While out this weekend, wind was a bit stronger than usual, 17-21 kts. I have single line reef setup. I put the first reef in the main sail. I had the luff and leech and foot tight with the clew snugged down at the reef point with a sail tie. Hard as I tried, I could not get the mainsail flat, it remained pretty full, especially the lower 1/3. The sail is only 5 years old and is in great shape. The only thing that comes to mind is to have a sail shop install reef gromments in the body of the sail so I could secure it to the boom. Any suggestions from those of you sail alot in these conditions? Thanks, Bob F
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Flattening a single-reefed main can be tough
Especially if the sail is not exactly new anymore. We have the same problem on our Legend 43. In fact, on a close-hauled point of sail the shape of the full main is so much better than that of the single-reefed main that we usually let the wind build till we can skip the first reef and go directly to second reef (which is comparatively nice and flat). Three tips to flatten a reefed mains'l better: (1) try to move the reefline attachment point on the boom further aft, in order to stretch the foot more and the leech less; (2) try to remove more draft from the sail by introducing some mastbend (if that is possible on your boat); and (3) make sure that the boom can rise (i.e. pull the mainsheet far enough to windward to let it act as a spring and release the boomvang) while you are tightening the reef down and pulling the main halyard back up; both to allow the main halyard to fully stretch the luff as well as to prevent the leech from becoming "closed" or even "cupped" (also check that the leech cord is not overly tight). Success! Flying Dutchman
Especially if the sail is not exactly new anymore. We have the same problem on our Legend 43. In fact, on a close-hauled point of sail the shape of the full main is so much better than that of the single-reefed main that we usually let the wind build till we can skip the first reef and go directly to second reef (which is comparatively nice and flat). Three tips to flatten a reefed mains'l better: (1) try to move the reefline attachment point on the boom further aft, in order to stretch the foot more and the leech less; (2) try to remove more draft from the sail by introducing some mastbend (if that is possible on your boat); and (3) make sure that the boom can rise (i.e. pull the mainsheet far enough to windward to let it act as a spring and release the boomvang) while you are tightening the reef down and pulling the main halyard back up; both to allow the main halyard to fully stretch the luff as well as to prevent the leech from becoming "closed" or even "cupped" (also check that the leech cord is not overly tight). Success! Flying Dutchman
Poor foot tension with single-line reefing.
The important thing is not that the clew is tight against the boom, it's that the clew is hauled out very powerfully. If you had a well-set reef, it wouldn't be necessary to put a sail tie on the clew cringle. Excess draft in the lower third of any sail, reefed or not, means that there's not enough tension on the foot. I think that this problem is common, and has little to do with the cut of the sail or anyone's seamanship. It is the fault of single-line reefing. You can never get enough foot tension with this system. I suggest you try the following... Call up rig-rite or usspars.com and get the proper reefing hook to fit your boom toggle, and install it. The hooks cost about $12-$20 depending on the exact model. Unrig the reefing line from the tack cringle, so that the reefing line only pulls down the clew. Basically, you've got a jiffy-reefing system now. Set the first reef at the dock. Notice how much more foot tension you can get because the reefing line is only tensioning the clew, especially outwards toward the boom end. If the shape isn't remarkably better, then you have to conclude that your sail is cut poorly or is blown out. But I bet it will be better. And if you don't like it, it's easy to re-rig the reefing line back into the tack cringle. I installed double-line reefing on my 336, works like a champ. It's in the photo forum. Just my opinion, Paul McGhee sv Escape Artist h336
The important thing is not that the clew is tight against the boom, it's that the clew is hauled out very powerfully. If you had a well-set reef, it wouldn't be necessary to put a sail tie on the clew cringle. Excess draft in the lower third of any sail, reefed or not, means that there's not enough tension on the foot. I think that this problem is common, and has little to do with the cut of the sail or anyone's seamanship. It is the fault of single-line reefing. You can never get enough foot tension with this system. I suggest you try the following... Call up rig-rite or usspars.com and get the proper reefing hook to fit your boom toggle, and install it. The hooks cost about $12-$20 depending on the exact model. Unrig the reefing line from the tack cringle, so that the reefing line only pulls down the clew. Basically, you've got a jiffy-reefing system now. Set the first reef at the dock. Notice how much more foot tension you can get because the reefing line is only tensioning the clew, especially outwards toward the boom end. If the shape isn't remarkably better, then you have to conclude that your sail is cut poorly or is blown out. But I bet it will be better. And if you don't like it, it's easy to re-rig the reefing line back into the tack cringle. I installed double-line reefing on my 336, works like a champ. It's in the photo forum. Just my opinion, Paul McGhee sv Escape Artist h336
Try a block at the clew cringle
I don't know exactly the way your reefing is configured but this might help. Your problem is not enough outhaul in the reefed position. Try a block at the clew reefing cringle. The dead end should be tied around the boom or in a moveable eyelet under the boom and then up through the block at the cringle and then down into the end fitting at the back of the boom and therefore to the tack fitting.
