Jiffy Reefing Question

[drumbeater]

My H22 has this system installed but I've never used it. The hook at the front of the boom is there, and the two reef lines are installed. There is no where to attach the reef lines at the rear of the boom after they are run through the rear reef point. Should they just be tied to each reef point? When I got the boat there was a big bow shackle attached to the first reef point that would bang around while luffing, so I took it off. From all the pictures I've seen it looks like there should be a pad eye or cleat on the boom, and the line does not tie to the reef point.
( I realize my terminology is all wrong, I'm still learning.)

DB

 

[Les]

It's been some time since I had Jiffy Reefing on my H35.5 but it still is a great way to reef your sails. Bare with me if I use the wrong terms too--it's been awhile.

My jiffy reef line started at the outboard end of the boom slightly back aft of the chringle in the sail. I had a metal fitting in the boom to tie the line to. The the line went to the aft end of the boom and through the boom and exited at the front end. From there it wen up to the forward cringle in the sail and back down to a block at the bast of the mast, and back to the cockpit. We would drop the halyard to a mark on it and then tighten the first reefing line which would tighten a slab of the sail. It could be done within 20 seconds by my racing crew--several minutes by all thumbs skipper here by himself. The second reef was higher on the sail and further along the boom but rigged the same way with a separate line.

We used colored line to differentiate the two reef points. We also used sail ties after the sails were reefed to keep the belly of the sail from flapping.

Undoing a reef was harder as you would release the reef line and then have to crank on the halyard generally it being under tension because we were racing it was hard to raise. But we did it. If I were cruising we would have headed into the wind and just raised the sail normally. Racing people are crazy.

I hope this helps.

 

[inarathree]

Could you include some pics, or a drawing? That would be helpful. Also does your sail have single or double reef points?


What your describing isn't really jiffy reefing. This is how my H22 is set up. I don't like it, and sometime this winter, I will update it. With more of a jiffy reefing setup. Something that can be done from the cockpit.

 

[drumbeater]

It looks just like your diagram. All lines run inside the boom and there are two rope clutches at the mast end of the boom.

 

[drumbeater]

Oh and two reef points on the main sail.

 

[drumbeater]

I keep reading. How would you hook the front of the sail from the cockpit or work the clutches? I don't see how that would ever work. I guess it's not a Jiffy system, just whatever was standard at the time.

 

[Tom J]

Looks like you have to attach the forward cringle to the hook on the gooseneck, then raise the mainsail again, just like on a standard reefing system. The reefing line only secures the aft cringle, much like in the diagram. My jiffy reefing system is like the one Les describes. The reefing line pulls down on both cringles and is secured on a rope cllutch on the cabin top. This involves more fairleads and blocks than what is shown in the diagram of the Hunter 22's system.

 

[isaksp00]

H23 is similar. You hook the forward cringle to the hook on the boom, then raise the halyard until it is tight enough. The reefing line for the aft cringle runs up through one of the three (on the 23) jam cleats at the forward end of the boom, through the boom tube aft to one of the 3 sheaves (pulleys), through the sheave, up to the aft cringle, through it and then down to be tied off (I use a small shackle) to the eye on the bottom of the boom, about even with the cringle. Just like inarathree's diagram, except it is not easy to see if his line goes through the cringle and back down to the end of the boom. If you don't route the line through the cringle and back down, you lose the mechanical advantage. Some folks attach a small swivel block to the cringle and route the reef line through that.

If the H22 is the same, I don't think this is exactly jiffy reefing, as you note - the jiffy reefing setups I've seen on charter boats (larger ones) are single line and can be done from the cockpit. On my H23, you'd have to go fwd to the mast, to attach the forward cringle, raise the halyard, then pull in the reefing line.

 

[Tallgrass Sailor]

I have a h23 and rove in to 2 reefing lines thru the boom last winter. The previous owner removed them for some reason. Reefing the m'sail without a proper slab/jiffy setup is a REAL pain, it took me awhile to properly understand how slab reefing worked and how the lines should be run on a Hunter. The link some videos on slab reefing gave me a good understanding on slab reefing worked and how the reefing lines were run. I love my reefing setup now. Reefing even single-handed when the wind pipes up is safe, fast and easy!

