How to free up 3rd reefing line on main

Conachair

Conachair

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I want to somehow tension mainsail foot without using reefing line so all 3 reefs can be rove in all the time. Boom has facility for 3 lines, 1 tensions the foot, the other 2 are for 1st and 2nd reefs, I would like all 3 lines to be permemantly attached for reefing. Reason bein that if you need a third reef that is not the time to be messing about on deck with some bits of string.
Any suggestions? Thought about a litle turnbuckle or something but haven't got very far.
TIA
 
Assuming the main is not loose footed shackle a small block to the end of the boom and run the clew line round it and then to a cleat at forward end of boom or, if you need the winch to a front turning block the the winch.
 
If you want the outhaul (for that is what you are talking about) to be easily adjustable you will have to find a way of providing an extra sheave at the boom end. It's possible to buy what you need from spar manufacturers but you will need enough space to fit it.
Another way would be to use some genoa or mainsheet track screwed to the boom and a car with pin stops to which you attach the clew. You will only be able to move it when slack but it would do for cruising.

You can get a track that will fit in the slot where the foot goes. I know that Z Spars have one which they sell for mainsail reefing, You only need a short length 12-18 inches. Makes fitting very easy you would then be able to fit the ball bearing car they sell or a pin stop car if you haven't room for another sheave.

Another tactic I've used if I've only had 2 lines is to thread up the second and third reefs. If you need first reef pull inthe second reef and transfer the outhaul to the first reefing eye then let the second reef go. You may want a strop round the eye and boom to hold the reef.
 
I was considering the same problem and was given this solution - not yet implemented.

Here is a diagram of an arrangement that somebody provided me with. The pivot pin for the sheaves at the end of the boom is replaced with a longer bolt. For the s/s bolt pivot pin you can obtain nuts with a ring on the end but you may need to get a ring welded onto the bolt head. The cord shown in red can be quite thin because of the purchase that is used. When reefed, the outhaul is not required as the reefing lines provide this function.
outhaul.jpg


Hope this gives some food for thought. Rerigging a third reef on the go is not fun. If I know it's going to be blowy then I start out with a reef in and rerig the third reef in the comfort of my berth.
 
I agree the 3rd reef is a problem, trying to put a 3rd reef in whilst at sea is difficult and dangerous. So i will be interested in the replies and whether there is a workable solution.
In the enxt couple of years I will need a new main and am strogly veering towards only having 2 reefs with then first at about 1.5 and the second at about 2.7 compared to position with three reefs.
 
We had a all 3 reefs permanently rigged on a previous boat and found that all that extra cordage really gets in the way when hoisting, stowing and using the main. Great for reefing though of course..

Now we have a 3rd. reef pennant on the boom, but it's terminated in a soft eye which gets passed through the 3rd. reef clew ring and tensioned using the outhaul (which gets unshackled from the mainsail and readied whenever the 2nd. reef goes in).

Works for us with an FB main, lazyjacks and a convenient centre cockpit just beneath the 3rd. reef point on the boom..
 
I cruised full time for three years with a single reef in the main; the main was also battenless and headboard-less and made from 10 ounce soft dacron, a joy to handle.
The reef halved the mainsail area. I had a storm trysail that ran up a separate track for extreme conditions.
The boat had a large main and a tendency to excessive weather helm which the elimination of the roach reduced.
This main also had the advantage that it could be hoisted off the wind because there were no battens or headboard to snag.
I've never sailed a boat with three reefs where the first reef was anything other than a trimming reef so I was comfortable leaving that one out, but going to one reef took a bit more thought; it worked out fine in my case.
 
Some very good ideas here. It is possible to use the 3rd reef line as an outhaul. Rig it as normal and then take a bight through the clew ring, put a shackle on this which cannot pull through the ring but has the effect of locking the line to the clew ( you will need to experiment). Use the line to adjust foot tension, remove the shackle and free the 3rd reef probably as the 2nd reef goes in. Advantage: little extra gear or line. Disadvantage: can slip, bit of extra fuss when 2nd reef goes in.
 
Another solution I have used successfully to reeve the third reef line is to rig a continuous mouse line between the 2nd & 3rd reef cringles with a longish tail so that you can take out the 1st reef line and feed it up through the cringle without too much acrobatics on a heaving deck.
 
Like yours my boom had three sheaves: outhaul plus two reefs. To accommodate the third reef I just tied a block to the boom end with several turns of thin cord and another one to a mast cleat, adjusting the length of the attachments to give tidy reefing line runs. It has worked fine for years. As another poster said, you do drop a lot of rope into the cockpit when you let the sail down, but it's better than trying to thread lines when it's bouncy!

More recently I attached another block to the other side of the boom end to take a leach cunningham. I now leave the outhaul fairly slack (full sail draught for light winds) and cleated off at the mast end of the boom, while the leach cunningham is led back to the cockpit in place of the outhaul. Tightening this up flattens the unreefed sail in a similar (or probably better) way than the outhaul used to.
 
When

I needed to put a 4th reef line into an oversize main, I fitted a single-line reef.

It's done service on the 1st reef over the past 3 seasons (about 10K nm) with no problems and only takes about 30" to put in.

Have a look on the Harken.com website for a few ideas.
 
Re: When

There are various ways to solve this problem depending on size of the main and what suits you. Best is to try all the ideas given so far to see what suits. I confess I have given up on my second reef and just hope I can manage on one. Unless I set up before departure. The amount of rope is just too much.
Now one poster mentioned what he called a leach cunningham or I would callk a flattening reef. ie a reef eyelet just a short distance above the boom. (like 30cms) This can be a realoly usefull tool to flatten the essentially full main. The thing is you don't need much power in the basic outhaul if you use the flattening reef when you get any real wind. So a piece of cord not really adjustablke can set the outhaul for light winds leaving the main powerfull outhaul for the flattener.
If you don't have a flattener this may also work for the first reef. ie do without an adjustable outhaul. or you may fit a simple low powered outhaul adjustable at the end of the boom. On the basis that you only use it when the wind is light.

Or another option is to add another set of pulleys for the third reef. This in the form of a cheek block mounted on the side of the boom forward of the end and have the tail of the reefing line return around the boom to attach to the block base (Or fit a saddle on the otherside of the boom) This pulley should give a pull 45degrees to the bom when the sail is reefed. ie equally pulling out and down. The reefing line is returned outside the boom (under it). You can fit some saddles under the boom to keep the rope up against the boom until it reaches a turning block at the gooseneck (or a cleat).

Reefing lines goinng to the end of the boom and internal are not a necessity at all. good luck olewill
 
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