I am in the process of purchasing a 235 with a jiffy (single-line) reeting system for two reef points. There will not be much incentive for the prior owner to travel 6 hours to teach me the nuances of the system once warm weather hits. Could someone with a similar system point me to a diagram or web site? Also, I am concerned that the boat really only has the main hatch and the forward hatch as its ventilation. I am considering some low profile dorade type vents and/or solar vents as an enhancement. Which would be better and were would the recommended places for these be? I do not have much opportunity to monitor this post, so an e-mail would be preferred. Thanks for any help.
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Brian Pickton
Jiffy reefing & Ventilation
Dec. 7, 2000 "A day that will live in infamy..." Dear Dave, As your post does not include an e-mail address we'll have to do this the old fashioned way. By the way, I would post the response here in any event for the benfit of other readers who might have a similar question. On jiffy reefing: 1) Put the boat into the wind to ease the pressure on the sails. 2) Attach the topping lift to the boom end to prevent the boom from dropping on deck and then ease the mainsail halyard. 3) If equipped with them, put the sail's tack on the pig tail fitting. 4) Take up the jiffy reefing line to help haul in the sail and tension the sail in the reefed position, and belay. 5) Tension (take up) the out haul and belay. 6) Tension (take up ) the halyard and belay. 7) Tie in reef points (this is just house keeping and can happen at your leisure). 8) Cast off the topping lift. 9) Resume course. Now you know why they call it jiffy reefing. Just imagine doing it the hardway! There is nothing particularly subtle about this process. The only nuances involved are in tensioning the halyard and outhaul to get good sail shape when reefed. You might find yourself adjusting the boomvang as well, and don't forget to cast off the topping lift. Off course adjusting sail shape is a "see and do" process, so there is not much I can tell you here, but you might want to consult any of the excellent learn to sail books now available on jjiffy reefing in particular. On ventilation the ends of the boat are going to be your areas of concern. Personally I like the solar powered vents because they force air through the boat some of the time and have battery back up for dull days. Dorades pass a shockingly small amount of air and in my opinion are not as effective. You are going to want to vent on the aft port quarter above the quarterberth paticularly if you don't want that area to turn into a penicillin plantation. Sticking a vent on the pointy end where you are likely going to take a lot of seas over the bow may require a different solution, such as a low power fan mounted on the chain locker bulkhead. I like small computer fans for this application. In the winter time your going to have to deal with condensation inside the boat. In this regard I suggest burning a small 25 watt light bulb in each of the remote corners of the boat to promote dryness and air circulation. Good luck with your project. Brian Pickton@BeneteauOwners.net Aboard the Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Dec. 7, 2000 "A day that will live in infamy..." Dear Dave, As your post does not include an e-mail address we'll have to do this the old fashioned way. By the way, I would post the response here in any event for the benfit of other readers who might have a similar question. On jiffy reefing: 1) Put the boat into the wind to ease the pressure on the sails. 2) Attach the topping lift to the boom end to prevent the boom from dropping on deck and then ease the mainsail halyard. 3) If equipped with them, put the sail's tack on the pig tail fitting. 4) Take up the jiffy reefing line to help haul in the sail and tension the sail in the reefed position, and belay. 5) Tension (take up) the out haul and belay. 6) Tension (take up ) the halyard and belay. 7) Tie in reef points (this is just house keeping and can happen at your leisure). 8) Cast off the topping lift. 9) Resume course. Now you know why they call it jiffy reefing. Just imagine doing it the hardway! There is nothing particularly subtle about this process. The only nuances involved are in tensioning the halyard and outhaul to get good sail shape when reefed. You might find yourself adjusting the boomvang as well, and don't forget to cast off the topping lift. Off course adjusting sail shape is a "see and do" process, so there is not much I can tell you here, but you might want to consult any of the excellent learn to sail books now available on jjiffy reefing in particular. On ventilation the ends of the boat are going to be your areas of concern. Personally I like the solar powered vents because they force air through the boat some of the time and have battery back up for dull days. Dorades pass a shockingly small amount of air and in my opinion are not as effective. You are going to want to vent on the aft port quarter above the quarterberth paticularly if you don't want that area to turn into a penicillin plantation. Sticking a vent on the pointy end where you are likely going to take a lot of seas over the bow may require a different solution, such as a low power fan mounted on the chain locker bulkhead. I like small computer fans for this application. In the winter time your going to have to deal with condensation inside the boat. In this regard I suggest burning a small 25 watt light bulb in each of the remote corners of the boat to promote dryness and air circulation. Good luck with your project. Brian Pickton@BeneteauOwners.net Aboard the Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
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David Walters
The e-mail address
I thought the email identifier in my post title would show on the post. Anyhoo, Waltersofbayport@yahoo.com will do the trick. Thanks Brian for the process of reefing the jiffy reefing system. All valuable info, but I guess I should have been more specific with what I am looking for. I would really like to know how all the lines are run, as the boat currently does not have the sails on and the reefing lines are stowed. Any help here?
