Single-line reefing.

[bilbobaggins]

Now that I've bolted and epoxied some spare winches and jammers onto my friend's coachroof, thoughts turn to leading the various lines from the mastfoot back to the coachroof-mounted new deck hardware. The objective is to avoid trips to the mast, and effect mainsail handling/hoisting/reefing from the cockpit.

The halyards are self-evident. So also is the topping lift. However, I'm not quite so sure about detailed future arrangements for the 3 reefing lines. At present, the 3 reef-clew lines are arranged conventionally, with each tail passing into / forward along the boom, then exiting underneath past a bank of lever-jammers fitted into the fwd end of the boom. There are conventional horns each side of the gooseneck, to take the reef-tack eyes/'spectacles'. There's a small reefing winch fitted low on the after face of the mast.

We now want to change to 'single-line reefing', so we'll need to arrange that each tail now exits the mast *upwards* near the gooseneck, passes through a reef-tack eye, than back down to the mast base. Then, by various turning blocks/deck organisers, back aft to the jammers on the coachroof....

So, I'm puzzling how best - and what with - to turn the reef-clew-line tails *upwards*. Any experienced suggestions.....?

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Viking]

Im trying this system, (found in one of the yachting mags) this season. So far it works well. But you must lift the boom, high on the topping lift to make sure the reefing line on the 'mains' back edge is pulled down first. Has you naturally pull the reefing line from the mast first you can over tiden the leading edge.
I can now reef single handed without leaving the cockpit.

 

[keithandpam]

Sorry, Bilbo, you can't exit *upwards*. Try going down, lock the jammers through a block on the deck, back through a block on the luff, then down to a block on the deck and back to the cockpit. It works okay for us. We've been single reefers for three years now, from the cold Bristol channel to the warm sea of Northern Africa, it has been proven.

 

[stephenlloyd]

What type of boom are you converting from? Some can be modified for the upward exit, but a lot require a new forward boom end.
Otherwise some 'butchering' of forward boom exits may be the answer, depending on how much material you have to work with that is. Z-spars have some handy pdf's you can download, don't have the link to hand right now but i'm sure google can help you with that...

 

[William_H]

I reckon single line reefing is crazy. 2 line reefing is far better.
Yes that will mean 6 lines fed back to the cockpit. You will probably find that in practice 1 or 2 reefs roped up are adequate. I do.
This means that clew reef line runs from the end of the boom inside to an exit under the boom then down to the deck and back.
The reef line for the tack (don't rely on horns) can be on the mast. This way the pull on the tack is both down and forward as it should be.
It runs from a saddle on one side of the mast below the gooseneck and well forward on the mast up to the tack eyelet then down the other side to a saddle or pulley to turn it down to the deck.
It is great if you can apply a reefing line to a winch. I find I don't even need the topping lift if I use a winch and do it bit by bit.
I think if you have 2 reefs you can re route the first reef lines to a third reef once the second is in. It does mean reaching up to the 3rd reef clew eyelet to thread rope through but with 2 reefs in this is not so difficult.

Much depends on your sailing style. I always know what the weather is going to do because my voyages are short. good luck olewill

 

[Malcb]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry, Bilbo, you can't exit *upwards*.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, you can but it depends on the boom.

My single line reefing runs like this. Reefing point on the boom - up to block on the sail - down and back to existing pulley at aft of boom - through boom to existing pulley at mast end of boom turning upwards - through hole drilled in boom - up to block on sail - down throug bulls eye on mast then through deck blocks and organiser to jamming cleats on the coachroof near the cockpit.

There had to room to drill the hole in the top of the fitting at the mast end of the boom.

 

[philip_stevens]

Seldén Masts show a version of single line reefing .

Deep newer Selden/Kemp booms can accommodate the blocks inside the boom on a track. The older shallower booms can have the blocks inside the boom, but they can tend to twist and jam at times.

I had this in one of my previous boats with an older boom. It did work, but you had to ensure the blocks didn't twist or fall over. It is still on that boat and she has been a charter boat of over 10 years.

 

[FullCircle]

I converted our Jeanneau to aft led reefing and added a third reef.
The system works well, but is a lot of work due to friction, particularly 3rd reef.
On my 35ft, the 3rd reefing line is 36m long.
I have 1st and 3rd reefs to Stbd coachroof, and 2nd reef to Port.

From the rear:

Through clutch, forward to
Deck organiser, turns through about 35 degrees to

Turning block on base of mast (there is a casting fitting for 4 either side of mast).

Line then goes up through a hole guide on the gooseneck (only 2 of them sadly) then up to
(1st and 2nd reef only) A cheek block sewn into the sail luf area, with a covering flap of material. This returns the line down the same side of the mast as it went up.

3rd reef has a guiding eye rivetted to the mast in the gooseneck area, then up through the eye on the sail and back down the other side of the sail.

Each of the lines then feeds into the forward end of the boom sheaves to

The aft of the boom sheaves, which then are fed up to the matching cheek blocks (1st and 2nd only), and back down to the boom.

Ther are sliding eyes in the track to the underside of the boom. These correspond to the reefed down location of the cheek blocks on the leech of the sail.

Line is looped through the rivetted eye and passed back into a bowline around the boom ( I have a loose footed main).

3rd Reef is again an eye in the leech of the sail.

There is a lot of cordage in the system, and it must be shaken out before attempting to raise the main. I always leave the reefing lines with their full slack when dropping the main, rather than dragging it all back to the cockpit every time, as it makes very hard work of getting the main up.

I can put the first 2 reefs in 'on the fly', and shake them out and raise the main, just by letting the mainsheet go slack.

3rd one requires you to head up to wind a bit. But its blowing hard then, so no reall surprise, I guess.

We usually dont touch the topping lift - it has about a foot of slack after we raise the main, and that is enough to prevent too much droop of the boom. By controlling the main halyard, you can keep the luff cheek blocks level with the leech blocks.

I susupect there is a fair bit of aerodynamic drag and disturbance of laminar flow with this system, but we leave them in anyway.

Madam FC likes this arrangement, and will like it better still when we have full batten slider cars on our new main.