Can anyone tell me how the original reefing on MacGregor 23 Newport worksT? here is hardware on the boom, but I cannot figure out how it works. Is it single line, or is there meant to be a hook for the tack reefing cringle? I would appreciate any help as I have been struggling with this. There are cheek blocks on the boom, but their direction does not make sense to me.
MacGregor 23 Reefing
- Thread starter KristaB
- Start date
Thank you - that's helpful. We attached a hook to the boom, but it seemed low and there was bag in the sail at the tack. The hook was small. I don't know if a higher hook would work better, or an adjustable type hook.
I still wonder too if the boat had a single line system because there are so many cheek blocks on the boom.
A picture would help. Also a lot of the smaller macs have a thumb screw on the gooseneck that when loosened allows the boom to rotate as one means of reefing. I found it very hard to use this system to reef while underway but it was a great way to furl the sail and I would often leave port with my sail reefed in this manner. It was very easy to shake a reef out. Here is a pic of my old Mac 22 with the sail stored but you get the idea
Another possibility is that you are missing a turning block at the base of the mast. Does it look like there is a place to set a block on your mast foot? If so, you may need to run a line from the foot of your mast to the reef tack then back down to the turning block, then back to a turning block near the goosneck, then to the cheek blocks you presently have on your boom. If that looks right, then it was probably set up for single line reefing.
Another possibility is that you are missing a turning block at the base of the mast. Does it look like there is a place to set a block on your mast foot? If so, you may need to run a line from the foot of your mast to the reef tack then back down to the turning block, then back to a turning block near the goosneck, then to the cheek blocks you presently have on your boom. If that looks right, then it was probably set up for single line reefing.
It had a hook on one end and threaded on the other. Ours had a wingnut on the bottom.
Ken
HEINZIR
.
- Jan 22, 2008
- 198
Ventures came from the factory with a rudimentary roller reefing boom. The boom rotated on the mast, rolling the sail around it. This was very unsatisfactory for a number of reasons:
1. It takes at least two people, one to roll the boom, one to tend the halyard, and one to pull the sail fabric aft so it doesn’t all bunch up at the mast. Difficult to do when it’s blowing hard, which is when you need to reef.
2. The more the sail is rolled up, the baggier the exposed sail becomes. This is the opposite of what you want. You want the sail to be flatter. A baggy sail will cause the boat to heel more.
3. A roller reefing boom has to be kept smooth to avoid damaging the sail as it is rolled up. This makes adding a boom vang problematic, not to mention other hardware.
Most Venture owners have long since converted to conventional slab or “jiffy” reefing. This involves replacing the mainsail with one with one or two sets of reef points. (You could have a sailmaker add reef grommets to the original sail but, come on, that’s got to be about 40 years old! )
There are plenty of sources that describe how to set up a basic slab reefing system. On Chiquita I added a cheek block near the aft end of the boom on one side and an eye strap on the other. The clew reefing line started at the eye strap, went up through the reef grommet and back down to the cheek block. These were positioned so that the pull was both down and aft. I could have just brought the tail of this line forward along the boom to a clam cleat but I chose to run it inside the boom to a turning block at the mast, down to the base, and back to the cockpit.
There are also a number of ways to deal with the tack reef grommet. Most owners install a hook or “horn” (or a pair of them for two reefs) at the gooseneck. I chose to use a 4:1 Cunningham tackle with the tail led back to a cam cleat in the cockpit. The top block of the tackle is attached to a Cunningham hook that drops into the Cunningham grommet (for flattening the sail by increasing luff tension) and can be moved to either of the two luff reef grommets as needed when it is time to put in a reef.
FYI, the Yahoo! Group is no longer fully functional. It is still somewhat active via email only. Yahoo no longer hosts files or pictures or archived messages. There are several Facebook Groups to help fill the void:
Venture of Newport Sailboats and Macgregor Venture Classic Sailboats are both helpful.
1. It takes at least two people, one to roll the boom, one to tend the halyard, and one to pull the sail fabric aft so it doesn’t all bunch up at the mast. Difficult to do when it’s blowing hard, which is when you need to reef.
2. The more the sail is rolled up, the baggier the exposed sail becomes. This is the opposite of what you want. You want the sail to be flatter. A baggy sail will cause the boat to heel more.
3. A roller reefing boom has to be kept smooth to avoid damaging the sail as it is rolled up. This makes adding a boom vang problematic, not to mention other hardware.
Most Venture owners have long since converted to conventional slab or “jiffy” reefing. This involves replacing the mainsail with one with one or two sets of reef points. (You could have a sailmaker add reef grommets to the original sail but, come on, that’s got to be about 40 years old! )
There are plenty of sources that describe how to set up a basic slab reefing system. On Chiquita I added a cheek block near the aft end of the boom on one side and an eye strap on the other. The clew reefing line started at the eye strap, went up through the reef grommet and back down to the cheek block. These were positioned so that the pull was both down and aft. I could have just brought the tail of this line forward along the boom to a clam cleat but I chose to run it inside the boom to a turning block at the mast, down to the base, and back to the cockpit.
There are also a number of ways to deal with the tack reef grommet. Most owners install a hook or “horn” (or a pair of them for two reefs) at the gooseneck. I chose to use a 4:1 Cunningham tackle with the tail led back to a cam cleat in the cockpit. The top block of the tackle is attached to a Cunningham hook that drops into the Cunningham grommet (for flattening the sail by increasing luff tension) and can be moved to either of the two luff reef grommets as needed when it is time to put in a reef.
FYI, the Yahoo! Group is no longer fully functional. It is still somewhat active via email only. Yahoo no longer hosts files or pictures or archived messages. There are several Facebook Groups to help fill the void:
Venture of Newport Sailboats and Macgregor Venture Classic Sailboats are both helpful.
HEINZIR
.
- Jan 22, 2008
- 198
If the blocks a previous owner added to your boom are actually for single line reefing I would remove them and switch to a regular two line (or one line and a tack hook) reefing system. There is way too much friction in a single line system to be quick or effective. I have tried several variations of single line reefing. Conventional reefing is quicker and more efficient.