Please post a pic of your goose neck if you have one

[Hermit Scott]

A piece of 1/4" 3 strand Dacron is tied to the end of this in such a way that, if the Dacron should break or be accidentally cast off, the boom can only come down a bit below the lowest position the sail will permit.

That is a great idea. I am always dropping the boom on the bimini. I think I will try putting a knot in the 1/4" line so it will stop and not have too much slack in it so it won't hit the roach when I let it go slack. That will almost be like having a rigid vang.
It will never go too low and never be too slack.

 

[Hermit Scott]

HS—

What does having a bolt-rope footed mainsail have to do with running the outhaul aft to the cockpit. If anything, I'd think that having a bolt-rope footed mainsail would make running the outhaul aft to where you can get some leverage and control on it more important, not less. The outhaul is one of the major controls for mainsail shape and if it isn't run back to the cockpit, how do you adjust it when sailing???

I just don't mess with it while I am sailing. Some people don't.
It seems like if you had a loose footed main that the outhaul would be crucial to be able to adjust it. But when the foot of the sail is in a track, once you put some tension in it, it isn't going to move much more. Maybe after I get better at sail trim I will want to run it back and play with it all the time. But not right now.

 

[Hermit Scott]

1.Did you ever get an answer or picture regarding the gooseneck?
2. Where are you going that you need three or four reef points on the main? That makes for a lot of hardware and lines and complexity that you will probably never use. I have probably used the second reef once in twelve years. If its blowing that hard I am tied up or the main is on the boom.

1. No, I never got a picture of one. But I am still hopeful
2. I don't know where I will be going. And that is the reason I want extra reef points. I do plan to cross the gulf one day to Florida though.

 

[sailingdog]

Did you look at the post on my blog I linked to?? If not, you might want to. I don't have a photo of the gooseneck, as that is not the important part of the setup. The gooseneck generally doesn't change at all when you're leading lines aft... the base of the mast is the important thing... where all the turning blocks need to be mounted.

1. No, I never got a picture of one. But I am still hopeful
2. I don't know where I will be going. And that is the reason I want extra reef points. I do plan to cross the gulf one day to Florida though.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Did you look at the post on my blog I linked to?? If not, you might want to. I don't have a photo of the gooseneck, as that is not the important part of the setup. The gooseneck generally doesn't change at all when you're leading lines aft... the base of the mast is the important thing... where all the turning blocks need to be mounted.

I have seen a few different set ups at the base of the mast. I did look at your site.
What type of blocks are on the gooseneck and how are they moutned for each line? Are they above one another or all beside each other, or a combination? Are they mounted on the mast or mounted on the boom or a combination of the two?
I have looked at a lot of boats at my marina and the other marina I was at. I can see how they led their lines, but they all had covers on the main sails that covered the gooseneck so I couldn't see that part.

 

[sailingdog]

HS—

There are NO BLOCKS MOUNTED AT THE GOOSENECK. The only blocks I have at the gooseneck are the four that were integral to the boom itself. One is the outhaul line, the other three are reefing lines for the three clew reefing cringles. This is why I say that a photo of the gooseneck is less than useful—it is completely stock.

The one change I did make to the boom was to remove the internal block and tackle for the outhaul, which freed up one sheave so that I could run the third reefing line through it instead.

If I were using a single-line reefing system, instead of a double-line reefing system, I would still not have any blocks mounted at the boom's gooseneck, since I could run the lines for the reefing through the blocks the other direction, so that they'd go up to the tack reefing cringles instead of down to the mast-base turning blocks.

If your boom doesn't have internal sheaves, then you'll probably want to mount cheekblocks on the side to allow the reefing lines to come forward along the boom and then to turn them down to the turning blocks at the base of the mast.

I have seen a few different set ups at the base of the mast. I did look at your site.
What type of blocks are on the gooseneck and how are they moutned for each line? Are they above one another or all beside each other, or a combination? Are they mounted on the mast or mounted on the boom or a combination of the two?
I have looked at a lot of boats at my marina and the other marina I was at. I can see how they led their lines, but they all had covers on the main sails that covered the gooseneck so I couldn't see that part.

 

[kloudie1]

Gooseneck Shots

Scott, here is my gooseneck.. Pretty standard for an H-34, two reef lines on opposite sides and an outhaul in the middle. The little cam stoppers on the reef lines stay disengaged since the lines are led aft to a cleat on the cabintop. The bail is a piece of the old mainsheet system which was scrapped in favor of a traveller.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Scott, here is my gooseneck.. Pretty standard for an H-34, two reef lines on opposite sides and an outhaul in the middle. The little cam stoppers on the reef lines stay disengaged since the lines are led aft to a cleat on the cabintop. The bail is a piece of the old mainsheet system which was scrapped in favor of a traveller.

thank you for the pictures. Is the hook on the gooseneck for slab reefing? You have two reef lines. Are they single line for two different reef points? Do you still have one slab reef point?
Most boats seem to have the reef lines inside. I will probably run mine outside for simplicity. I think I need cheek blocks on the outside of the boom close to the mast for the reefing lines.
I am going to go back and review the other threads on double and single line reefing. Now that I think about it I am starting to lean toward single line. But I rember reading the arguments and deciding to go with double line. Now I have to reconvince myself what is best.

 

[kloudie1]

Yeah Ya Rite.. I have two reef points. The hooks are for the tacks of the two reefs. The line only snugs the clew, so I have to go forward to hook the tack. Yes, two slabs of reduction .. each line pulls one down. The other end of the line goes out the aft end of the boom and up to the reef clew and back to the boom where it is tied off. Gives a 2:1 (almost) purchase on the clew. The line out the boom end tensions the sail foot when the clew is snugged down. I have sailed boats with outside of boom reef lines .. works fine but looks messy because the lines are kinda loose. Stuff invariably snags in 'em.. Cheek block on boom will require a pad of wood or plastic since most have flat mounting plates.
Slab/hook and one line is pretty simple.. I have never sailed a boat that had the "single line" style where ya pull one line and the tack and clew are handled simultaneously.. Looks like it will work, but I just haven't worked one; my simple stuff works well enough that I don't have a lot of incentive to convert.. I have used both reefs many times..