Flattening Reef - who needs 'em.

[KenF]

I have always had a flattening reef on my mainsails (three so far about a foot up the leech) but the sailmaker always questions the need for one, and I must admit that I rarely use it, maybe I should do without on no. 4 mainsail, what do you think ?

 

[flaming]

Old tech, useful when the main is a baggy dacron sack set on a stiff and difficult to adjust masthead rigged mast.

Basically pointless with a well cut laminate sail set on a fractionally rigged mast with backstay adjuster.

 

[Jonny A]

...but very, very useful if you don't have a well cut laminate sail set on a fractionally rigged mast with backstay adjuster.

 

[James_Calvert]

I had one, but no longer. I use the redundant control line to adjust foot tension, adjustment was previously only possible at the clew end of the boom.

For ordinary sailing purposes this works much better.

I mostly used the flattening reef for motor sailing, Solent rig style, to windward. So quick and easy to put in or take out. It also raised the boom a bit which helped clear the path to raise (or lower) the cockpit hood, which I like to have up when motor sailing into choppy seas.

Somehow we cope without it.

 

[Wing Mark]

I thought flattening reefs had two advantages:
1) you can have a fuller sail that still comes out to the black band, yet have a flat sail when you need it.
2) It lifts the clew and keeps it out of the waves.

On some dinghies, it enables raking the rig more.

So, if the class/handicap system rules don't favour it, and you're not having issues with dipping the clew in the water, it's perhaps no longer relevant?
Unless you have a full sail and the outhaul is running out of travel?

If the sailmaker isn't designing around it, it may not be a good idea anyway.

 

[biscuit]

Get a cringle inserted, cost is insignificant and might be useful one day. I use mine!

 

[neil_s]

I don't have a flattening cringle in my mainsail but it sounds like a good idea. I like to roll away the genoa and tack up to the mooring under mainsail only - just the right time to cast off the flattener.

 

[tross]

If you have a loose foot sail, then you don't need one - you can use the outhaul to give you that ability to depower the main before going to the first reef. . If on the other hand you don't have a loose foot sail they are very useful to depower the sail - especially those boats such as UK Hunters and Hanse's that derive most of their power from the main before putting in the first reef. I used mine alot on my Hunter to keep the heel going upwind to the most efficent angle.

 

[Poignard]

I am lucky in having a downhaul on the gooseneck, which slides on a short length of track.

Is that likely to achieve the same purpose as a flattening reef?

 

[dunedin]

I am lucky in having a downhaul on the gooseneck, which slides on a short length of track.

Is that likely to achieve the same purpose as a flattening reef?

No. But that function is now done by a Cunningham control on the luff, which achieves these same effect as pulling the boom down (within hour needing a sliding gooseneck)

 

[Poignard]

No. But that function is now done by a Cunningham control on the luff, which achieves these same effect as pulling the boom down (within hour needing a sliding gooseneck)

Yes. I didn't fit the sliding gooseneck. It dates back to the days when my boat had roller reefing.

It makes it easy to set the sail quickly without much effort because I can quickly pull the head of the sail up to the top of the track by hand and then tension the luff with the downhaul.

 

[Wing Mark]

I remember sliding goosenecks from dinghies in the 70s, it was seen as obsolete even then.
With a decent kicker, there is a lot of downward force on the gooseneck.
These days many dinghies pin the head of the sail to the top of the mast and adjust the luff which isn't fixed to the boom.
Many ways of getting similar results?

 

[Poignard]

Does anyone know the reason why roller reefing booms might be mounted on a sliding gooseneck when traditional reefing booms weren't?

 

[Wing Mark]

Does anyone know the reason why roller reefing booms might be mounted on a sliding gooseneck when traditional reefing booms weren't?

I suspect roller reefing around the boom just died a death at the same time as sliding goosenecks, but both are from the days when the forces to/from the sail were distributed along the boom rather than point loads at tack and clew? It's gear that evolved with cotton sails basically.

Once you have put some rolls around the boom, you cannot use a cunningham to tension the luff.
However, not every roller boom was on a sliding gooseneck.
And many booms not intended for roller reefing were on sliding goosenecks.
Many things are driven by racing, class rules and black bands.
What works for racing gets copied for cruising.

Back in the dark ages, my Dad used to sail his dinghy with cruising sails, with the sliding gooseneck raised a bit from the 'racing' position.