sparta
New member
Having just ordered a new mainsail for my 22' yacht I am trying to come up with a DIY (i.e. cheap) mainsail reefing system. A lot of my sailing is single handed and therefore a cockpit based system is best.
My gooseneck arrangement is similar to that in a dinghy - the boom does not lock onto the gooseneck and therefore slips on and of at the drop of a hat. On the few occasions when I have attempted to reef at sea this has almost invariably resulted in the boom coming of the gooseneck and falling to the coachroof.
The gooseneck is not fitted with a reefing hook. I was thinking of rigging some kind of downhall from the reefing cringle in the luff running through a block in either the forward end of the boom or the mast and back to the cockpit. I personally think that a block on the mast would be best. It would keep the tack closer to the mast and would also help to prevent the boom coming of the gooseneck but I'm not sure if I have considered everything. Has anyone else gone through this process?
My gooseneck arrangement is similar to that in a dinghy - the boom does not lock onto the gooseneck and therefore slips on and of at the drop of a hat. On the few occasions when I have attempted to reef at sea this has almost invariably resulted in the boom coming of the gooseneck and falling to the coachroof.
The gooseneck is not fitted with a reefing hook. I was thinking of rigging some kind of downhall from the reefing cringle in the luff running through a block in either the forward end of the boom or the mast and back to the cockpit. I personally think that a block on the mast would be best. It would keep the tack closer to the mast and would also help to prevent the boom coming of the gooseneck but I'm not sure if I have considered everything. Has anyone else gone through this process?