"Reefing Madness"--Angst revisited

[RON20406]

My Pearson 34-2 has an Isomat mast and boom. The boom has internal reefing. I have never had a problem setting a reef, but always a problem shaking one out. Two years ago, I dismanteled my entire boom, checked and replaced all sheaves and blocks, and ascertained that no lines were crossed before reassembling the boom. Having used my double reef the last two times I sailed, I attempted to shake out the reef yesterday and the same problem: it will not shake out without pulling the reef lines at the mast. The lines are 3/8" diameter and fit properly in the sheaves. I have consdiered trying a smaller diameter line but am not convinced it will solve the problem. And ideas from those with similar in boom reefing? I have never liked the system and am considering installing jiffy reefing which was simple and bullet proof on my old boat. Try shaking out a reef on a moonless light with a lumpy left over sea and nothing wants to move. Best, Ron

 

[Tim R.]

My previous main sail had this problem. It was setup with single line reefing and the friction on the eyestrap sewn into the sail luff was too great to overcome when trying to shake out the reef. I had a new sail made with blocks sewn into the luff which has solved the issue.

 

[RON20406]

My previous main sail had this problem. It was setup with single line reefing and the friction on the eyestrap sewn into the sail luff was too great to overcome when trying to shake out the reef. I had a new sail made with blocks sewn into the luff which has solved the issue.

Tim, thanks for the response. My reefing line, with a stopper knot at the reef cringle on the main sail, goes downward through a eyestrap on the mast (port/starboard) to a double block mounted above the vang attachment at the base of the mast and then into the boom where it makes a loop through a sheave and then back aft out the other side to a standing block at the base of the mast. It then goes back to a line stopper in the cockpit. Are you saying it could be the eyestrap on the mast which is not true/fair? I cannot picture the arrangement you described above with the block sewn into the luff. Is this the same arrangement you have? Best, Ron

 

[Tim R.]

Ron, that sounds like a different setup. Can you draw a quick diagram? At some point the line has to travel up to the leech and luff areas of the reef and return.

Mine ties at the aft end of the boom, goes up over the reefing block sewn into sail leech, down to sheave in end of boom, runs through boom, around sheave at forward end of boom, down to fiddle block on deck, up through reef block on sail luff, down through ring on mast to fiddle bock on deck and back to clutch.

 

[Bill Roosa]

I have the same (with luft blocks attached to the rings sewn into the sail) as Tim R and have not had problems with shaking out reefs

 

[RON20406]

Tim and Bill, I have sent a diagram of the reefing system in a subsequent post. Thanks, Ron

 

[tkanzler]

My Hunter 340 had a system resembling Tim R.'s graphic, but with D-rings at the leach, and two reef points. That's a lot of line (3/8 or 7/16 dia. - don't recall off hand) to pull through a lot of angle changes when shaking out a reef. I could do it with the halyard winch, but it was tough.

It helped a lot when I put blocks on the D-rings, and it would probably help even more if they were all changed for better blocks (all 8 of them, plus fixed sheaves in the boom and on the deck - $$$). Also helps to make sure the lines in the cockpit are very free, as even the tiniest resistance makes things much worse due to the mechanical advantage (or disadvantage, as it were).

 

[Bill Roosa]

Another option for Z-spar booms is to take the reef line directly up to the luft block instead of down to the mast base and then back up to the block. This requires taking off the gooseneck end of the boom and filing down a bulkhead (don’t' know what else to call it) so the line can pass without rubbing. Basically just file a half round section where the line runs over the bulkhead.
The rig starts at the boom under the reef cringle, goes up to the reef cringle, down to the boom end sheave, forward inside the boom to the gooseneck sheave, travels up to the luft block then down through the D ring on the mast to the mast base turning block and back through the deck organizers to the cockpit. I count 8 block/turns in the old and 7 in the new and a substantially shorter line. It is a more classic design also.