Reefing the main on an O'Day 23

[Warren]

Any ideas on how to best reef the main on an O'Day 23. I recently purchased the boat and the previous owner has a nut and bolt holding the tack of the sail. The spars are original and made by Kenyon. I know reef/tack assemblies are available, however I really do not want to drill and screw into the boom if there is another solution. I have been told there was never any easy way to reef this boat, but I find that hard to believe. Any help would be appreciated. I already contacted Rudy, and he said he needed to work on this one.

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

Reefing

Warren -Does the sail have reef points in it? You can tell because the sail is likely to have grommets on the leech and luff and ties hanging down.If not, the best solution really is to install eye straps and blocks on the boom and to have a sail loft install luff points. I know that its hard to be enthused about drilling holes in the boom but its not that big a deal. You'll need an eye strap at the point just aft of where the grommet on the leech will touch the boom and a block matching it on the other side. Then the simplest solution is to put a cleat forward of that block to tie that line off to and a hook at the forward end of the boom to hold the luff grommet. Justin - O'day Owners' Web

 

[Tor]

One line for reefing...

Look into West Marines Single Line Mainsail Reefing Kit for a design idea. I only needed to purchase two blocks and a length of sheet and I had it. I borrowed a rivet gun from West Marine to attach the blocks.Tor

 

[Mike]

Not too difficult

I have a 1979 23, and reefing is actually pretty easy. Like Justin advises, all you need is a block and a couple of cleats. I have a forward line attached to the mast, and then running up through the two reefing cringles on the sail near the gooseneck. The line then runs through the loop on the gooseneck, along the boom to a cleat. After I loosen the halyard, a pull on this forward reefing line brings this end of the sail down. I cleat this end off on the aforementioned cleat.On the rear of the sail, I have the arrangement Justin described. Its pretty simple. I know of no reefing system (other than in-mast or in-boom reefing) that doesn't require equipment mounted to the boom.

 

[Jim]

1964 O'Day Tempest

I would imagine you have a much newer Tempest but my old '64 "roller reefs." There is a spring inside the tack of the boom which allows one to pull the boom aft an inch or so and permits the boom to turn on it's axis. You then shorten the main by rolling as much of it around the boom as you need. When you release the boom (forward towards it's original position) it locks in place.