How much wind before you reef?

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peter2407

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More of a survey thing - as opposed to the 'when you think you need to'. So, how much wind can your boat handle before you reef? Covering:

Length of boat
Underwater profile
Age of boat
GRP/Wood

And anything else worth knowing.

Sorry, multi-hull chaps, not one for you .... apparently ....
 
Can handle about mid F5 close hauled reasonably comfortably. Would roll a bit of the jib above that but would reef the main by F6 close hauled.

Dehler 43, by vdStadt design, 1992, GRP, iron keel with lead 'winglets'.
 
Westerley Konsort
Bilge Keel 29'
GRP
30 years old
Comfortable to reef at 17-18 knots
Never tried to push her much further as it would seem pointless
She goes just as fast with with the reefs in as out once the wind get up past that.
 
Same sort of wind speed. Old sails are a bit difficult to flatten, but playing the sheets seems to work well. F5/F6 is a bit much single-handed. Possibly much better two-up. Haven't had it long enough to get a clearer picture.
However I don't reef. Don't have the facility, so I go home if it gets much windier. You can do that on a lake.


Seahawk 17
17 ft
swing steel keel/bilge runners
GRP
28 years old
 
Last edited:
Depends on many factors - crew comfort; length of passage; gusts; fun factor; point of sail; day/night; forecast;

On average, top end of a F4 I start to think about it.

26ft.
Long keel.
GRP.
22.
 
I posted a comprehensive response but the forum ate it. I find that extremely irritating, even for a mild mannered bloke like me.

Short version: Most good cruising boats meet the 20:20 rule: Full sail in 20 knots on the wind with 20 degrees of heel. After that you reef, although many people hang on to full sail for too long.
 
peter2407 said:
More of a survey thing - as opposed to the 'when you think you need to'. So, how much wind can your boat handle before you reef? Covering:

....
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure my boat can handle a lot more than I can, and it depends on the point of sail. If hard on the wind I will reef at 14ish knots of true wind. No speed is lost and the handling is much easier, also, if it is only my wife and I, I have a happier crew.
 
Upwind, 30deg app, 5.5-5.8kts
15kts apparent, 10 degrees of heel.
35ft lift keel with wings, 7 tonnes disp.
GRP 5 years old.

Faster and more wind as we go to reaching conditions
 
41ft Sun Legende cruiser/racer deep fin, tall rig. Ist reef in main with full (135% roller) genoa at 16kts apparent upwind at 28 degs apparent and with optimum boatspeed reached of 7kts. Any more wind just produces more heel and no more boatspeed, but still sailable with up to 25kts apparent, just no point. This means reef no1 goes in at top of F3 true wind and is why this boat sails at decent speeds in light winds when most others are motoring.
 
peter2407 said:
More of a survey thing - as opposed to the 'when you think you need to'. So, how much wind can your boat handle before you reef? Covering:

Length of boat
Underwater profile
Age of boat
GRP/Wood

And anything else worth knowing.
Click to expand...

26' LOA, long keel, GRP.

Beating/close reaching: likes to have the first reef in at F3, third reef by F5

Broad reaching/running: reefing?

We had a cheerful run back from Iona to the Garvellachs with full sail in 25kt true wind: by golly we felt it as we did the right turn down the Sound of Luing!
 
lydiamight said:
When the Gin & tonic spills
Click to expand...

:) I can relate to that. I haven't installed the drink holders yet!

Can't measure wind speed at the mo - but if 20kts is forecast, I go out with first reef already in. Will sustain 4-5kts on a reach. 8.5m bilge keeler 1.2m draft, grp, 1979.
 
Don't really know in numbers, as KS has no wind instrument (previous owner despised "damn whirly things" and removed it) and I've always been **** at estimating windspeed numbers.

The point at which reefing becomes necessary (for speed more than comfort) feels very early to me, but most of my experience is on bigger boats than KS's 24 feet. I'm also told that the designer considers the mainsail on these boats to be somewhat overcanvassed - fine by me as it keeps us moving when there's less wind.

