Reefing a loose footed mainsail

[TQA]

Ok I think I know the answer to this based on common sense as the reinforcements on the sail are pretty puny, but just in case.

I have a loose footed mainsail and slab reefing. Are the reefing kringles [ buntlines ? ] supposed to be done up tight or loose.

In other words to flatten the sail or just to tidy up the spare bunt of sail.

Assuming the latter is it correct to tie them above or below the boom? The lines are long enough for either option.

 

[RobbieW]

Follow your common sense Those lines tidy up the bunt only, as you observed the cringles are not usually designed to take the stress of tensioning the sail. Dont tie around the boom.

 

[Poignard]

Ok I think I know the answer to this based on common sense as the reinforcements on the sail are pretty puny, but just in case.

I have a loose footed mainsail and slab reefing. Are the reefing kringles [ buntlines ? ] supposed to be done up tight or loose.

In other words to flatten the sail or just to tidy up the spare bunt of sail.

Assuming the latter is it correct to tie them above or below the boom? The lines are long enough for either option.

Pass them between the foot of the sail and the boom. There must be no load on them. They tidy up the foot of the sail and guard against it getting filled with water.

 

[capnsensible]

I have given up using buntlines. On any boat I have sailed, its always caused tears or wearing of the main where the line rubs against the boom, loose footed or not.

You can normally get the sail flat with the reef line, just like the normal outhaul.

Also saves having to dance about on the coachroof in heavy airs....I often sail where one or two reefs are necessary.

I always put an earring on, a sail tie throgh the luff cringle and around the boom in case the reef line snaps.

By coincidence, I took the main off a boat Monday to get a few repairs done caused by tying the sail down. Its gone off to a well known sailmakers. The agent that I showed the sail to is a successful racer and has also delivered for PYD. He told me that they dont bother to put cringles in for the sail ties anymore unless asked exactly because of the chafe problem.

Happy to discover I am not alone!

 

[TQA]

Thanks; could have made an expensive mistake.

 

[bbg]

I have given up using buntlines.

+1

Just don't use them.

 

[Poignard]

Just to be clear, and so that we all know whether we are talking about the same thing, what do people posting here mean by bunt lines?

I understand buntlines to be the lines used to haul up the bunt of a squaresail to its yard when the sail is furled. Has the meaning recently changed?

On the other hand, the short lengths of line used to secure the reefed foot of a fore-and-aft sail are called reef points. These are what I have permanently fixed to my mainsail for the first and second reef. For the third reef I pass a continuous line through a row of eyelets and around the excess sail.

 

[jwilson]

Ok I think I know the answer to this based on common sense as the reinforcements on the sail are pretty puny, but just in case.

I have a loose footed mainsail and slab reefing. Are the reefing kringles [ buntlines ? ] supposed to be done up tight or loose.

In other words to flatten the sail or just to tidy up the spare bunt of sail.

Assuming the latter is it correct to tie them above or below the boom? The lines are long enough for either option.

Round the foot of the sail. Make VERY sure you undo all before shaking out the reef - leaving one in is a quick way to rip the sail - they are not designed to take much strain. Many sails nowadays do not use them at all, particularly if you have a stackpack-type sailcover. I think the same used to be reefing pennants?

 

[SHUG]

I use shockcord "tidies" with quick release cleats at one end. Quick to put on and off and a safety margin if you do happen to forget to release one.
Stops the bunt flapping around and chafing.

 

[TQA]

I do have a stack pack [ Mack ] so usually I don't bother with them but the Christmas winds will be arriving anytime so sailing with a reef in becomes the norm and I was thinking about tieing them in and did not want to get it wrong.

On my previous boat the reefing points were used when tieing in a reef but the sail had a bolt rope in the boom.

