in mast reefing.- is it a problem

[Frogmogman]

I have recently cleaned my mast track, jammer and lubricated with McLube Sailkote. My mainsail, full battens, is around 35.5 m² (41’ LOA masthead rig). Raising it by hand had become difficult, but now is significantly easier. If I open the jammer on the main halyard, it is even easier. My arm strength and fitness has dropped significantly over the last few years as well. It is now being reported that leg and arm strength training, using calisthenics, or weights, rather than cardiovascular training is vital for old age fitness. Obviously this helps with mainsail hoisting. I think, as we age, if we engage in regular strength training, stuff like sail handling is easily manageable without electric winches.

I agree with your point though, that the convenience of in mast mainsail reefing is very convenient for leisure sailing, especially when one gets older.

+ 1 for the McLube Sailcote. What a great product; a real help in eliminating friction, the bane of the sailor’s existence

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I suppose that I would be regarded as a Ludite in saying that were I still sailing I would prefer slab single line reefing lead back to the cockpit with fully battened main and intermediate cars. I have never even been on a boat with in mast reefing so have no knowledge just the old prejudice however I have sailed on a 50 foot long keel boat with in boom reefing which was fine you just had to set the angle of the boom exactly which was done with the topping lift being marked and the vang pulled down. The owner even had a short stick that could be used to place between the sprayhood frame and the bottom of the boom to check the gap. The consequence of not getting it correct was that the sail would migrate towards the mast or back towards the cockpit and eventually jam. Get it right and it was very good.

 

[Tranona]

I suppose that I would be regarded as a Ludite in saying that were I still sailing I would prefer slab single line reefing lead back to the cockpit with fully battened main and intermediate cars. I have never even been on a boat with in mast reefing so have no knowledge just the old prejudice however I have sailed on a 50 foot long keel boat with in boom reefing which was fine you just had to set the angle of the boom exactly which was done with the topping lift being marked and the vang pulled down. The owner even had a short stick that could be used to place between the sprayhood frame and the bottom of the boom to check the gap. The consequence of not getting it correct was that the sail would migrate towards the mast or back towards the cockpit and eventually jam. Get it right and it was very good.

When you read about all the tricks that folks have devised to make up for the inherent shortcomings of slab reefing having a stick to measure the position of the boom is small beer. Just read various posts on this thread - electric winches, special cars, climbing up mast steps to pull the sail down, special lubricants to reduce friction - even sending a small child up in a bosuns chair to pull the sail down and deal with the stack pack.

You have never owned a boat with in mast and have nothing useful to add - and in boom is nothing like it anyway with its own problems. It is only when you go back to slab reefing after 20 years of faultless experience and many thousands of miles with in mast that you realise what a crap system it it is. Even when you have spent large sums of money like I have to make it moderately usable you are still stuck with a limited number of discrete sail sizes and yards of string in the cockpit.