Was wondering if anyone knows of some good general guidelines on how and where to add reefing to a main. The instruction manual on my boat says to wrap the main around the boom to reef which is a real pain. I'm guessing I could add four reefing points evenly spaced right below the first batten but that's just a guess.
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J
John V.
Right
You would also need a reef tack and clew cringle for each reef row you add. I recommend a sailmaker do htis unless you want ot learn how and do it yourself. A good book is hte Sailmaker's Apprecntice. However, take a good look at your boom - it might revolve if pulled slightly aft to allow you to roll teh main up on it. Quite easy. jv
You would also need a reef tack and clew cringle for each reef row you add. I recommend a sailmaker do htis unless you want ot learn how and do it yourself. A good book is hte Sailmaker's Apprecntice. However, take a good look at your boom - it might revolve if pulled slightly aft to allow you to roll teh main up on it. Quite easy. jv
B
Barry
Venture 21 reffing
The Venture 21 is a great little boat, with some real potential if you make all the right changes. Back in college, some friends and I picked one up on a lark, and hotrodded it into a mini-screamer. We hit 16kts one night, going dead down with a spinnaker we barrowed off a Flying Scot. What you want for reefing is called Slab, or jiffy reefing. Two sets of reef points should be just fine. You can set yours up for single line reefing from the cockpit. You can find plenty of instructions on how to do this if you look around some. I'd have the first reef set to reduce sail area by about 25% and the second reef another 25%. Use 1/4 inch line, and the appropriate size mini-blocks. You don't need to spend a lot. When you've got your reefing systen set up, you can move your mainsheet tackle up to mid-boom, add a traveler across the cockpit, add a boom vang. etc etc. Sail the boat like a big dinghy and hang on. Barry
The Venture 21 is a great little boat, with some real potential if you make all the right changes. Back in college, some friends and I picked one up on a lark, and hotrodded it into a mini-screamer. We hit 16kts one night, going dead down with a spinnaker we barrowed off a Flying Scot. What you want for reefing is called Slab, or jiffy reefing. Two sets of reef points should be just fine. You can set yours up for single line reefing from the cockpit. You can find plenty of instructions on how to do this if you look around some. I'd have the first reef set to reduce sail area by about 25% and the second reef another 25%. Use 1/4 inch line, and the appropriate size mini-blocks. You don't need to spend a lot. When you've got your reefing systen set up, you can move your mainsheet tackle up to mid-boom, add a traveler across the cockpit, add a boom vang. etc etc. Sail the boat like a big dinghy and hang on. Barry
R
RonD
Two things
Doug There are many factors that determine where to place the reefing point(s) on a mainsail. A bad guess could leave you with excessive lee helm and the need to change the headsails as well. Try to pose your question to some experts: 1. Your boat manufacturer, and/or 2. A few reputable sailmakers in your area (preferably who know about your boat type) See what they recommend, and how their pricing works out to accomplish it. Don't be afraid to go around and use info from one to ask questions of another before settling in on a course of action.
Doug There are many factors that determine where to place the reefing point(s) on a mainsail. A bad guess could leave you with excessive lee helm and the need to change the headsails as well. Try to pose your question to some experts: 1. Your boat manufacturer, and/or 2. A few reputable sailmakers in your area (preferably who know about your boat type) See what they recommend, and how their pricing works out to accomplish it. Don't be afraid to go around and use info from one to ask questions of another before settling in on a course of action.
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Bob
Reefer madness
Just did the Trans-Tahoe in a Mac 21 (just about the same boat) in 15 - 20 winds with gusts to 32. Under more sane circumstances we would have reefed, but we ran the full main and a 150 up front. What a day. I had a sailmaker add reef points 18" up on my old boat, and it worked beautifully - transformed the boat on high wind days. The main thing to remember is that when reefed the load should be carried by the cringles at the tack and clew, not the tie downs in the middle of the sail. In fact, some places who rent boats make you pay for the damage if you use the tie downs - they are not made for taking any strain, just for gathering the sail. Many sails don't even have them. You'll probably not ever have your boat out in conditions that would justify a second reef.
