Hunter Legend Mainsail Reefing

[Ringydingydo]

I'm buying a Legend 37. Reefing is not setup. The main has one reef point.
How is your Legend 37 set up?
Do you have the single line reefing like shown in Selden 'old boom' rigging guide?
Or do you have separate lines?

595-542-E.pdf (seldenmast.com)
42311 595-081-E.indd (seldenmast.com)

 

[walmsleyc]

The boat your looking at has Isomat spars. Isomat has diagrams to a similar "single line" internal car based system (uses a "boom shuttle block" ... see below). My boat is a 35.

The Isomat boom can be set up with the car (like the seldon), or with a single line all the way through (no car). The internal car based system has much lower friction that a signle line variant but it make your boom insides very busy.

After some experimentation I determined that a single line system had too much friction (not pictured), and I ended up with reefing lines that only draw down the clews, and use reefing horns at the goosneck. Yes, it requires going forward out of the cockpit, but it's still pretty quick to reef and has minimal friction.

Chris

 

[Ringydingydo]

The boat your looking at has Isomat spars. Isomat has diagrams to a similar "single line" internal car based system (uses a "boom shuttle block" ... see below). My boat is a 35.

The Isomat boom can be set up with the car (like the seldon), or with a single line all the way through (no car). The internal car based system has much lower friction that a signle line variant but it make your boom insides very busy.

After some experimentation I determined that a single line system had too much friction (not pictured), and I ended up with reefing lines that only draw down the clews, and use reefing horns at the goosneck. Yes, it requires going forward out of the cockpit, but it's still pretty quick to reef and has minimal friction.

Chris

Thanks. I’ve seen diagrams like the one you showed. And the mast on the Hunter legend has that fairlead but not the sheave below it. I’ll have to inspect the boom more to see if there is something in it.
my Ranger 33 has all reefing at the mast and has horns for hooking the cringle on.

 

[walmsleyc]

My boat didn't come with any reefing rigged, and given my boom ends were rivited, it likely never had the internal shuttles and didnt have the blocks on the mast (just the fairleads). I have some confidence that having two shuttle blocks in the boom would have over crowded the inside with my outhaul purchase system.

 

[Ringydingydo]

Thanks Walmsleyc.
Since you now use reefing horns at the gooseneck (I do to on my Ranger 33), how do you handle the main halyard? The Hunter is led aft. So do you release the halyard in the cockpit, then go forward and do the mast work, then return to cockpit and snug up the halyard?

On my Ranger with San Francisco Bay winds, when I release the halyard and hook the cringle on the hook, I have to tension the main halyard at the same time, else the sail comes off the horn.

 

[DYFLWD]

I have a 1993 Legend 35.5 and the previous owner pulled reefing lines straight through bypassing internal blocks. Both the ends of the mast are screwed in so I do have access but wonder how I get to the blocks in the middle of the boom. Than I wonder if its worth it. Does the system work or does it bind too much?

 

[jssailem]

I'm buying a Legend 37.

You said in your bio that the boat is a 1989. If this is true, Selden indicates that the reefing setup is as follows.

 

[Rich 35.5]

I have a 1993 Legend 35.5 and the previous owner pulled reefing lines straight through bypassing internal blocks. Both the ends of the mast are screwed in so I do have access but wonder how I get to the blocks in the middle of the boom. Than I wonder if its worth it. Does the system work or does it bind too much?

I have a 94 35.5, it was missing the first reef line when I got it. I was lucky enough to find the shuttle car at the back of the boom, inside, just lying there... We were able to use a fish tape to run the lines thru, the only tricky part was getting the fish tape around the correct pulley at the front of the boom. Took a few tries, but we got it. First we fished the forward reef line thru to the back of the boom, and attached the shuttle car, then fished it back to the front over the correct pulley. Then threaded the aft reef line thru the shuttle, and pulled it back into the boom with the forward reef line. All together it was probably close to two hours of fiddling, we work slow..... We didn't even take off the end caps, and it seems to work very well.

 

[DYFLWD]

I have a 94 35.5, it was missing the first reef line when I got it. I was lucky enough to find the shuttle car at the back of the boom, inside, just lying there... We were able to use a fish tape to run the lines thru, the only tricky part was getting the fish tape around the correct pulley at the front of the boom. Took a few tries, but we got it. First we fished the forward reef line thru to the back of the boom, and attached the shuttle car, then fished it back to the front over the correct pulley. Then threaded the aft reef line thru the shuttle, and pulled it back into the boom with the forward reef line. All together it was probably close to two hours of fiddling, we work slow..... We didn't even take off the end caps, and it seems to work very well.

Thanks for the info. My boom is off now and I removed both end caps since they were screwed in (allen). I saw one shuttle block and I hope the other is in the boom somewhere. I thought the blocks were mounted in the boom but thanks to this forum I see they see they just attach to the sheets. I'll check for the other shuttle block next trip to the marina. The reefing block at the bottom of mast that I believe attaches to the vang block assembly is missing so gotta sort that out also.

 

[Ringydingydo]

The boat your looking at has Isomat spars. Isomat has diagrams to a similar "single line" internal car based system (uses a "boom shuttle block" ... see below). My boat is a 35.

The Isomat boom can be set up with the car (like the seldon), or with a single line all the way through (no car). The internal car based system has much lower friction that a signle line variant but it make your boom insides very busy.

After some experimentation I determined that a single line system had too much friction (not pictured), and I ended up with reefing lines that only draw down the clews, and use reefing horns at the goosneck. Yes, it requires going forward out of the cockpit, but it's still pretty quick to reef and has minimal friction.

Chris

Your post was spot on. When I opened the boom end, I found one of the cars just laying inside. Unfortunately, the shuttle has been squeezed and one sheeve is too tight to turn.

 

[Ringydingydo]

At the moment, reefing is a 2 person job. Since there are no horns at the gooseneck, I'm using a line from the base of the mast (lets call it reefing downhaul) with a hook on it it. To reef, Player 1, in the cockpit, eases the halyard and keeps the main from dropping. Player 2 runs forward and attaches the line to the cringle on the main reef point. Player 1 tensions the main halyard. Player 1 in the cockpit takes in the reefing line.

You can do it with only one crew. I marked the main halyard at the point to ease it, so that ithe clutch can be closed to prevent the main from dropping while that same person jogs forward to attach the reefing downhaul. Then tension it once back in the cockpit.

Needed Improvement: Run the mainsail reefing down haul line to the cockpit. This would allow reefing by 1 player and no one leaves the cockpit. The down haul could stay attached to the mainsail cringle. Problem is I'm out of line clutches in the cockpit for now.

 

[Ringydingydo]

With several of us writing that our Legends were missing the reefing rigging and then when we open/looked in the boom we found the shuttle, I have to wonder if some time in the past, the previous owner decided to replace the aging reefing line. And when they pulled it out, they couldn't figure out how to replace it...

My previous owner said that they never reefed. That they just dropped the main and motored.

With a mainsail this hugeumous, I'd like 3 reef points - got one!

 

[Marmalade]

@Ringydingydo - maybe you're right that previous owners didn't know how to re-rig the single-line reef... but for me, I prefer slab-reefing. Bull-horns at the goose neck and a dedicated outhaul/reef for each leach cringle.

On my Legend 37 the threads on the bottom of the toggle fatigued, so when I went to replace it, I realized the same isolated boom/goose-neck was used on a Catalina 42 with slab reefing and Isomat made a special toggle for that. I was able to order one (just the toggle w/ horns) last year... but I think they are discontinued now from that source.

YMMV and to each their own.