PS Factor, I hear you about
single line reefing. It of course eliminates the need for a downhaul and for a trip to the gooseneck in order to reef. I had installed it on my last two
boats but have left my
current cat with its orignal 'single line for the clew, reefing hook for the tack' slab system because: 1. as a
cutter, or 'Prout' rig, the
mast base and gooseneck are directly in front of the
cockpit, making access to the reefing hook for the tack extremely simple; 2. I already have a fair bit of clutter at the
mast base and, adding extra blocks for 3
reefs seemed a bit much.
Scarag, a downhaul is extremely easy to install. I use 1/4" line (it need not be very strong) and there are advantages to thinner line in terms of not only cost, but reduced chafe on the main. How you set it up will depend in part on how your
mainsail is attached to the mast. If it uses a bolt
rope, the downhaul will have to be run loose from the headboard to a block at the base of the mast (although some prefer to attach it to the main
halyard shackle - this eliminates the need to attach the halyard, when not in use, to the toerail/stantion bases, although it does create another source of 'halyard rap' when moored/docked).
If the mainsail has lugs, it may be possible to run a thinner, high-tech line from the headboard/halyard shackle down through the attachments for each lug to the block at the base of the mast. This eliminates chafe on the mainsail and is a system that I had previously used on the foresails of a
boat I owned with hank-on jibs. It enabled me to lower the
jib from the
cockpit and keep it tied down to the
deck at the luff (the
sheets hold it at the foot) until I could get forward.
Brad