Just did the Trans-Tahoe in a Mac 21 (just about the same boat) in 15 - 20 winds with gusts to 32. Under more sane circumstances we would have reefed, but we ran the full main and a 150 up front. What a day. I had a sailmaker add reef points 18" up on my old boat, and it worked beautifully - transformed the boat on high wind days. The main thing to remember is that when reefed the load should be carried by the cringles at the tack and clew, not the tie downs in the middle of the sail. In fact, some places who rent boats make you pay for the damage if you use the tie downs - they are not made for taking any strain, just for gathering the sail. Many sails don't even have them. You'll probably not ever have your boat out in conditions that would justify a second reef.
B
Bob
Hey Barry....I have a ? for you...
You hit 16 knots??? I have a V21 and can't come close to that...but would like to very much. I think my rig is set up well but as I'm a novice, could you tell me... 1) what were the sailing conditions, i.e. weather, when you did 16 Knots? 2) do you crank you keel up when running? 3) other alterations to boat besides what you listed? Thanks.
You hit 16 knots??? I have a V21 and can't come close to that...but would like to very much. I think my rig is set up well but as I'm a novice, could you tell me... 1) what were the sailing conditions, i.e. weather, when you did 16 Knots? 2) do you crank you keel up when running? 3) other alterations to boat besides what you listed? Thanks.
B
Barry
Venture 21 speed freaks
Ok all you speed freaks, here's how it happened. There were four of us involved, and we were all in college at the time; As kids we had grown up with a variety of high performance dinghys, Lasers, Fireballs, I-14's, even a Dutchman or two. We all new what it would take to get a Venture 21 to go fast. (Actually it might have been a Macgregor-21,It had a masthead rig, with the jib going all the way to the top.) First we beefed up the rig. Better chainplates, thru-bolted with good backing plates, and we reinforced the glass where they mounted.We made up new shrouds, and stays, from the next wire size up. We added a split adjustable backstay, and then discovered that we could bend the boat when we pulled it tight. So, we expoxied in some additional stringers inside the length of the hull, also under the fordeck.(It oilcanned a lot when we stepped on it. We raked the mast back a bit, and torqued in some prebend. We completely replaced the rudder, gudgeons, pintles, everthing, with the rudder from a Flying Dutchman. It was lighter, and more aerodynamic. (It turned out to be a bit too small) We sanded and faired the swing keel and gave it a coat of teflon paint. We added a vang, a cummingham, outhaul, etc. All of the things we were used to. A regular Hummingbird fishfinder/speedometer was mounted on the transom like it was a fishing boat. (it was cheap.) On the day in question, we were out messing around when we discovered that we were at the wrong end of the lake with some thunderstorms on the horizon. We came around, popped the chute for a dead run back to the launch ramp. The storm caught up to us first. When the gust hit, the boat pulled up onto plane. We had been going about 5-6kts, but when we got up on the bow wave, we rapidly accelerated to 9-10. Our apparent wind went forward, and we had to radically steer down to prevent a knockdown. When we steered down we pushed over the bow wave and surfed down hitting 15-16 kts for about 5 or 6 seconds before we slowed down when moving up the next wave. All four of us had moved back into the rear of the cockpit to help keep the rudder down. This went on in phases for about 5 or 6 minutes before we lost contol. We took a knockdown, we got the boat back up and took another knockdown. We got it up again, but when we overcontrolled (trying to prevent another knockdown) and took a pole down broach. We broke the mast ring where the pole attaches, and had to drop the chute. We came in under a reefed main. I estimate that the wind was around 30kts with gusts to 35-40 kts. In my opinion, we would have blown the rig if we had not modified it somewhat. I don't remember if the keel was up or down. I do remember that the backstay was on hard, and that the Chute was tweeked down hard on both the sheet and the guy. We had hoped to take the boat somewhere and race PHRF, we thought that we could beat the 253 rating. But, the sails were just too blown out for close tacking, and we weren't going to throw any more money at it. We ended up selling the boat later that summer, we all needed the money for college. I've always wondered whether or not we could have made it really go with just a little more work. (And some new tape drive kevlar sails) Barry