I don't know exactly the way your reefing is configured but this might help. Your problem is not enough outhaul in the reefed position. Try a block at the clew reefing cringle. The dead end should be tied around the boom or in a moveable eyelet under the boom and then up through the block at the cringle and then down into the end fitting at the back of the boom and therefore to the tack fitting.
Sail shape
If in fact the foot was really flat and the sail was still very full in the lower 1/3 then you need a new main. I suspect that you didn't get the outhaul on the foot of the main tight enough. Bringing the reefed clew down to the boom is not enough. You must also have a flat foot which requires the outhaul to pull aft till the foot is fully tensioned. The single line system is very poor in tensioning the foot due to the high friction on the internal turning blocks. I strongly suggest that you replace those 'cheap' internal blocks with a good set of roller bearing blocks. I did just that and the reefing works much better.
If in fact the foot was really flat and the sail was still very full in the lower 1/3 then you need a new main. I suspect that you didn't get the outhaul on the foot of the main tight enough. Bringing the reefed clew down to the boom is not enough. You must also have a flat foot which requires the outhaul to pull aft till the foot is fully tensioned. The single line system is very poor in tensioning the foot due to the high friction on the internal turning blocks. I strongly suggest that you replace those 'cheap' internal blocks with a good set of roller bearing blocks. I did just that and the reefing works much better.
Everyone agrees about stretching the foot
So that should probably be at the top of your list (as it was on mine). At the same time, however, it is easy to forget that the luff needs to be stretched equally well or you could end up with a pretty horrible sail shape. One of the primary causes of the luffs of single-reefed mains often not being stretched well is that the boom may not have been allowed to rise enough during the reefing process, thereby keeping the leech too tight. This, in turn, prevents the headboard from being raised to the maximum extent possible. So, make sure to release the mainsheet and boom vang a bit while putting the first reef in. Not only will a well-stretched luff make the sail flatter, it will also help distribute the force of the wind better over all the sail slides, thereby reducing the chance of breaking some slides or even ripping the sail in high winds. Have fun, Flying Dutchman
So that should probably be at the top of your list (as it was on mine). At the same time, however, it is easy to forget that the luff needs to be stretched equally well or you could end up with a pretty horrible sail shape. One of the primary causes of the luffs of single-reefed mains often not being stretched well is that the boom may not have been allowed to rise enough during the reefing process, thereby keeping the leech too tight. This, in turn, prevents the headboard from being raised to the maximum extent possible. So, make sure to release the mainsheet and boom vang a bit while putting the first reef in. Not only will a well-stretched luff make the sail flatter, it will also help distribute the force of the wind better over all the sail slides, thereby reducing the chance of breaking some slides or even ripping the sail in high winds. Have fun, Flying Dutchman
Contrarian Point of View
I like the single line reefing on my 34. The ability to reef from the relative safety of the cockpit outweighs the “problem” with clew tension for me. Like Henk said, release vang and have slack in the mainsheet and halyard so you can pull the new clew down to the boom. A trick I learned from the Farr 40’s is to sew Velcro on both sides of some Spectra webbing and weave that through the new clew to keep it snug on the boom. Makes it real fast to reef and also to shake it out. The tension problem is the result from resistance of the reef line as it goes through the new tack and over/around the excess sailcloth. A small block (I have a bearing block made out of titanium) can be used instead of the line through the tack grommet. This will eliminate most of the tension problem. I also use the reef points to flatten the mid part of the sail the rest of the way. If tension is still a problem, you might want to upgrade your reefing line to spectra or technora. I do a lot of reefing here on San Francisco Bay, and this technique serves me well and I can throw in or shake out the first reef in less than a minute.
I like the single line reefing on my 34. The ability to reef from the relative safety of the cockpit outweighs the “problem” with clew tension for me. Like Henk said, release vang and have slack in the mainsheet and halyard so you can pull the new clew down to the boom. A trick I learned from the Farr 40’s is to sew Velcro on both sides of some Spectra webbing and weave that through the new clew to keep it snug on the boom. Makes it real fast to reef and also to shake it out. The tension problem is the result from resistance of the reef line as it goes through the new tack and over/around the excess sailcloth. A small block (I have a bearing block made out of titanium) can be used instead of the line through the tack grommet. This will eliminate most of the tension problem. I also use the reef points to flatten the mid part of the sail the rest of the way. If tension is still a problem, you might want to upgrade your reefing line to spectra or technora. I do a lot of reefing here on San Francisco Bay, and this technique serves me well and I can throw in or shake out the first reef in less than a minute.
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