Best knot to tie reef line around boom

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srah1953

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What is the best knot to tie a reef line around the boom so that the knot cinches up tight. A bowline can be difficult to cinch tight. I know of a strangler knot that is used to tie halyards to shackles but the halyard application would not be subject to the sort of shaking that reef lines can get when reef is not in.
Any thoughts?
 
bowline with a small bight, in one end. Pass the clean end (standing part) round the boom and through the bight back onto itself. Make fast with at least five half hitches. ;)
 
I'm not sure what the question refers to - does the mainsail have pennants and cringles?
I have added these recently and use a simple looped-back half-reef, so they can be released easily after having been pulled tight by the weather. So far so good.
 
I think the OP is referring to tying the clew pennants around the boom before reefing, not to tidying up the bunt once the reef is pulled down.

I use a bowline, and work it down to get it snug with a long 'tail'. I then tidy-up the tail with a few half-hitches around the standing part.

But I suspect there are several ways of skinning this particular cat.
 
Use a Running Bowline.

Bring the end of the line down from the cringle around the boom then tie a bowline around the line that came down from the cringle (in other words the standing part).
 
dt4134 said:
Use a Running Bowline.

Bring the end of the line down from the cringle around the boom then tie a bowline around the line that came down from the cringle (in other words the standing part).
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Basically a slip knot like a noose, so the line tightens arond the boom when tensioned.

Why, when a simple bowline around the boom, will do the same, since the angle of pull from the cringle will hardly change?
 
srah1953 said:
Sorry that I didn't make myself clear. I'm referring to the end of single line reefing that ends around the boom.
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I use the halyard knot described in the Selden Rigging Instructions. I presume your boom has sliding fittings to attach the end of the reefing line in the correct place, if so download the English PDF file and look on page 14. You need a knot that stays tight, you only have to undo it if you remove the reefing lines at the end of the season, and that is not difficult if you use a spike to open the knot.
 
And here is another link to the Seldenmast website...
http://www.seldenmast.com/page.cfm?id=5564

Half way down the page you will find the Sailmakers section with a document entitled 'Sailmakers guide'. 595-542-E

On pages 19-22 you will find the reefing pennant tied off with the bowline making a running noose as described in previous posts.

Hope this helps - It even shows which side the bowline should lie - one side for one reef and the other side for the next reef, depending on which side the line appears from at the end of the boom.
 
alant said:
Why, when a simple bowline around the boom, will do the same, since the angle of pull from the cringle will hardly change?
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The bowline-back-onto-itself method tends to send the pennant up from one side of the boom, which (in my case at least) leads better. A simple bowline round the boom would lead up from the centreline.

Also, the onto-itself forms a loop that grips the boom to some extent, reducing the load on the fitting that holds it in place. May not matter on some booms, where the fitting is strong enough to take all the outhaul load, but I wouldn't want to rely on mine for that.

Pete
 
Norman_E said:
I use the halyard knot described in the Selden Rigging Instructions. I presume your boom has sliding fittings to attach the end of the reefing line in the correct place, if so download the English PDF file and look on page 14. You need a knot that stays tight, you only have to undo it if you remove the reefing lines at the end of the season, and that is not difficult if you use a spike to open the knot.
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I now use that knot because other knots I tried soon shook themselves loose unless the tail was seized to the standing part
 
parsifal said:
I now use that knot because other knots I tried soon shook themselves loose unless the tail was seized to the standing part
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After I wrote my post, I realised that the OP is just having to tie the end of the line round the boom. I do not regard that as very satisfactory and it is better to have fittings which slide in the tee slot under the boom (assuming there is one) and tie to those. If the boom has no slot on the underside I would determine the correct positions for the ends of the single line reefing lines and have suitable fittings riveted in place.
 
Norman_E said:
After I wrote my post, I realised that the OP is just having to tie the end of the line round the boom. I do not regard that as very satisfactory and it is better to have fittings which slide in the tee slot under the boom (assuming there is one) and tie to those. If the boom has no slot on the underside I would determine the correct positions for the ends of the single line reefing lines and have suitable fittings riveted in place.
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Not sure I agree with that. A line passed round the boom will have the full strength of the boom, wheras a line tied to a fitting on the bottom of the boom relies on the strength of that fitting, and also adds in a twisting load to the boom.

In addition, when I have used one of those sliders under the boom, I've found that they don't move well when under load (especially when the load is not pulling straight down) so you can find yourself having to take the tension off the line and move it manually - not easy with the sail flogging. A line round the boom will always slide just fine.

Line round the boom seems to be the standard practice these days, and I've certainly never had a problem with it.
 
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