Ok all you speed freaks, here's how it happened. There were four of us involved, and we were all in college at the time; As kids we had grown up with a variety of high performance dinghys, Lasers, Fireballs, I-14's, even a Dutchman or two. We all new what it would take to get a Venture 21 to go fast. (Actually it might have been a Macgregor-21,It had a masthead rig, with the jib going all the way to the top.) First we beefed up the rig. Better chainplates, thru-bolted with good backing plates, and we reinforced the glass where they mounted.We made up new shrouds, and stays, from the next wire size up. We added a split adjustable backstay, and then discovered that we could bend the boat when we pulled it tight. So, we expoxied in some additional stringers inside the length of the hull, also under the fordeck.(It oilcanned a lot when we stepped on it. We raked the mast back a bit, and torqued in some prebend. We completely replaced the rudder, gudgeons, pintles, everthing, with the rudder from a Flying Dutchman. It was lighter, and more aerodynamic. (It turned out to be a bit too small) We sanded and faired the swing keel and gave it a coat of teflon paint. We added a vang, a cummingham, outhaul, etc. All of the things we were used to. A regular Hummingbird fishfinder/speedometer was mounted on the transom like it was a fishing boat. (it was cheap.) On the day in question, we were out messing around when we discovered that we were at the wrong end of the lake with some thunderstorms on the horizon. We came around, popped the chute for a dead run back to the launch ramp. The storm caught up to us first. When the gust hit, the boat pulled up onto plane. We had been going about 5-6kts, but when we got up on the bow wave, we rapidly accelerated to 9-10. Our apparent wind went forward, and we had to radically steer down to prevent a knockdown. When we steered down we pushed over the bow wave and surfed down hitting 15-16 kts for about 5 or 6 seconds before we slowed down when moving up the next wave. All four of us had moved back into the rear of the cockpit to help keep the rudder down. This went on in phases for about 5 or 6 minutes before we lost contol. We took a knockdown, we got the boat back up and took another knockdown. We got it up again, but when we overcontrolled (trying to prevent another knockdown) and took a pole down broach. We broke the mast ring where the pole attaches, and had to drop the chute. We came in under a reefed main. I estimate that the wind was around 30kts with gusts to 35-40 kts. In my opinion, we would have blown the rig if we had not modified it somewhat. I don't remember if the keel was up or down. I do remember that the backstay was on hard, and that the Chute was tweeked down hard on both the sheet and the guy. We had hoped to take the boat somewhere and race PHRF, we thought that we could beat the 253 rating. But, the sails were just too blown out for close tacking, and we weren't going to throw any more money at it. We ended up selling the boat later that summer, we all needed the money for college. I've always wondered whether or not we could have made it really go with just a little more work. (And some new tape drive kevlar sails) Barry
B
Bruce
Potential
Les Bartlet had his PHRF adjusted down to the 190's and won nationals (maybe when it was a one-design class?)with his V21 fractional rig. Not sure if the article will load for you, but you can reference his modifications in the V21 "article" in the link below. I have also heard of planing speeds pushing close to 18-19 knots, and with a tender heel to begin with, helming was probably about like riding a wheelie on a bike. I would assume the keel would need to be down for some semblance of control when approaching planing conditions. Otherwise, better boat speed with it up. Some prefer to keep it pinned down and have a detachable cable attachment. Two knockdowns and a broach! What a day!
Les Bartlet had his PHRF adjusted down to the 190's and won nationals (maybe when it was a one-design class?)with his V21 fractional rig. Not sure if the article will load for you, but you can reference his modifications in the V21 "article" in the link below. I have also heard of planing speeds pushing close to 18-19 knots, and with a tender heel to begin with, helming was probably about like riding a wheelie on a bike. I would assume the keel would need to be down for some semblance of control when approaching planing conditions. Otherwise, better boat speed with it up. Some prefer to keep it pinned down and have a detachable cable attachment. Two knockdowns and a broach! What a day!
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