What Type of Line for Reefing Pendants?

[Scare_Rab]

33' cutter, blue water use. 3 x reefing points in a full batten Main. I read a magazine article saying "Spectra" was the line of choice. I was going to use 12mm. double braid, permanently rove. Thoughts? others experience ?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Scare_Rab

33' cutter, blue water use. 3 x reefing points in a full batten Main. I read a magazine article saying "Spectra" was the line of choice. I was going to use 12mm. double braid, permanently rove. Thoughts? others experience ?

That's what I use and I have no complaints.
Can't really see the need for spectra in this instance but YMMV

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Scare_Rab

33' cutter, blue water use. 3 x reefing points in a full batten Main. I read a magazine article saying "Spectra" was the line of choice. I was going to use 12mm. double braid, permanently rove. Thoughts? others experience ?

Spectra is nice and slippery and I would put a knot on the end.

[Jim Cate]

Some folks have suffered chafe where the line goes through the cringle in the leech of the sail. This is exacerbated if the line is stretchy. We used 10mm spectra core double braid when we replaced the original 12 mm dacron. Less stretch, less friction, slightly more money.

If you contemplate long periods at sea with reefs in, it seems worthwhile. If not, then less so. For the smaller mainsail on your boat, I'd think that 10 mm dacron would be ok, and likely 8 mm spectra.

Jim

[MarkSF]

It's all about stretch. My reefing lines come back to the cockpit. I tried using ordinary line, and the first time I set the tack, then tensioned the halyard, I watched the tack rise by 6" due to stretch. Replaced with spectra, no visible stretch at all. So with spectra or dyneema, you can keep the line size down with minimal stretch too.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

It's all about stretch. My reefing lines come back to the cockpit. I tried using ordinary line, and the first time I set the tack, then tensioned the halyard, I watched the tack rise by 6" due to stretch. Replaced with spectra, no visible stretch at all. So with spectra or dyneema, you can keep the line size down with minimal stretch too.

Spectra with a dacron cover gives you strength without the slipperiness, I would think. You can then use a smaller diameter of Spectra/Technora core.

NEW ENGLAND ROPES T-900 Technora/Dyneema Double Braid | West Marine

[roverhi]

Use 7/16" StaSet double braid for my large main. Easy to hand and not overly large and bulky. 1/2" just seems to take up a lot more space when coiled than 7/16". Would use 3/8" if it wasn't so hard for my stiff fingers to grab. Want the stretch of Dacron so the clew doesn't rip out in gusts. Would rather have the rope take the weight of the gust rather than the sail material. Line is easy to replace, a ripped main is another story. Besides, double braid is half or more in cost than the exotics. FWIW, have double line reefing lead back to the cockpit. The shortest clew reef line is 40' so plenty of line to stretch but have had no difficulties.

As far as wear, it's not that big a deal. Have used dacron for reefing lines while cruising with very little chafing at the cringle. Just shortened the line a couple of inches after 10,000 miles of open ocean sailing with much of it reefed. On the passage back from Tahiti, had the second reef in for 6 days and a thousand miles in gusty trades 25-30k. Didn't have significant wear after that passage.