Reefing set up with US Spar boom z360

[AlliGrace]

Hi all,

Just wondering how other owners with the same boom type as mine rig their reefing system . I just bought my boat earlier this summer and I am just now getting around to rigging the reef lines. I have a US spars boom (z360) and according to the reefing diagram that was sent to me, the reefing lines should exit the inboard section from the top of the boom fitting to the tack block on the sail. I have two reef points each with a block at the tack and clew. My inboard end seems to aim the lines down toward the base of the mast. That's fine I guess, but it just means running the lines around more pulleys therefore more friction... I called US Spars and they said that my reefing setup should look like the diagram they sent me (see picture). This is after I sent them the pictures from my boat I'm posting here. Not sure what I'm missing. I was assuming that the system would look like the Neil Pryde diagram (see picture).

Thanks for the help,

David

 

[DougM]

Looks like you are missing a couple of sheaves on the port side of the boom.(your picture #2)
Its a single line reef. (both reef 1 and reef 2). Starting from the aft end of the boom, The reef line is tied through an eye riveted to the underside of the boom, up through the forward side of the block at the reef point on the aft end of the sail (assuming you have the original Pryde Sail). Down and back from there to the sheave on the end of the boom. From there, the reef line goes through the boom and exits at the forward end at the point where you appear to have the missing sheave for each line. The line then goes up through the hole in the top of the boom fitting, through the aft end of the block at the forward reef point. Then the line is led from that point down to the block at the mast base and through the line organizer and the spinlock clutch on the cabin top.

I have had this setup on my boat for 15 years and it works very well. There is some additional friction in the system if the reef line diameter is too large. The lines are delivered as 3\8 diameter, but the diameter seems to swell as the result of weather and age.

 

[AlliGrace]

Thanks so much for the reply, Doug. I had thought that the line would come out the top ports of the inboard fitting but the reef lines that came with the boat don't seem to fit through them. My manual says 10mm rope (pretty close to 3/8in diam). Perhaps the lines expanded as you pointed out. Also,the exit port on the top of the fitting that you can see in pic #4 makes sense on the port side where the first tack block is on the sail but the exit port on the starboard side of the fitting seems like it would chafe the sail as it crosses midline to get to the second block on the port side of the sail. Do you see that happening on your set up? Thanks for your help.

David

 

[DougM]

the exit port on the starboard side of the fitting seems like it would chafe the sail as it crosses midline to get to the second block on the port side of the sail. Do you see that happening on your set up?

Both reef lines are on the port side on my boat. The blocks on the sail are likewise all on the port side.
The #1 reef is rigged through the outermost sheaves in the boom and tied off furthest aft on the boom. It passes through the block at the first reef point on the leech.The #2 reef is rigged through the second set of sheaves also on the port side and tied off further forward on the boom. There is no place where the reef line cross.

 

[Ron20324]

Doug M and I have the B32-3 but his is a year older(2005) than mine (2006) and some things are different. I have the same mast/boom as your 31, which took the place of the 323 to keep costs where it was affordable. I too had the forward, lower pin with just one sheave on it-mwith no line. Maybe the boom was made for dual-duty, such as on the 343? I have the 2008 U.S. Spars catalog with good exploded diagrams and part numbers for every piece of the setup. I have bought parts from them.

The sheaves that Doug thinks are missing are on the pin above the pin with just the one sheave on it. I took mine off pin and one sheave off when I ran my outhaul to the cabin top in the cockpit. I have 12 line stoppers there now. I once thought I'd get bigger sheaves, but just never did.

To make life easier, I ran the red reefing line on the port side of the boom and and sail and the sheaves. The block for the 2nd reef is on the starboard. Accordingly, the line are in the sheaves farthest outboard on their side(red/port, ect.) at the gooseneck and boom aft-end fitting. The outhaul line is in one of the other two middle sheaves. My thinking is with a reef line on each side of the sail's aft area, the sail can be "sandwiched in bothween the two. YMMV.

Edit to add, my B323 owners manual says the reef lines are 10mm, just over 3/8. Maybe going to the smaller 3/8 would help, but I think you could ream out those two boom-top hols and chamfer the two ends while you at it. I chamfered the two end holes when I ran the 3/8 reef line to the cockpit.