Jiffy Reef on Hunter Vision 32

[RonRelyea]

Update to my original post re: Jiffy Reef ....
After hauling my boat for the winter and removing the mainsail, I realize that the outhaul line that is internal in the boom is jammed. I think this may be related to my problems with the reefing system. Does anyone have a diagram of how the outhaul is routed in the boom? If I remove look in the hole where the outhaul line exits in the middle of the boom, I can see there are 4 runs of the outhaul line. There's got to be blocks internal in the boom, but how does one access them? If one of these blocks breaks or jams, how can you get into the boom to repair????


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I just got a 1990 Vision 32 and have questions about the jiffy reef. I have a first and second reef line coming back to the cockpit. When raising the mainsail, the reef lines do not play out easily. Only if I go forward and manually pull the reefing lines and create slack can I raise the main.

I had to rig the lines through the boom myself since the boat was decommissioned to truck it from the place of purchase. I do believe that the rigging is correct. I used the Hunter book and diagrams from this forum to confirm the routing.

Does anyone else have this problem?
Does anyone know the correct diameter of the reefing lines? The ones on my boat are heavier than my main halyard. I'm thinking this may contribute to friction.

Any other ideas from other Jiffy Reef users????

Thanks!

Ron

 

[Rick D]

The simple solution is to not pull the reef lines tight when dousing the sail. I would suggest a 3/8 Spectra line for the reefing, but I would still not pull them tight. The correct set up is to have the main halyard marked so that when you drop it to the position you then pull the reef lines tight and they will tension the sail without bottoming out on the rig.

 

[RonRelyea]

Hi Rick ... thanks for the reply ... I'm a real newbie at sailing so please forgive my lack of knowledge!

If I don't pull the reef lines tight when dousing the sail, I end up with a rat's nest of line from the reefs. Should I just leave it there where it drops?

Any inside info on marking halyards or is it as simple as a magic marker?

I'm not sure of the meaning of "bottoming out the rig" ....

and ... once I pull the reef lines tight I end up with the tension again when I try to raise the sail.

I like the idea of 3/8 Spectra ... what I have now is at least 1/2 and maybe even 5/8 (not good at estimating yet!) and it is worn .....

The simple solution is to not pull the reef lines tight when dousing the sail. I would suggest a 3/8 Spectra line for the reefing, but I would still not pull them tight. The correct set up is to have the main halyard marked so that when you drop it to the position you then pull the reef lines tight and they will tension the sail without bottoming out on the rig.

 

[Blueskies]

single line reefing

I have fooled around with this for the past few years. I think the key issue is do you want to go forward to hook the gooseneck cringle when you reed for not. Since most times I am reefing, I should have done it a while ago and it is getting rough to be up by the mast, plus you need to coordinate with someone else to retension the main halyard once you have hooked the tack point on the rams horn. As a result, I like the single line reefing system that allows me to ease off on the main, drop the main to the reef point height and tighten the reef line, retension the main halyard, and you are done. I don't have to go forward and the main is reefed.

Shaking out the reef does require me to pull line back threw the clew by hand as once the reef is tightened down the line does not want to pay out. However, if I am shaking out a reef the winds are easing up and this is not a big issue. There were several postings of a block system installed at the clew that addresses this concern, but I don't like the idea of a block rubbing against the sail all the time.

When you lower the main, you do have excess reef line hangin down, which I just tuck into the sail folds to get out of the way.

The best part for me is the ability to reef from the cockpit. I have the single line setup with a double ended block inside the boom.

Good luck,

Hi Rick ... thanks for the reply ... I'm a real newbie at sailing so please forgive my lack of knowledge!

If I don't pull the reef lines tight when dousing the sail, I end up with a rat's nest of line from the reefs. Should I just leave it there where it drops?

Any inside info on marking halyards or is it as simple as a magic marker?

I'm not sure of the meaning of "bottoming out the rig" ....

and ... once I pull the reef lines tight I end up with the tension again when I try to raise the sail.

I like the idea of 3/8 Spectra ... what I have now is at least 1/2 and maybe even 5/8 (not good at estimating yet!) and it is worn .....

 

[Rick D]

Hi Rick ... thanks for the reply ... I'm a real newbie at sailing so please forgive my lack of knowledge! No need for apology. We all are in one way or another.

If I don't pull the reef lines tight when dousing the sail, I end up with a rat's nest of line from the reefs. Should I just leave it there where it drops? If I recall, you have mast steps. Just coil them around there and for the aft of the mast, just stuff them in a sail fold.

Any inside info on marking halyards or is it as simple as a magic marker? Yes. Just mark one for the first reef and two for the second. Do so big enough that you don't have to hunt for it.

I'm not sure of the meaning of "bottoming out the rig" .... There are (or should be) blocks on your sail at the reef points at the luff. I recall there are also rings on the mast which your reef lines go through both up to the block and down to the lower blocks at the foot of the mast. When you reef, it is important that the block be able not to jam on that ring. So, set up your reefs on a calm day so that when everything is tensioned well, those block are just up from the boom. Hope that is clearer.

and ... once I pull the reef lines tight I end up with the tension again when I try to raise the sail. I assume you mean after you have reefed and want to shake it out? Yes, you do have that friction. As another poster has said, the easy solution is to go to the mast and pull the reef lines all loose. However, you should still be able to raise it from the cockpit if singlehanding, all be it with a lot of effort. If you do it that way, pull the reef lines slack out of the rope clutches so the clutches do not add further friction.

I like the idea of 3/8 Spectra ... what I have now is at least 1/2 and maybe even 5/8 (not good at estimating yet!) and it is worn ..... It's probably 1/2. Spectra is great but like XS, tends to bunch up a bit. Pricey stuff but worth it.

Good luck on this. Once you have it down and practice a bit, you will be much more inclined to tuck in a reef and be faster and more comfortable as a result. I used to take in one reef on the main, then roll the jib, then the second reef on the main (unless I really needed the jib for pointing).

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