/hints/lessons for getting the line around the pulley angain from the aft end of the boom??

[Ziggy]

I'm assuming the line runs inside the boom. The simplest way would be to take the end cap off (if it's not riveted) and use an electrician's snake to run the new line. Some single line reefing booms have internal blocks which may need to be correctly reeved. If the cap is riveted, you may need to drill out the rivets (a bit more work). Do you know who made the boom?

[sailorboy1]

The boom is an Isomat and yes it is riveted and yes it runs inside the boom. I'm hoping for a some way to do this other that drilling the rivets to remove the end cap (but this would be a good way to get rid of the straw in the boom from the birds nests that appear to taken to made a home over the years).

[Vasco]

My single line reefing is in an Isomat boom with what used to be a riveted cap. Had to drill out the rivets and replace with bolts to replace reefing lines which go through a couple of blocks inside the boom. No easy way to do this. When we did this we discovered another little block just lying inside the boom that had been left in there by the original rigger. No knowing what you'll find in there besides bird nests.

[sailorboy1]

Got my line ran though the boom and all is in order. For anyone in the future who may need to do the same and finds this on a search:

The aft line of the two needed to be run though the block in the boom. The block was all the way forward as that line pulled it all the to the mast. I snaked a soild wire though the boom from the mast end. This wasn't as easy as it sounds as thw ir would get all bent up and get stuck. I finally put a loop in it and got it to about 3' of the crew end where I was able to use another piece of wire and hook it pull it though the end of ther boom. I then tried a 3/16" nylon line to it and pulled the line back to the mast. Loosed all the lines and lifed out the pulleys for all the lines (the outhaul and the 2 reef lines). after many attempts threaded the nylon line though the block and tried it off. Untried the reef line in question as loose as possible (but lined off so it could pull off the block making me stat all over on the forwrd end of the block).Pulled the line/block back aft and after a few "back and forth" worked the block though the opening at the end of the boom. Then it was just amatter of threading the reef line back thougfh the block and putting everything back together. Was getting a little worried about getting the pulleys back in the mast for the lines but just had to keep working on getting them aligned to go back into the slots.

So in the end it was possible to run the lines without having to remove the end cap from the boom.