TAB behind-the-mast roller reefing

[misterg]

The boat we have just bought (a Newbridge Venturer) is fitted with the above.

Can anyone tell me how the out-haul is rigged? As the PO left things, it runs from the deck through a block at the goose neck, inside the boom and out over a sheave at the end of the boom, to a plain rope-end (currently secured with tie-wraps). On the top of the boom is a "car" on a track that runs about half the length of the boom. The car has an eye on top, and sheaves on it which look like they should have lines around them to haul it in and out along the boom, but there's no evidence as to where these would run (maybe because it is an adapted genoa sheet car, or something?). Since the track stops half way along the boom, you couldn't shackle the clew to the eye on it, or you wouldn't be able to furl the sail. Also, I would expect a shackle, etc. at the end of the out-haul if this was the case.

Any ideas?

I haven't had the mast up, yet, perhaps it would make sense if I had. Am compiling a list of questions for PO but would welcome any advice you may have to offer. (PO doesn't inspire confidence - bought a jet-ski instead of this boat, was called all-sorts by the boat-yard foreman when I collected the boat, and carried out a gas installation that could have been made into a safety video)

Does anyone have any information on this system? (The jury is out as to whether it is a Good Thing, or not - I am aware of the arguments pro and con, but finances dictate we will have to live with it for now).

Sorry about the long post.

Andy

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[sailorman]

best thing to do is
totally remove the contrivance.
buy a conventional main & sail faster
only mho

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[Evadne]

We bought our house from "Mr Bodgit", I never knew he was a boat owner as well. Google didn't find anything except boats for sale, but<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.easternyachts.com/psyche/sails.htm> some </A>have photgraphs that might be useful. Personally, I'd have it off, but I don't believe in roller reefing of any sort, and you may feel differently after using it for a season.

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[Capt_Marlinspike]

Andy
This sounds quite similar to the set up on my Easyreef system. On mine the end of the outhaul is shackled to the eye on the car on the boom track. From there it goes around a sheaf in the clew of the sail and the back through a block shackled to the boom car. From there on back to the turning block on the end of the boom.
Hope that helps.

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[Talbot]

A lot of people complain about the performance of behind mast reefing , andd there are disadvantages, but there are also some considerable advantages, and you would be better to try it before even considering a replacement.
The disadvantages:
Performance may not be as good as a normal mainsail - Yes you do lose an area of sail, however using full vertical batterns and a shaped roach will go a long way to making this up. Light wind performance should be better than a conventional main because you can get a better shape (certainly mine is)
They can get jammed - can happen if you do not get the boom at the right angle (90 degrees), and I sometimes get a jam when winding in. Best answer for this is to have the control lines sited so that you can tail them to a winch, this will resolve most jams, and also allow much better control when trimming the mainsail shape.
Extra weight up the mast - cant argue with that, but not much diferent from installing a 24" radar scanner on the mast.
Lighter sail material thus needing reefing earlier (however most of us put off reefing when needed normally because it is a bit of an effort).

The advantages
Easy reefing, and stowing
no more need to go to the mast to reef
ideal for singlehanded sailing
easy sail trimming
raising sail is a doddle!

I have an easyreef with a maxiroach sail and am happy with them. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif


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[BlueSkyNick]

I agree with all you have written Talbot.

Apart from the occasional jam, which is not a problem to resolve, we are very happy with our system. What's more, we have out-performed identical boats, and others similar and bigger, with our MaxiRoach mainsail.

<hr width=100% size=1>I'm average size, Its just that everybody else is short.

 

[bob_tyler]

Is the TAB system still made? If so by whom please?

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[misterg]

Thanks for the replies so far - Replacing it isn't an option at the moment, however my immediate reaction is that I would look at that if/when replacing the mainsail - I keep an open mind until I've lived with it.

Regards the route for the outhaul - If I understand the description correctly, there should be a block on the clew of the sail. Outhaul runs from the eye on the car, through the block and back through the car somehow - correct? (and on to the sheave in the end of the boom.)

When sailing, I assume that this block is pulled down hard against the car - yes?

The only way I can see of it travelling through the car is to make an "S" shape around the two sheaves that there are on the car - doesn't seem to achieve much ?!? (the sheaves have vertical axles, and are one each end of the car, on the centre line of the track. - I'll try and post a picture somewhere.

It is my understanding that this particular company (TAB sails ?) went under some years ago.

Lazy jacks or boom reefing would appear more attractive if starting from scratch.



Andy

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