Where do the reef lines go?

[rlesser]

Anyone with experience on the matter, please help me:

I want to install the 3 reefing lines to the current boom setup. How do I get this done with the one rail pictured that has one block? If I'd see one image with how this is done, I'd learn, but haven't found any resource.

This is a 1972 IW31. The current mainsail has 3 reef clews.

What you don't see on the photo:
Aft of the boom winch, there's a cleat for the mainsail outhaul.
Forward of the boom winch, there is 1 cleat meant for reeflines.
There is no entry for the reeflines to go through the boom, all are external to the boom.

[LittleWing77]

It would probably be useful if we had a pic of the end of your boom as well..

LittleWing77

[Benz]

Easiest thing would be to add two more cars to that track, and fix some fairleads so the lines don't chafe on them going past. At the forward end, you might need some sort of clutch setup so you can free the winch to get the next line on.

[Sailmonkey]

This doest help your current predicament, but is that first reef even worth taking? It looks like it’s 10”-12” up the sail?

[SVTatia]

What Benz said. Pictured below is a Barton slab reefing kit.

[Captain Anthony]

Following

[Dsanduril]

The first reef is a flattening reef, intended to take a bit of belly out of the sail for upwind work in moderate conditions that have you heeling a fair amount but not enough to really require a reduction in sail area. Depending on sailing conditions where you are you could use it nearly all the time, or almost never. If all the time then probably worth thinking about a flatter main. If almost never then don't rig it up, just put it in by hand if required. Not uncommon to shift the outhaul up to that grommet when using the flattening reef.

For the other two, you do need at least one more car on the boom track if you want to have them rigged for easy use.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

The first reef is a flattening reef, intended to take a bit of belly out of the sail for upwind work in moderate conditions

I’ve never seen one before, now I want one!

[Dsanduril]

The flattening reef is old school Dacron technology. Generally you use only the aft/leech grommet to flatten the sail. The forward grommet at about the same height is usually a Cunningham for increasing luff tension when you can't get it by pulling on the halyard (or when pulling on the halyard would put you above the black stripe). Some sailmakers had you use both to flatten, but most, in my experience had the two grommets for very different uses - they just look like they should be used together.

By pulling on the aft grommet only you flatten the bottom portion of the sail, and at the same time allow the top portion to twist away a bit, accounting for the stiff breeze and reducing heeling moment without reducing sail area much.

[TrentePieds]

Don't blind yourself with science :-) This is a very "traditional" design - S&S, actually - with a main of only 150SqFt. She was designed for people to amuse the themselves racing in the IOR half-ton class, which accounts for her having a mainsl area of only 50% or so of her foretriangle. The main isn't much more than an appendage.

You can use the traditional way to reef the main (slab reef), but as someone said "is it even worth it?" You may find that removing say 50% of the main, which would mean a reefpoint roughly 8 foot above the boom is all you need for cruising purposes. When the wind pipes up, it's the jib area you need to reduce. As the boat came from the factory she had a conventional forestay that was meant to take a variety of jibs. You would carry four or five of them in various sizes to accommodate various sea states. You don't say where you are located, but your local sailing conditions and you personal sailing style will influence whether you really need to worry about the main. If you are in the USA (less so if you are in Europe) the boat may have been retrofitted with a roller FURLING jib. Obviously you can "reef" the jib by partially furling it, but in a boat designed to be driven by the jib, that's a bit of a cock-eyed concept.

I used to campaign a KingsCruiser29 which, although a Tord Sunden design and not S&S, is practically identical.

So, in practice, use your deepest existing mainsl ref. It can be your ONLY mainsail reef. You can only reef the boat effectively by reducing the jib area by changing sails. If you don't like going forrard to change sails, and if you have jib roller furling, just roll 'er in till you are satisfied, and put up with the reduced efficiency.

The gear you have on your boom looks as if it is adequate for a single reef, but you might like to make sure the cheek block is correctly positioned fore'n'aft on the boom. The area by which you would be reducing the main is so piddling that you shouldn't be needing winch-assist to do it.

TrentePieds

[Cheechako]

You just need another car or two on the track. Tie the reefing line on the loop, under the boom, up through the cringle and down to the block then forward.
The PO probably never felt he needed more than one reef.
That low cringle is a "flattening reef" very useful .

[stormalong]

My setup is very similar.

I only have the first two reefs rigged. The third reef is rarely if ever used so no need to have the extra line to contend with. Also the third reef is small enough to rig a simple line if needed.

Mine is two blocks on one track and the lines pass into the boom and to a couple of rope clutches recessed into the boom at the gooseneck. There is a reefing winch on the deck so after winching in the leech and closing the clutch the winch can be used for the next reef.

At the luff end I replaced the traditional reefing horn with four inch Wichard snap hooks which prevent the floppy rings from falling out while trying to reef - something I found very annoying.

Floppy rings make it much easier to hook up the reefing eyes to the horn. They give you the room for the second reef to get hooked up over the bulk of the first reef. I had a sailmaker make velcro closed flaps over the reefing eyes along the luff to contain the floppy rings when not in use to protect the mast paint. The patches are about 8 inches square, double thick sailcloth with the bottom and aft facing edges secured by the velcro.

I have some pictures which I will upload latter.

[TomThumb]

Without seeing the end of the boom (to see if you could lead a line internally), you probably have a few options to consider.

Instead of guessing at whether it's a slab reef or single line system, this link should help you decide whether to add any hardware and what that might be.

https://theriggingco.com/2014/11/15/...-line-reefing/

[Cheechako]

Oh... and you can lead the reef line forward along the boom and use that winch for it as well as the boom lift.

[meirriba]

I think that the lowest eye on the mainsail luff is not a reefing point, but an anchor point for cunningham setup (luff tension).

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

This doest help your current predicament, but is that first reef even worth taking? It looks like it’s 10”-12” up the sail?