round boom roller reefing

I can't help but mine suffered the same thing a few years ago and I converted to slab reefing. The gear on mine was made out of a material called "Tufnol" if that helps.

That said, the boat is SO much better with slab reefing I'd NEVER go back to round-the-boom roller reefing now!
 
I have one, do not think there are any Tufnol or other non-metal bits in it though. I gave up using it years ago as the result was a baggy sail, with no tension along the foot, in just the conditions in which the sail needs to be flattened not made baggy. The end of the boom also drooped so much as to be a nuisance as well. I too had slab reefing points put in the sail and fitted horns at the goose neck and an adjustable-fairleads-on-a- track gubbins on the boom.
Some boom roller systems seem to work well though. A through mast system is far better then the worm drive handle system IHHO, but I think it really needs a flat cut mains'l.

although its nice to know that I still have the old system available I would not bother to retro fit one.
 
I changed to slab reefing last year and would NEVER go back to boom roller reefing. I modified the boom to take cheek blocks and clutches, and I'm hoping to get a new boom soon. You can have the old roller mechanism (which is straight-through BTW, no gearing) when I've got new kit, but it may be too heavy (35' boat, 4" boom).

I'll put it on the For Sale forum, for nuppence OVNO /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I've just taken one off my boat. Don't know if it works. I guess it must be circa 1970, that's when she was built. If you want it come and get it ! I'm in sunny Torquay. David
 
I have to agree with the several posts above. I added a track with blocks to my boom last winter. The boom had a bolt connecting it to the gooseneck. I added hooks to this to pull down the tack rings. Barton do a kit to do this. Each block also has a becket to start the reefing line. The idea is that the line starts at the becket, loops under the boom & up to the reefing clew, then back to the block and foreward. The becket & block being one and the same are set behind the clew position so it's pulled down and back.

The trick is to have an extra becket. The line then goes up almost vertically to the clew and then back to a block positioned well back. This way you get a good downward pull and a good backward pull to tesion the foot.

With the standard Westerly boom roller, the sail was very baggy with a horrible shape once reefed. Also, the kicker used a reefing claw which was wearing the sail.

Now it's fine & reefing is just as easy. The give away is a note in the original Westerly manual advising the owner to roll a towel or other such clocth into the sail around the kicker /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Also, the kicker used a reefing claw which was wearing the sail.

[/ QUOTE ] That's a fact I overlooked earlier. Slab reefing allows you to use the original kicking strap. Once you use roller reefing you have to employ some trick such as a strap or other object rolled in with the sail or you have to use a claw ring and that needs a guy line to the swivel on the boom end*. It bent my end fitting!

* that's another point with roller reefing you need a swivel on the boom end to attach the sheet and topping lift.
 
The worm drive on my last boat fell to bits and I converted to slab. Like all the other posters, I would NEVER go back to rolling, although the first mate thinks it looks nicer. It is quicker and easier to slab reef and the kicker can remain in use. Wight Dawn has roller reefing. I have never tried it!
 
I have been thinking about doing the convertion from roller to slab reefing, The sail already has the cringles etc. I wondered what type of cleats or jammers folk use. My boat is a Halcyon 27 with three rows of cringles in the mainsail. Would one rivet the track and cleats onto the boom?
 
You can buy a Barton adjustable track with cheek blocks, then fit jammers further forward.
I made up a s/s plate and bolted the cheek blocks to that, along with a triple jammer. The plate was fixed to the boom with throughbolts, using fairing blocks to spread the load. Another plate has cleats to take the reefing lines.
Reefing horns would have been a bit more tricky (and I dislike them anyway) so a strop around the gooseneck (ie the pivot block on the roller mechanism) with a couple of carabiners enables the reef rings to be clipped on. I used rings rather than cringles cos it was easier for me to DIY them.

Sea trials took place in F6/7, and there was plenty of elation when it all worked perfectly first time and I knew I would never have to suffer roller boom reefing again /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Just a thought on that. I put clam cleats directly on to the boom to take the reefing lines. I thought I'd be clever and fit them as close to the aft end of the boom as possible so that I could pull them tight without leaving the cockpit.

In practice though, it wasn't such a bright idea because it's pretty difficult on a windy day trying to keep hold of the back end of the boom (whilst still retaining all one's teeth)!

If I was doing the job again tomorrow, I'd put them nearer the gooseneck.
 
I must confess to having used self-tappers for both the track and the clam cleats. (also 27' boat). My boom is 30 years old though and isn't that long for this world. I also haven't sailed in any conditions where I've needed the second reef - never mind the third! The installation has been like that for about 5 years now with no sign of corrosion around those areas - which is a little surprising. No sign of loosening either. I must stress, however, that the boat has been out of the water for the last two seasons though. If I were doing the job again, I'd probably make a long aluminium plate, thick enough to take a tapped hole, and re-drill (and tap) it in all the places I wanted to attach hardware. I'd then shove it down the inside of the boom with some "Duck" tape round it for insulation, drill oversized holes in the boom, then bolt the hardware straight through the boom and into the plate.

That said, I probably never will because when I do replace the boom, I'll just get a slab reefing one anyway!
 
Thanks for all the experience, and although mine’s much the same, I’m still looking for a round the boom roller reefing system like on my last boat (Leisure 20) which I sold with reefing gear intact after 26 years use! So, a couple of reasons for wanting the system:

First, I often sail single handed, and it’s a very easy system one to use: release 2 feet of main halyard, sit on cabin roof with legs dangling inside, wind 2 feet of sail in, and back into cockpit all in about 30 secs. No need to tighten halyard as worm drive is an effective winch.

Second, I only use the roller to make the boat comfortable for a squall or when getting near home. Baggy sail … yes, but only if you take in much more than a couple of feet and don’t spiral the luff cord back so it doesn’t make a big lump at the gooseneck. Slab always used when a whole slab or more needed, or on consistently windy days. As I’m a cruiser I don’t mind the minimal back pressure a little bagginess causes for a short time.

In short, I reckon both systems have their uses and I miss my old one, so thanks for the much appreciated offers (Damo and MarAzul), and I’d like to get in touch with you (will email next) and when I discover how, and who I can get to pick it up and mail it to Western Australia!!
 
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