Reefing a DaySailer

TerrM

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Oct 16, 2017
2
O'Day DaySailer Whidbey Island
I bought a 1976 DaySailer (built in '75). From the number of aftermarket hardware attachments, it has clearly been modified from the original setup. One day this summer, I launched into light breezes. The wind soon became extreme and drove everyone into the boat launch creating an offshore backlog of boats waiting to pull out. I needed to reef the mainsail, but had a problem. The boom on my DaySailer is suspended from the foot of the mainsail. If I lower the mainsail, the boom drops into the cockpit. The boat's previous owner said reefing the mainsail was done by (1) partially lowering the mainsail, (2) loosening tension on the boom's outhaul (which results in it becoming detached from the mast), (3) rolling the sail around the boom, (4) re-attaching the boom, (5) re-tensioning the outhaul, and (6) re-hoisting the sail. The boom attaches to the mast with a male pin that inserts into a female attachment to the mast. In an emergency, this procedure is impossible. (I ended up having to beach the boat.) Is this normal for a DaySailer? I'm leery of going out on saltwater again, if it is. I would appreciate your insights. Thanks.
 

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
I think that's normal. I recall something similar in the late 70's on a Rhodes 19.
 
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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
There are a number of different reefing systems available. If you don't like what you have now, you might want to shop around for something that you like better.
 
Mar 20, 2004
1,729
Hunter 356 and 216 Portland, ME
The standard DS reefing system has a pin with square and round sections; you remove the mid boom block so the sheet is at boom end only, ease the halyard while pulling back on the boom enough to move onto the round section of the pin, and rotate the boom to roll the sail. you don't release the outhaul and you only slack the halyard as you roll. It normally works fairly well-I've reefed single handed in pretty heavy wind.
 

TerrM

.
Oct 16, 2017
2
O'Day DaySailer Whidbey Island
The standard DS reefing system has a pin with square and round sections; you remove the mid boom block so the sheet is at boom end only, ease the halyard while pulling back on the boom enough to move onto the round section of the pin, and rotate the boom to roll the sail. you don't release the outhaul and you only slack the halyard as you roll. It normally works fairly well-I've reefed single handed in pretty heavy wind.
I'll inspect my equipment to see if it's the same. If so, that would be huge. Thanks.
 
Jun 2, 2004
1,923
Oday Day Sailer Wareham, MA
Most if not all model years until 1985 of the Day Sailer had a roller-reefing setup built into the boom gooseneck, as mentioned above you pull the boom aft (while attached to the mast) this disengages the square part of the gooseneck from the recess in the forward end of the boom and you can rotate the boom to roll part of the sail around it (I forgot to mention the need to disconnect the mainsheet from the mid-boom attachment point) ease the halyard and roll up the sail to the lowest batten or less. Release the boom and it SHOULD slide back over that square part of the gooseneck preventing it from unrolling. Then reattach the mainsheet using the optional reefing claw as the sail is now covering the mid-boom attachment point. Retighten the halyard and you are reefed. My experience is that it might work that well, but more often than not the boltrope on the luff of the sail causes the sail to roll up more along the luff than the leech resulting in the boom sagging more aft, and frequently the boltrope also prevents the gooseneck from relocking so the sail often starts to unroll after a while. Biggest problem is that with the mainsail roller-reefed, you can not longer use a boom vang (Just when you REALLY need one to flatten the sail!). I tried using the standard roller-reefing setup for the first couple of years that I had my boat, then had a local sailmaker add reefpoints to my sail allowing me to reef the sail with a so-called "jiffy-reefing" or slab-reefing setup, the DS III and Cape Cod Shipbuilding-built DS IV have this setup as standard. WOW, what a difference! The sail sets much better while reefed this way, I don't have to mess with the mainsheet attachment (sold my reefing claw to help offset the cost of the reefpoints) and I can still use my boom-vang while reefed. My advice would be to add reef-points to the sail (cost is under $100 total) and forget about the roller-reefing. We did the same upgrade on our old CAL 21, and never regretted it. Properly set up, roller-reefing can work, but it is at best a make-do set up (despite the sales pitch made by so many boat-builders in the late 1960's and early 1970's about it being the best thing since sliced bread!) Roller-reefing results in a sail that can not be flattened to depower it and reduce heeling forces in strong winds, slab-reefing results in a much better sail set.

One of the features that attracted me to the DS II was the standard roller-reefing (especially when I discovered that the original owner must have purchased the optional reefing claw needed!), but I never got the reefing to work right due to the problems caused by the boltrope.

However, for reference, here is the section of the DS II owners Manual describing how to reef.

Roller Reefing: A “Roller Reefing Claw” is necessary. (See Dealer)

Your Mainsail can be easily reefed, as the boat is equipped with a spring-loaded gooseneck. First, remove the block in the middle of the boom (detach the Boom-Vang pendant from the boom, if so equipped). Second, release the main halyard, but keep it under tension. Third, pull the boom back from the mast so that you can turn it. Fourth, roll the boom either way as you or your crew lets off slowly on the halyard. The sail will roll on the boom. Fifth, when you have rolled about 5-6 times, you will have reduced your sail area by 1/3. Experience will teach you how much to reef under various conditions. Sixth, lock your boom back in place by letting the boom go forward and tighten up the halyard. When reefed, the boom block for the mainsheet is attached to the roller-reefing claw. To shake out the reef, just reverse procedure.

And a picture of the reefing claw, might be possible to make one as they are pretty rare these days and not cheap.
 

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Jun 2, 2004
1,923
Oday Day Sailer Wareham, MA
Oh here is what I have now: JIFFY-REEFING SETUP ON “SUNBIRD”

1979 O’DAY DAY SAILER II (As added by owner (Rod Johnson)
A have added a “Block-Action Outhaul” similar to the O’DAY option and use the shackle that attaches the outhaul to the clew of the sail as the starting point of my reef-line.
The reefing line (3/16” Dacron Double-Braid) needs to be dead-ended on the boom, aft of the sail clew, either using an eye strap on the starboard side of the boom or underside of the boom (unless rigging as I did). Line then runs up through the reef cringle in the leech of the sail, then down to a cheek block on the port-side of the boom (aft of the sail clew when reefed), then forward along that side of the boom (I placed 3 eye straps along the side of the boom to run the line through to keep it from hanging loose) to another cheek block near the gooseneck end of the boom, then up through the reef cringle in the luff of the sail, and down to a cleat on the starboard-side of the boom near the gooseneck. I use a cam cleat, but a horned cleat could be used instead.


To Reef:First, release the main halyard until the reefing tack cringle, has reached the boom. Second, pull reefing line to bring the clew cringle down to the boom and to also pull it aft to tension the foot of the reefed sail. Once the reefing line is tight enough, secure to cleat forward on starboard side of boom. Fourth, tighten halyard. Fifth, wrap the 3 short lines that run through the reef points around boom and tie off (use a “reef-knot” or slip-square-knot to allow easy and quick release when shaking out the reef, aka: un-reefing the sail). These lines are 3/16" braid, 2' in length and are run through the reef points (small. holes in sails) tie a knot in the middle of each line on each side of the holes, let them hang down until ready for reefing. I keep these reef point lines rigged all the time.


There are other ways to set up this style of reefing, larger boats sometimes use a reefing hook attached to the gooseneck to secure the tack cringle, and rig a reefing line only for the clew cringle. That was how we rigged our old CAL 21.
 

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