Reefing

[osprey877]

What is the preferred method of putting in the second reef? My 35' boat has a bill hook welded to the boom at the gooseneck that I attach the first reefing luff cringle to. If I want to put in a second reef, I either have to release the first reefing cringle so their is room for the second cringle, or I need to rig a strap or some other method of securing the second reef luff cringle. I would prefer to leave the first reef in so that the sail doensn't blow everwhere and to make it easier when I shake out the second reef and want the first one left in. The outboard end of the sail is not a problem as I can leave the first reef in when I purt the second reef in using a separate line and cleat. Any suggestions?

[estarzinger]

Spectra strop with hook or shackle.

[JPA Cate]

We sew up webbing strops with a welded ring in each end, long enough to reach over the flaked mass of sail to the reefing horn. A friend of ours calls them "dog bones", and runs a light bungie aft to the cringle where the nettles would be for tying in reefs. That keeps the rings from dinging the mast paint.

Ann

[Nicholson58]

The boat I raced for many years had a hook on each side of the boom. This addresses your issue and also lets you choose what side will secure your first reef. We had large web eyes on each side of the main at every reef point. Once you throw in the reef, you can tie around the boom as others have suggested. Sometimes, we used a barber hook to help pull down the reefing strap at the mast. Use it like a cunningham. Marine Parts Depot has the hooks.

[osprey877]

Great, thanks all for the tips.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Couple of other options, too:
Attach a large SS ring to (each side of) the boom @ the gooseneck, typically with a spectra webbing strap, or tied in with Spectra. And then for each reef, run a line (like a Spectra Loup) through the reef point, & have a Wichard snap hook on each end. Then just snap the hook on to the ring, & you're good.
This way, your reefs won't accidentally come loose when you're re-tensioning your halyard.

Or, go to a full, double line reefing system. Where there's a line through each, individual, tack & clew, reef point. With the lines either led to jammers (clutches) on the mast & boom, respectively. Or back to the cockpit if you're so inclined.
There's a description of such a setup here, albeit a complicated one, http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1703012
See my post #4, plus there's a lot of good info on setting up one's reefing systems, & various halyards in said thread as well.


With the first option, if you like, you can also put a large plastic "donut", or ball on the line, in between the hook & the sail (color coded if such strikes your fancy). Depending on the size of the rings in your sail, the donuts can help to prevent hardware from getting pulled too far into the ring. As well as assisting in preventing the hardware from chafing the sail.