How to re-rig a 285?

[Rene Schmidt]

I need to replace my mainsail on my Hunter 285, and thought that while I am doing this I would re-rig the boat so that I can reef the mainsail from the cockpit.Is this possible? I can imagine re-rigging the outhaul to the cockpit, but how do you rig the rest? For example, my current sail has two reef "grommets" (not sure what the proper term is!) that attach to a "hook" on the boom. How would you hand this? Is there anything else I need to be concerned about?Thanx in advance!Rene Schmidt"Mai Tai"

 

[Steve Dion]

Rene, check Harken.

Rene:Check out the Harken web site. They have several diagrams on how to do this. It is not necessary to purchase their equipment but it will give you some ideas on how the rigging is done. You may need to add a winch too. Garhauer makes excellent equipment at reasonable prices so this can be one of the options when you start purchasing the hardware.

 

[Eric Lorgus]

I prefer to reef from the mast

Rene,I have two boats, one of which is a 1987 28.5, with conventional rigging -- the mainsail has two reefing points, and reefing is done at the mast. My other boat has a boom furler, which is controlled from the cockpit. With a boom furler, the mainsail can be raised or lowered to any height, so reefing is easy and infinite.Having said that, I think I still prefer the conventional rig, because of its simplicity. The boom furler is more complicated, and the boom must be at exactly the right angle or the furl won't wrap properly.Just something for you to consider. "Convenience" isn't always better.Eric Lorguss/v Explorer 87H285