What knots for reef points

[bbdave]

Hi what knot do I use for either side of the sail to hold the points in?



Dave

 

[Twister_Ken]

A simple overhand knot.

 

[dunedin]

Do you really need reef points? We haven't had any in our last two boats, just using the hook at the front and the reef line at the back. Might have a problem cross Atlantic but none so far in coastal sailing

 

[nigelmercier]

Do you mean to attach to the boom? A bowline with a running noose.

See here: http://www.seldenmast.com/_download.cfm?id=5564&download=6425163&filename=595-542-E.pdf page 19

 

[Gymnopedie]

Reef knots ?

 

[[3889]]

Do you mean to attach to the boom? A bowline with a running noose.

See here: http://www.seldenmast.com/_download.cfm?id=5564&download=6425163&filename=595-542-E.pdf page 19

Never seen (or noticed?) that system on a boat but it makes sense. Will be changing over to it.

 

[VicS]

Hi what knot do I use for either side of the sail to hold the points in?
Dave

If you mean what Twisted Ken and I think ... simple overhand knots

Remeber they are only intended to tidy up the loose sail. They are not reinforced sufficiently to take any significant load

 

[saltylegs]

I never tie the reef points in because when someone lets go the reef pennant you end up with 4 or 5 vertical rips down your main.
plenty of tension on the reef pennant and roll the excess sail into its self or tuck it into the stack pack if fitted.

 

[jerrytug]

I'm just about to put mine in,and it will be fig8 each side of the sail (easier to remove without a knife,less likely to go through the hole), will experiment with bowline to tie round the boom,might be a bit better than reef knot,or quicker or something,but a slipped reefed knot seems the way to go, or unslipped,depending. Cheers Jerry

 

[jerrytug]

I never tie the reef points in because when someone lets go the reef pennant you end up with 4 or 5 vertical rips down your main.
plenty of tension on the reef pennant and roll the excess sail into its self or tuck it into the stack pack if fitted.

Sounds like the voice of bitter experience!

 

[Jamesuk]

Never seen (or noticed?) that system on a boat but it makes sense. Will be changing over to it.

I did my competent crew in 1996 on board a contesa 32' the running bowline is the most common method i saw on board boats since. I would say that to tie the eyelets dotted along the sail i use a reef knot to tie around the boom or the foot of the sail (its been a few years, in mast hydraulic furling for the past 2, just got to be careful with this just incase the next wtch crew shake out the reef and forget to untie these reef knots, easy way to kill e heart of a sail.

 

[saltylegs]

Sounds like the voice of bitter experience!

Sure is

 

[William_H]

I suppose there must be a nautical name for those pieces of rope that live in the sail at the reef points ready to be used to tie up the bunt of the sail. (is that the correct word).
Regarding reefing I think it worth reiterating that a reef is held in place by the attachment of the tack at the goose neck and the clew line near the end of the boom. This must be stretched tight to flatten the sail and down to react against the pull of the main sheet at the back and the halyard at the front.
This leaves an untidy bundle of sail on the boom. This can be ignored scrunched up at the boom into a sail pack or is most often tied back to the boom with pieces of rope (string). It seems traditional to leave the rope in the sail but I think that just untidy and makes wind drag when not being used. I find it just as easy to fish out a bit of rope when needed. The eyelets in the sail make it possible to tie right around and we use a reef knot under the boom. I find on the little boat that it is the front of the sail that tends to billow out when on the wind so is the most important part of the bunt to tie up. I specially asked sail maker to fit an eyelet near the tack as using the actual tack is not easy. Further ties can be fitted back down the boom depending on what annoys you in the way of sail flopping around. Often with one reef I will only fit one tie at the front.
Regarding having the reef line inadvertently let go or once in my case chafe through I found fortunately that the tie around the bunt of the sail held and did not rip the sail but it is a concern. Perhaps use lighter string to tie it up so string fails first.
good luck olewill
PS I see girls wearing a springy plastic horseshoe shape on their head to hold their hair back and I wonder if we could not use something similar to clip around the boom and bunt of sail just to hold it up out of the way. If that orked and you would need larger hoops for 2 reefs etc then we would not have to have the line of eyelets a the reef line. has anyone tried this idea?

 

[prv]

I suppose there must be a nautical name for those pieces of rope that live in the sail at the reef points

I would call the "pieces of rope" themselves the reef points, though I know some people call them "nettles".

Pete

 

[prv]

I never tie the reef points in because when someone lets go the reef pennant you end up with 4 or 5 vertical rips down your main.
plenty of tension on the reef pennant and roll the excess sail into its self or tuck it into the stack pack if fitted.

It probably depends on the sail. They were absolutely vital on Kindred Spirit's gaff mainsail, whereas on Ariam there are no points and I'm not even sure there are any eyelets for them.

Pete

 

[blackdogsailing]

I never tie the reef points in because when someone lets go the reef pennant you end up with 4 or 5 vertical rips down your main.
plenty of tension on the reef pennant and roll the excess sail into its self or tuck it into the stack pack if fitted.

Which is why I always put a safety line through the reefed clew and tie it round the boom. Taught to me by one of the watchleaders on Rothmans who did learn from bitter experience !! Only then do you tie the sail down.

 

[VicS]

I'm just about to put mine in,and it will be fig8 each side of the sail (easier to remove without a knife,less likely to go through the hole), will experiment with bowline to tie round the boom,might be a bit better than reef knot,or quicker or something,but a slipped reefed knot seems the way to go, or unslipped,depending. Cheers Jerry

If you feel a simple overhand knot is not suitable consider a double overhand stopper knot or an Ashley stopper knot (oysterman's knot).

See http://www.animatedknots.com/indexboating.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Don't use a line with knots. In the past I worked on yachts that used elastic line with the plastic clam cleats attached to one end. It was just a simple matter of feeding through the elastic until the clam cleat was against the sail, rolling up the loose sail, wrap round the elastic and pull it taught through the clam cleat. Very straight forward.

I always roll the foot of the sail away after reefing unless I know its just for a short duration. The reefing pendant gets a so called slippery hitch (I don't know the correct name) just below the jammer at the gooseneck end of the boom as a safety measure.

 

[Malabar]

A simple overhand knot.

+1

 

[Poignard]

The traditional way was to use 3-strand rope and unlay it a little on each side so as to form 3 loops; these loops were then stitched to the sail.

The reef points (nettles) were tapered towards the ends. This was supposed to reduce chafe on the sail.

However, I have never done this. I just do an overhand knot each side of the eyelet as someone has illustrated above.

I always use the reef points to minimise windage and also to avoid the chance of the bundled up sail becoming filled with water.