Here is an excellent video(see link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddyB9GwAkI8) on double slab reefing on j24.
And here is a video on how best to tie off you reefing lines to the boom and thru the reef clews.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbXlEsrlo1s)

Hope this helps,

Brad

 

[inarathree]

DB - I dug these out of my archives last night. This is what I am going to install this winter. It shouldn't take much more equipment - a longer line, a cheek block and pad eye for the boom, and a block or two.

 

[C Jones]

I had to reef Sunday and furl the jib when I saw a front coming in. I didn't have my hook for the front so I used a short piece of line. It worked fine in a pinch. I also had the choice of dropping the main and lashing it and just unfurling a little jib. I beat the front by 15 min. 10 knts steady when we left the marina, 20 knts gusting to 30knts, then nothing. We had to motor back in. Crazy fall weather, Good links Brad

 

[drumbeater]

Tallgrass,

That second video answered my question. Thanks.

DB

 

[soling42]

That's a single line reef similar to the description in the Harkin diagram below except I utilized the internal blocks in the boom on ours. A single line reef is a bit stiff utilizing only one line unlike a double line reef that'll utilize separate lines for the clew and the tack.

I added this simpler single line option to our H260 main last season and it works from the cockpit about 75% of the time(more if I pay close attention). The biggest issue is whether the line feeds correctly at the head of the boom. Hauling in the reef line to keep it in light tension while slowly easing the main halyard helps to prevent a wrap/knot in any slack that might otherwise accumulate at the gooseneck(saving a trip forward).

Adding a small block on the main at the reefed tack point along with covering it with a piece of nylon webbing to keep it aligned downward will help greatly with the compounding friction of so many blocks/eyes on one line. Like the Harkin diagram below shows, make sure your system hauls it forward slightly at the tack to relive the pressure placed on your main sail guides from the clew tension. Like the 2nd video I also always tie a modest line around the boom at the shortened clew when reefed.

When I shake it out I'll release the reef line from its jam cleat on the cabin roof and also pull the reefing line out of the end of the boom/clew to ease its flow through all the blocks while I raise the main halyard. Marking your line positions at the cleat for proper tension is also helpful to let you know when you are close to the right reef point tension.

Good luck, Hope that helps. Mike

 

[drumbeater]

Duh, just realized since our sail fits into the slot on the boom, I can't tie the reef line around the boom without the sail getting in the way. I guess I'm going to have to mount a cleat or padeye on the boom.
I wonder why there wasn't something there in the first place?

 

[isaksp00]

My H23 has a track on the underside of the boom, and it has several things that I guess would be called padeyes in that track. One is positioned below the aft reef cringle. After I loop the reefing line through the cringle, it goes down and is tied to that eye. If yours lacks that, maybe you can bolt an eye to the boom.

By the way, the H23 boom (at least, my model) has three sheave/jam cleat "sets". I use one for the aft reefing line, one for the outhaul and one for the topping lift. The prev owner had fixed the topping lift to a single length with cable clamps, and left that last set unused. I like being able to adjust the topping lift.

 

[Tom J]

The bitter end of the jiffy reefing line on my Catalina 310 is secured by tying a bowline around the boom, aft of the sail. Works fine, doesn't get in the way at all.

 

[soling42]

Same for me on our 260.

 

[bobmorning]

H31 Reefing

Is there a diagram to detail how this should be rigged? I have a H31 with an Isomat boom. I have the hook on the gooseneck, the three sheaves on the outboard end of the boom (2 for the reefing and one for the outhaul), and the three line jammers on the boom end.

What size line should I use? Is this considered "jiffy" reefing or slab reefing?

We had to reef two weeks ago, in a pinch I hooked the cringle on the luff end and use a simple piece of line to snug down the leech end cringle to the mast with a simple loop of line.