Cost of in mast reefing

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ANDY_W

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I have a Westerly Longbow ( 31 ft) which I sail single-handed.

Being in my early sixties, and with an eye to the future when I might not
be as able-bodied, I was considering replacing the present, original, mast
with in mast reefing.

I am aware that there might be a performance penalty but would accept that
for the ease of sail handling. Likewise, the boat might be a little more tender
but with a 43% ballast ratio I can live with that.

Can anyone give me a reasonable idea what I might have to budget for so
that I can decide whether or not to bother riggers by getting quotes.

Thanks,

Andy
 
To do it properly means a new mast, boom, sail, running rigging and controls. Budget for around £8k+. There are "add on" systems around, but are rarely as satisfactory as purpose built. Still needs a budget of £4-5k. Much as I am a fan of in mast, think I would spend money on a good single line reefing system on a boat like yours..
 
I have a 31 ft boat & sail single handed like you
Personally i would go for single line reefing with all controls back in the cockpit
Works for me & i get a good setting rig
I certainly hate going forward in big seas & often just stick 2 reefs in when approaching port to make sail lowering easier with less sail to handle
Some will say single line is no good but i find it excellent
If you are not sure then get a rigger to set it up for you with decent blocks etc.
Do not have blocks in the boom. They create friction & can go wrong.
With single line if there is a problem you can always revert to standard reefs in an emergency
My third reef is a 2 point reef to avoid excessive lines on the sail
 
Tranona said:
To do it properly means a new mast, boom, sail, running rigging and controls. Budget for around £8k+. There are "add on" systems around, but are rarely as satisfactory as purpose built. Still needs a budget of £4-5k. Much as I am a fan of in mast, think I would spend money on a good single line reefing system on a boat like yours..
Click to expand...
Forgive the hijack, but what would a good single line reefing system cost?
 
My boat is 27ft and I was recently quoted around £3000 for the kit to fit myself. You don't need a new mast but of course, there is the additional cost of having to recut your existing mainsail or renew it. Forumites please don't respond with all the doom and gloom and andersontwentytwoin' about inmast furling. It is very convenient to use and very neat - no lazy jacks/ sail covers etc. It makes reefing so easy when you are not so nimble or are sailing single handed. I am not saying I would be quite as enthusiastic if I was doing serious offshore sailing but for my leisure sailing it is ideal.
 
KAL said:
Forgive the hijack, but what would a good single line reefing system cost?
Click to expand...

Depends on where you are starting from and the level of sophistication you are aiming for. On a typical 30' boat the basic hardware will be in the £2-400 range, but once you start adding new winches, fully battened sail, stack pack, lazyjacks etc the cost escalates into £000s. The Barton link will give you a good idea on the basics.
 
If you do not want single line reefing bring the first and second reefs lines back to the cockpit.Two lines per reef, through one block, if neccessary, on each side.Tie the ends of each reefs two lines together and pull. I have done this on my Sadler 26 and it works fine.
 
A friend with a sailing schhol was intending buying a replacement yacht with an added-on in-mast reefing system. Because it was to be a coded vessel he had to have an inclination test carried out. Although the original boat was known to be OK the in-mast one failed and he didn't buy it.
 
Out of all the various systems I have had and used I prefer having 2lines per reef led aft through clutches. The 3rd reef was left empty and only reeved when I thought it may be needed. If you leave lines long enough the 1st reef can be used for the 3rd. Assuming your a day sailor then this can Done in harbour.

Colour coded ropes are great help!

I'd be wary of behind the mast add on systems as they may not have a enough space to hold a sail your size. And as previously mentioned it will be several thousand for new mast, boom and sail etc..
 
Hi have you looked on the Westerly owners web site there may well be one for sail, I have in mast on my Corsair and love it, the sail has vertical batons I bought that from a westerly owner some years ago there are usually members who can't handle the inmast (not sure why) but I got my new sail for very little.
Mike
 
Many thanks for all the replies, all contributions gratefully accepted!

No problems with the drift into single/two line reefing, it's always interesting to
see other peoples' answers to problems.

As it happens, the boat came with the original round boom reefing so I added two line
reefing for two deep reefs, all running back to the cockpit. The luff reefs pull down by hand
and the clew reefs are led to a winch so that I can really flatten the foot of the sail if I need to.

When getting the sail in, I usually pull the two reefs in by hand to reduce the amount of
sail to be bundled and secured.

My query came about having watched a Bavaria 32 coming into a marina in Sweden where
I was waiting for a weather window. The Bavaria ran in downwind furling the genoa and
then rounded up and furled the main. If it took more than 15 seconds from rounding up
to being fully furled, I'd be surprised.

The costs suggested represent more than half the value of the boat so if I decide to go ahead
I'll need to keep the boat a long time to justify it. Food for thought!
 
I have a Bavaria with in mast, but the purpose built systems are in a different league from the add ons. They are as easy and reliable to use as you describe, but to get the full benefit you really need to buy a boat that was designed for the system.
 
ANDY_W said:
If it took more than 15 seconds from rounding up
to being fully furled, I'd be surprised.
Click to expand...

But there's no reason a conventional sail can't come down that quick - after all, unlike the roller you have gravity assisting you. A bit of work to remove any excess friction on the halyard, make sure the sail slides move freely (either silicone furniture polish or specialist dry rig lubricants can help), and perhaps some lazyjacks to gather up the sail instead of dropping it all over the deck.

Pete
 
One of the benefits of owning an older boat with a relatively low value is that
one doesn't have to worry too much about whether or not mucking about with
it will lower the resale value!

If I went ahead, I would fit a suitable control system and fine tune it as necessary.
If that means making new holes and filling old ones, no problem!

The problem is not to do with dropping the sail, so much as with stowing it. I presently
sail in waters full of commercial traffic and, being solo, the need to keep a lookout and take
avoiding action if necessary whilst faffing about on the coachroof has the potential to lead
to interesting times.

On occasion, I have decided, if conditions permitted, to sail under genoa alone because the
destination would be be too busy or to exposed to do anything other than very quick sail
handling. If I could stow the main as quickly as the genoa, it would make life a lot simpler.

Actually, the Longbow sails very well under genoa alone. I have managed 6.5 knots plus
hard on the wind, admittedly in flat water, in about F5. In 1 metre chop, about 6 knots.
Perhaps I ought to look at the Gary Hoyt rig with mast aft and two genoa type sails!
 
Single line reefing or take both reefing lines aft will help. A good stack pack and lazy jacks would be a good investment and much better than faffing around with in mast.
 
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