Reefing using outhaul on reefing cringle??

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Jaguar 25

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Anything wrong with taking the outhaul off the clew and moving it to the reefing cringle (after placing the tack reefing cringle over the ram's horn)?
 
Jaguar 25 said:
Anything wrong with taking the outhaul off the clew and moving it to the reefing cringle (after placing the tack reefing cringle over the ram's horn)?
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Hmm . All outward pull with no downward pull . Through the cringle and then down to the boom might be better. ???
 
The downside is that it's a lot of faffing around to do at a spot that may be pretty hard to access, all whilst the wind is picking up. I guess you could swap the outhaul onto the first reef and move the first reef line to the second reef point, if you were planning ahead and knew you wouldn't need full sail that day.
 
The main snag ( pardon the pun ) will be in conditions requiring reefing, the leach of the main may well be flapping so fast you can't even focus on it; this was the case on a boat I crewed a while ago which had no reefing lines rigged, it was a mighty struggle to get a line through the reef cringle.

Dangerous too as the mainsheet has to be let off a bit so the boom end is over the side, encouraging leaning out on the leeward side to fit the line - and as said not enough downward pull using the clew outhaul.
 
As said by Vic the pull will be upward so outhaul will allow clew to rise significantly no matter how tight the outhaul. A simple solution is to fit a few turns of light rope through the eyelet down around the boom. ol'will
 
Thanks for your comments Seajet and Ol'will. I was more thinking of setting the reef before sailing rather than once the wind had picked up. Didn't consider the lack of downward restraint but Ol'will's suggestion to tie the reef cringle down to the boom seems a neat solution. Currently, I don't even have a ram's horn!
 
VicS said:
Hmm . All outward pull with no downward pull . Through the cringle and then down to the boom might be better. ???
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Although a bit difficult to get a snap shackle through the cringle. Perhaps coud just use a loop in the end of the line to attach to some sort of hook on the boom and then with a removable shackle through the loop when returning the line as an outhaul.
 
With no rams horn a simple solution to reef before departure is a piece of rope through the tack eyelet 2 ends around the mast and back to the eyelet (that gets eyelet as far forward as possible against the mast) then the ends go around the boom (probably the gooseneck parts but not a problem) The ends are tied together tight. (to provide pull down wards). Do this forward part first then tension halyard and outhaul against it. If you want you can do several turns around mast and boom.
ol'will
 
You might as well just lash the reef in with some low-stretch line.
In the long term, if you are likely to want reefs, it's worth installing a good system which is quick and easy to take reefs in and out.
 
Reefing lines are there so you can safely and easily put a reef in if weather comes up nasty while you are sailing. (and can shake reef out if wind drops while out there.) Hence my dislike of rams horn tack fixture. But far more important is the clew reef attachment as it is likely to be on the end of a boom swung way out over the side s dangerous to reach. ol'will
 
Minn said:
Spent yesterday afternoon pop riveting an eye and a sheave to the boom of my son’s Squib. Including the riveting tool I had change from £50 and he can now pull a reef down in less than a minute, single handed.
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How did you do it with just one eye (???) and one sheave?
 
Don't suppose any of you lot read practical boat owner but i think the next issue tells you how i do it on the third reef. You can do it on the first one of course and use the outhaul if you do not have a spare outhaul line.
take no notice of Seajet's comment re leach etc i can do it above f8 with the boat rolling all over the place and single handed. One just drops the sail so the boom comes into the cockpit safely
it will be under readers tips section.
 
Jaguar 25 said:
How did you do it with just one eye (???) and one sheave?
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One deep reef. Eye pop riveted to port side of boom just outboard of the clew reef cringle, figure of eight in the leach reef pendant there, up to the cringle, back down to single sheave pop riveted on the starboard side, forward to cleat on boom. Luff reef pendant left rove so you just pull it down.

I did spend £14 on a nice Harken ball bearing sheave. I have a phobia about friction in sail handling arrangements!

Thinking about it, with just a little more thought and some spare blocks I could have presented him with single line reefing.
 
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Daydream believer said:
Don't suppose any of you lot read practical boat owner but i think the next issue tells you how i do it on the third reef. You can do it on the first one of course and use the outhaul if you do not have a spare outhaul line.
take no notice of Seajet's comment re leach etc i can do it above f8 with the boat rolling all over the place and single handed. One just drops the sail so the boom comes into the cockpit safely
it will be under readers tips section.
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Or take no notice of the aptly named daydream believer and try doing it for real in a 24' boat in a rising wind; no sailor worth his salt would suggest using the clew outhaul is fine for reefing.

Why does this forum have to be so combative, ignorant and rude ? No wonder a better rival was set up, I try to offer help here when I see someone with a snag I can help with, but can well do without the constant attacks from negative berks.
 
I'll say it quickly - Notthelounge.com

I expect I'll be censured or banned for being honest, but that is a much friendlier forum than this, and instead of ready attacks people actually try to help each other; I and others are expanding the sailing / boaty section.

If an old hand you may recognise some names, and yes this is where the ladies went too.
 
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