Reef rigging / outhaul rigging

[coreyjohnson99]

I would like to add a simple reefing system on my Newport 28. The sail looks to be set up for 2 reef points with cringles. However, I'm unsure how the reefing may have been done in the past. I'm trying to wrap my head around the current hardware installed on the boom and how the outhaul is rigged.

On the port side of the boom, aft, are 2 eyes that appear to be just aft of the leach cringles when the sail is lowered (see last pic).
On the starboard side the boom are the following hardware, aft to forward. 2 cheek blocks, various fairleads, a boom winch, and 3 cleats. At the gooseneck there are no cringle hooks/ ram horns, etc.

I'm curious if I could set up a simple single line (not continuous) reefing system. For each reef, run a line from the eye on the booms port side, up and though the respective leach cringle, then down through one of the cheek blocks, then forward through the fairleads, and finish off at a boom cleat. Then install a rams horn at the goose neck for the luff cringles. Thoughts?

Currently the outhaul which I have yet to mess with, starts at the mainsail clew, runs through both cheek blocks and then terminates at one of the boom cleats. Not sure if that is done properly or if I could have it bypass the cheek blocks. It is the white line with yellow tracers in the pics attached.

Once again, thanks for all the advice!

 

[Sailfanatic]

My take is:
1. the outhaul runs forward thru the two fairleads on the top of the boom, to the aft-most large cleat with no need to use the winch.
2. the Each reef line starts on one of the port-side eyes, up thru the leech, back down through one of the turning blocks, then forward to one of the two cleats. Us the winch when setting the reef.
3. You are missing a piece of gear at the gooseneck which would holds two reef horns. Look thru www.rigrite.com to see if you resove this question, and if not, then call them and see what they think. If they dont recognize what your gooseneck gear is based on boat make, send them a picture. To reef in the meantime, you can tie off the tack with a short piece of line

 

[justsomeguy]

Thoughts?

That'll work. Don't know why the outhaul was routed through those cheek blocks. Don't need any more friction.
I'm assuming the winch is for reefing?

 

[shemandr]

The outhaul has a 2:1 purchase which is appropriate. Running thru those blocks was either a mistake or an effort to add purchase. You can use the winch for that.
Since you're redoing the system you could set it up to use the winch for all three lines. That might be a bit of a traffic jam at the winch. That may be why the two turning blocks are offset. The fairing eyes are to bring the outhaul line on the correct side of the winch but that may not be necessary. It seems like a long enough run from the turning blocks that would be fair. And only one of these lines will be in use at a time.
Reefing horn could be mounted as a separate unit on the boom body without involving the gooseneck which seems a bit light.
Reefing procedure might look like this:
1. Remove the outhaul from the winch - if it is on the winch and tie it off on its cleat.
2. Put turns of the appropriate reefing line on the winch and tie to the appropriate cleat.
3. Drop the main halyard to just past enough to put the reefing cringe on the reefing horn.
4. Go to the boom winch and crank enough tension to bring the main reefing cringle back and down to the boom and tie it off.
5. Back at the mast crank up the halyard until it is tight.
6. Tie the bunt lines.

 

[Joe]

I agree with Shemandr that the outhaul running through the two cheek blocks is wrong. There's no extra purchase, because neither block moves..... it's just extra friction instead. Go with your plan.... all you need to add is the ram's head at the gooseneck and add a "flying cringle" to finish the system.
At some point in the future, you may want to change out the horn cleats on the boom with a "jam" cleat...which will look like a smaller horn cleat mounted parallel with the boom(one of the horns will have a pinched clearance similar to what was used for jib sheets back in the day). You would off-set them slightly for line clearance ... anyway... for the two reef lines... I'd locate the jam cleats up near the gooseneck... so I could do everything right at the mast. The outhaul cleat I would leave mid boom so it can be reached from the cockpit. An alternative is to figure a way to run it forward to the mast, then down and back to the cockpit... depends on you of course. On my 27 footer I have an internal outhaul that exits mid boom to a Vee or Clam cleat with fairlead to keep the line captive. I thought I'd change it years ago.... still haven't... I'm okay with it I guess. But the reef lines on my boat are as I described.... however... I do not have a snubbing winch as you have on yours, I tension the line by "sweating" it... i.e. pulling the center of it out like a bowstring... works fine. The "jam" part of the cleat faces aft, the forward horn is clear. the line wraps around it then back to the jam.... pretty simple but very functional. Do all this and you can get rid of the clutter on the boom... with lower profile cleats and no snubbing winch.

 

[jssailem]

Here is how I view the equipment and tie downs.

I see you have a attached foot mainsail by a good old sail maker. This makes it necessary to have a way of attaching the reef lines. The 2 padeyes are the place to start. You have two possible options. I am not liking either as they will put strain laterally on the rivets holding the padeyes. This is a weak point.
Options: 1) Put the reef line through the padeye and tie a large stopper knot. 2) Tie the reef line to the pad eye.


The reef line runs up from the opposite side of the boom through the reef cringle and down to the turning block. There the reef line runs down through the turning block and forward to the fairlead at mid boom.


At Mid Boom the reef lines and the outhaul run through the fairleads.


The lines are terminated at the individual cleats.


The Outhaul comes out of the end of the boom, through the mid boom fairlead and to the large cleat.

The winch is probably more in the way on this boat then needed to trim the sail. If using the winch is important than you use it with the individual lines as needed.

 

[coreyjohnson99]

Wow! Thank you all for the great input, even labeled pictures . Looks like I'll need to buy some reefing line and some rams horns. I'll get in touch with rigrite.com to see what my options are. Once again thank you for being a great community and offering advice, I truly appreciate it. Once I rig it up I'll try to post some pictures.

 

[Sailfanatic]

Here is how I view the equipment and tie downs.

I see you have a attached foot mainsail by a good old sail maker. This makes it necessary to have a way of attaching the reef lines. The 2 padeyes are the place to start. You have two possible options. I am not liking either as they will put strain laterally on the rivets holding the padeyes. This is a weak point.
Options: 1) Put the reef line through the padeye and tie a large stopper knot. 2) Tie the reef line to the pad eye.
....

I suggest just putting two small slits in the foot of the main just above the boom with a hot knife. Either reinforce the area with sail tape or have a sailmaker handle the operation. This allows you to secure the reefing lines around the boom and then to themselves with a running bowline. You can then remove the padeyes, as any protrusion on the side of the aft end of the boom, can change a head bump during an accidental jibe, from a bruise to a fracture skull. Unfortunately there's not much you can do about the turning blocks, unless some place like RigRite has a more modern endcap for that boom section which contains integral reefing blocks.