Selden single-line reefing problem?

[BobnLesley]

We have a slab-reefed mainsail, with two in-boom reefing lines, the second reef is just a single-line starting with a stopper knot at the luff reefing-point, then going through the boom stern to mast, up to a block at the forward reefing point and back down and along the deck back to the cockpit; it never causes a problem.

The first reef however has two seperate lines, one from the stern-end of the boom going around the stern part of a two-wheeled block and back to a stopper knot at the luff reef point; the second going from the tack reef point, down/through to the front wheel of the in boom block and then out/down/back to the cockpit. This one seems to slowly twist around itself and unless I remember to take off the boom end every six months or so eventually locks-up (incariably with the reef 'in' bending the plates which connect the two-pulley wheels; not an end of the worls problem, but annoying.

So, any ideas as to how to stop these lines wrapping around themselves or alternatively, could I remove the twin-lines and internal blocks, reeving a single line and external block as with the second reef? The latter seems feasible, but I don't want to pull everything out of the boom, find a problem and have to try and re-thread them; I know I could leave mousing-lines in, but I suspect they would undermine the experiment by causing entanglement problems of their own.

 

[[3889]]

What make of boom is it? Selden have tracks along which block-carrying cars can run internally so there isno twist.

Edit: Must learn to read the thread title properly. Ignore 1st question.

 

[Norman_E]

Are you certain that all the lines have been threaded correctly, and that there are no twists to start with, including being sure that none of the reeefing lines are twisted around the outhaul inside the boom? I note your comment that the stern end of the boom line goes to a stopper knot at the luff reef point. IMHO that line needs to pass through the cringle and come back down to be secured at the boom. If you have a loose footed main the best attachment at the boom is to pass the end of the line though a fixed reefing point loop under the boom, then tie a bowline with a small bight on the end, with the line going up to the cringle passing through the bight on top of the boom. This ensures that the cringle gets pulled down to the boom as centrally as possible. On my boat I do not pass the line though the cringle, but round a small block fitted to the cringle with a leather backing sewn to the sail to prevent chafe. With this method less force is needed to pull the reef in that if you just use stopper knots at the cringles. I use a similar arrangement at the tack reef points.

I did find that single line reefing required a lot of effort, and abandoned it in favour of a twin line system for both reefs.