In tradeoff against the need to reef early is the fact that it's easy, almost trivial, to do. Due to having mast hoops, there's no need to come into the wind - I can pretty much keep sailing on mizzen, jib and staysail while letting the main out till if flaps, dumping a chunk of throat halyard, couple of pulls on the tack pendant, harden up on the halyard, and take in the clew pendant. No need for winches on any of it (halyard is a purchase) and takes well under 20 seconds. The reef points can all be reached from the cockpit (if the sprayhood is down) and are done up once the main's in and drawing again. For the second reef add a tweak of the peak halyard into the process.

I can't reef the jib (Wykeham Martin furling only). In theory I could reef the staysail on its roller but since it's only about the size of a Wayfarer jib I can't really imagine needing to. The mizzen has a single slab in it with a tack horn, but the clew pendant isn't rigged - I generally drop the mizzen entirely before the second main reef, to reduce weather helm.

24-foot GRP Cornish Yawl with long keel + small bilge plates.

Pete
 
I use a "Reefing Bell".

The large 8" bell mounted directly behind the mast between the kicker and the goose-neck has a gimbal only in the fore and aft direction. As the yacht heels, the clapper starts to bang on the bell and its time to reef. 25 knots with the lee rail submerged. :rolleyes:

Steel 50-foot ketch very deep long keel and a 10 foot dinghy on the foredeck between the stay-sail and the mainmast.

Think supertanker and you will understand my yacht. I think I need Flag 'H' when I enter Portsmouth Harbour as I don't hold a Home Trade Master's ticket! :eek:
 
Wind speed reefing

On my little boat full sail ie no 1 jib is only good to around 10 knots of wind. Then down to no 2 jib then no 3 jib to about 18 knots. Then a reef in the main. No 4 jib, one reef will take us up to 30 knots. Past that I should be home in bed.
It is a light weight boat 21ft that has extremely good light wind performance and in stronger winds goes OK with the correct sails. I don't usually use the second reef. These comments relate to sailing on the wind while racing. For cruising it is often easier to start with reef or even 2 if there is a nice wind and small jib. It goes nicely with no worries about sail change if wind comes up. Winds in the summer tend to be quite predictable here.
You reef and reduce jib when the weather helm gets heavy and heel is a lot almost continually. ie beyond occasional gust.
olewill
 
Dehler Optima 101 (34), 1985, GRP Fin Keel, about 5 ton. Race 80 % of time.

Boat very responsive in light winds. Good at reaching & downwind but not upwind.

Need reef 1 at app wind 18 kn, boat less heel, goes faster than full sail & point higher.

When racing upwind, always the 1st boat to reef in the fleet. Will keep full sail longer if wind strenght is not steady, otherwise, reef at true wind 15 kn.
 
Reefing

Moody 33. GRP fin keel. 34 years old
First reef in main at 18 knots apparent on the wind. 130% genoa and 20% of that goes at about 20 knots on the wind
 
When sailing wheel steered yachts I plced a loop of tape around the rim of the wheel at 10 to and 10 past positions and a central position. When either of the two outer tapes are consistently at the 12 o'clock position it is time to take in the first reef in the mainsail; the helm then reverts to the mid position; until the two positions again stay consistently at the mid position, then take in the second reef. This way there is no need to know when to reef by wind speed, rather by angle of heel and weather helm. Works every time for me!

ianat182
 
Salty John said:
Short version: Most good cruising boats meet the 20:20 rule: Full sail in 20 knots on the wind with 20 degrees of heel. After that you reef, although many people hang on to full sail for too long.
Click to expand...

Any boat that can hold full sail to windward in 20kts TRUE (I assume you mean true?) was grossly undercanvassed to start with.

We change to the number 3 at about 15kts true. With the delivery sails on (cheap dacron) the first reef goes in about 18 kts with the 3. So that's already a reduction in headsail and Mainsail area. (Different with the racing sails as the main can be flattened to a board and carried up to 30kts)

And this is a boat with a deep/heavy keel and a ballast ratio approaching 50%.
 
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