 

[Corribee Boy]

My mainsail has a bolt rope running in a track on the boom. I've got no option but to tie reefing pennants around and beneath the boom, which means they do take quite a bit of strain, which has always worried me. Anyone got thoughts or suggestions on that? It's not really feasible to take the boltrope off the boom when reefing.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

My mainsail has a bolt rope running in a track on the boom. I've got no option but to tie reefing pennants around and beneath the boom, which means they do take quite a bit of strain, which has always worried me. Anyone got thoughts or suggestions on that? It's not really feasible to take the boltrope off the boom when reefing.

Corribee Boy a reefing pennant is the line that hauls the mainsail reefing cringle down to the boom, it is not a line for tidying up the sail after you have reefed. The small lines that hang from each side of the sail and run parallel to the boom are reefing lines and are just used for tidying up the sail.

A reefing pennant should be tight after reefing and it is quite possible that when its rigged the boom end runs under the boom. The reefing lines should be slack when the reefed part of the main has been rolled up and tidied away using the reefing lines. The simple solution is to make the reefing lines longer. One problem you may have is that the reefing pennant does not pull the reefing cringle far enough back, thus making the sail too full along the foot i.e. too slack.

http://www.sailtrain.co.uk/skippers_tips/2001.11_25.shtml

 

[Poignard]

My mainsail has a bolt rope running in a track on the boom. I've got no option but to tie reefing pennants around and beneath the boom, which means they do take quite a bit of strain, which has always worried me. Anyone got thoughts or suggestions on that? It's not really feasible to take the boltrope off the boom when reefing.

You don't have any choice but to tie them round the boom. what you could do is to use a long line as a lacing, as I mentioned earlier. That would have the advantage that it would adjust itself.

However, a properly made sail should have a reinforcing band along the line of reefpoints so damage would only occur if you accidently released the tack or clew cringle before untying the reefpoints.

 

[Stu Jackson]

My mainsail has a bolt rope running in a track on the boom. I've got no option but to tie reefing pennants around and beneath the boom, which means they do take quite a bit of strain, which has always worried me. Anyone got thoughts or suggestions on that? It's not really feasible to take the boltrope off the boom when reefing.

If the lines are too short, which makes pulling the cringles too tight, get longer lines.

 

[charles_reed]

Don't ever use the cringles (I've got 4 reefs).

It's really unnecessary.

 

[mikeinkwazi]

Ok I think I know the answer to this based on common sense as the reinforcements on the sail are pretty puny, but just in case.

I have a loose footed mainsail and slab reefing. Are the reefing kringles [ buntlines ? ] supposed to be done up tight or loose.

In other words to flatten the sail or just to tidy up the spare bunt of sail.

Assuming the latter is it correct to tie them above or below the boom? The lines are long enough for either option.

Do not ever tie them around the boom, this will seriously damage the sail, even pulling the cringles out! Tie the sail, with reef knots, to tidy the bunt, passing the lines above the boom. Flattening is done by the outhaul action of the reefing pennant, its block being set back a few inches from an imaginary vertical line drawn down from the reef cringle to the boom. You can normally adjust these blocks along a track to get the best result.

 

[Simondjuk]

I always put an earring on, a sail tie throgh the luff cringle and around the boom in case the reef line snaps.

Why use the earring if you're not tying the bunt of the sail? As I understood it, the purpose of the earring is to prevent the bunt ties taking any load and damaging the sail should the reef line part. Other than simply to stop the clew lifting should the reef line part, which I wouldn't have thought much of an issue, is there another reason for using it of which I'm unaware?

 

[dunedin]

Don't ever use the cringles (I've got 4 reefs).

It's really unnecessary.

+1 Might consider it if going transatlantic or similar but not otherwise

 

[bbg]

+1 Might consider it if going transatlantic or similar but not otherwise

I went transatlantic this year and had at least one reef in for a good portion of the way. I didn't use them. They are unnecessary.

 

[prv]

I went transatlantic this year and had at least one reef in for a good portion of the way. I didn't use them. They are unnecessary.

Depends on the sail. The reef points are entirely necessary on mine, otherwise I get great bags of sail hanging under the boom, sometimes filling with wind and/or flogging depending on point of sail. On the other hand, I have sailed on boats where none were fitted or required.

Pete