I thought the email identifier in my post title would show on the post. Anyhoo, Waltersofbayport@yahoo.com will do the trick. Thanks Brian for the process of reefing the jiffy reefing system. All valuable info, but I guess I should have been more specific with what I am looking for. I would really like to know how all the lines are run, as the boat currently does not have the sails on and the reefing lines are stowed. Any help here?
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Brian Pickton
Now I understand...
Dec.8, 2000 Dear Dave, Now I understand, and your right a diagram would be really helpful, so once again I suggest a trip to your local library to look at the basic sailing books that cover reefing to find what you need. Any of the good basic learn to sail books should cover this. Now let me try to give you a verbal description, keeping in mind that your actual application may vary depending on where your hardware is located and what type you have . What you really need to know is where the jiffy reefing line goes. On our boat and on most boats I have seen there is an individual jiffy reefing line for each set of reef points. Our boat has three and your boat likely will have two lines of reef points in the sail. Here's what you do: Lay out the sail to see how many lines of reef points you have and thus determine the number of jiffy reefing lines you will use. Put the sail on the mast and boom and raise it, mainsheet eased. Starting with the lowest set of reef points (the first reef) attach the jiffy reefing line onto the fitting provided for it at the end of the boom on either the port or starboard side. Make sure you use the reefing cringle on the leech and not the outhaul cringle on the foot of the sail. Reeve the line from the boom up through the aft most reefing cringle on the leech of the sail, back down the other side of the sail to another fitting on the boom, hopefully a turning block . On our Beneteau the reefing lines actually runs through the end of the boom on a turning block forward to a rope clutch on the underside of the boom. I don't know if yours is like that , so read on in case it has this alternative rigging. From the turning block the line runs forward on the outside of the boom to a second turning block, back up through a luff reefing cringle at the front of the sail, back down the other side to a cleat on the boom for belaying the line. Thus in summary you have a line running from the back of the boom, up through a cringle on the leach of the sail, back down to the boom on the other side, then forward to a turning block, back up the cringle at the luff or forward part of the sail and back down to the boom on what would now be the same side as the line started out on. You may try drawing this yourself for clarification. Needless to say actual applications may vary from this description. You will have one of these line for each set of reefing points. As I mentioned earlier our Beneteau has the reefing lines running through the boom to a set of rope clutches. This is in fact only a partial jiffy reefing as the full system requires the line to go back up through the front of the sail which our system does not do. However it also is not necessary, since the sail lowers easily and I have to be forward at the mast to loer the sail and to put the tack cringle on the pig tail (also called the tack fitting). On later developments of the full jiffy system I have described instead of belaying the line on the boom the line is often lead further down the mast and back to the cockpit, the thinking being that it is safer to never leave the cockpit. But then how does one secure the tack to the pig tail? Leaving the sail held down by the jiffy reefing line is an invitation to chaffing and the ultimate destruction of the line. Dave, I really appreciate your dilemma. On my very first boat ever I put the mainsail on upside down (foot up the mast) and ran every single line incorrectly before finally getting it all sorted out, I thought. Launched and ready to go on our first sail an old shellback came by, looked the boat over and in casual conversation noted, "Interesting how you rigged the boomvang. It will still work like that, but I usually put mine on the otherway round." He was too kind to simply say we had it rigged backwards! So hoist a glass and drink a toast: "To Trial and Error" when your done, and who knows you may even get a funny anecdote out of the experience. Good luck on sorting it all out. Brian Pickton@BeneteauOwners.net Aboard the Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Dec.8, 2000 Dear Dave, Now I understand, and your right a diagram would be really helpful, so once again I suggest a trip to your local library to look at the basic sailing books that cover reefing to find what you need. Any of the good basic learn to sail books should cover this. Now let me try to give you a verbal description, keeping in mind that your actual application may vary depending on where your hardware is located and what type you have . What you really need to know is where the jiffy reefing line goes. On our boat and on most boats I have seen there is an individual jiffy reefing line for each set of reef points. Our boat has three and your boat likely will have two lines of reef points in the sail. Here's what you do: Lay out the sail to see how many lines of reef points you have and thus determine the number of jiffy reefing lines you will use. Put the sail on the mast and boom and raise it, mainsheet eased. Starting with the lowest set of reef points (the first reef) attach the jiffy reefing line onto the fitting provided for it at the end of the boom on either the port or starboard side. Make sure you use the reefing cringle on the leech and not the outhaul cringle on the foot of the sail. Reeve the line from the boom up through the aft most reefing cringle on the leech of the sail, back down the other side of the sail to another fitting on the boom, hopefully a turning block . On our Beneteau the reefing lines actually runs through the end of the boom on a turning block forward to a rope clutch on the underside of the boom. I don't know if yours is like that , so read on in case it has this alternative rigging. From the turning block the line runs forward on the outside of the boom to a second turning block, back up through a luff reefing cringle at the front of the sail, back down the other side to a cleat on the boom for belaying the line. Thus in summary you have a line running from the back of the boom, up through a cringle on the leach of the sail, back down to the boom on the other side, then forward to a turning block, back up the cringle at the luff or forward part of the sail and back down to the boom on what would now be the same side as the line started out on. You may try drawing this yourself for clarification. Needless to say actual applications may vary from this description. You will have one of these line for each set of reefing points. As I mentioned earlier our Beneteau has the reefing lines running through the boom to a set of rope clutches. This is in fact only a partial jiffy reefing as the full system requires the line to go back up through the front of the sail which our system does not do. However it also is not necessary, since the sail lowers easily and I have to be forward at the mast to loer the sail and to put the tack cringle on the pig tail (also called the tack fitting). On later developments of the full jiffy system I have described instead of belaying the line on the boom the line is often lead further down the mast and back to the cockpit, the thinking being that it is safer to never leave the cockpit. But then how does one secure the tack to the pig tail? Leaving the sail held down by the jiffy reefing line is an invitation to chaffing and the ultimate destruction of the line. Dave, I really appreciate your dilemma. On my very first boat ever I put the mainsail on upside down (foot up the mast) and ran every single line incorrectly before finally getting it all sorted out, I thought. Launched and ready to go on our first sail an old shellback came by, looked the boat over and in casual conversation noted, "Interesting how you rigged the boomvang. It will still work like that, but I usually put mine on the otherway round." He was too kind to simply say we had it rigged backwards! So hoist a glass and drink a toast: "To Trial and Error" when your done, and who knows you may even get a funny anecdote out of the experience. Good luck on sorting it all out. Brian Pickton@BeneteauOwners.net Aboard the Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
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