The previous owner of our boat changed the mainsail. It looks like the reefing lines were hastily installed and not necessarily correctly. For the life of me I cannot manage to get the system working properly. I don't think the use of a winch is a correct method. Could someone please advise me as to what sort of configuration a Hunter 29.5 is supposed to have, a single line or a double line.
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Reefing is easy on the 29.5:
John, depending on what the PO put in as a replacement will determine the system you now have. If you have two set of reefing cringles, then you should have two reefing lines, of different colours to make life easy. On my 94 29.5, it goes like this: 1st reef - reefing line is terminated with a stop knot on the bitter end. It passes through the aft reefing point cringle (the new clew) going to port and then round the port sheave ont he aft end of the boom. It goes forward through the boom and exits at the mast where it runs through a fairlead aft to the clutches on the port side of the cabin top near the companionway. 2nd reef - reefing line is terminated with a stop knot at the loop on the underside of the boom maybe 2feet forward of the aft end, passing from port to Starboard through the new clew cringleand aft round the starboard sheave and therough the boom etc etc to the S/B clutches on the cabin top. At the gooseneck I have a double rams horn. I reef in this manner after heading up into the wind and electing which reef I am going t use: 1 tension the topping lift 2 release the halyard tension to the right point to allow the forward reefing cringle to be hooked over the rams head on the easiest side 3 tension the reefing line 'clew' to the boom using gthe line at the clutcha nd ecure the clutch 4 tension the main halyard and gather in the loose sail and tie accordingly. 5 release the topping lift SAIL ON!!!!! Let me know if you need the diagram from the Hunter manual and I will go to the boat and get it and scan it / mail it. Hope this helps. neil you should never need to use the winch
John, depending on what the PO put in as a replacement will determine the system you now have. If you have two set of reefing cringles, then you should have two reefing lines, of different colours to make life easy. On my 94 29.5, it goes like this: 1st reef - reefing line is terminated with a stop knot on the bitter end. It passes through the aft reefing point cringle (the new clew) going to port and then round the port sheave ont he aft end of the boom. It goes forward through the boom and exits at the mast where it runs through a fairlead aft to the clutches on the port side of the cabin top near the companionway. 2nd reef - reefing line is terminated with a stop knot at the loop on the underside of the boom maybe 2feet forward of the aft end, passing from port to Starboard through the new clew cringleand aft round the starboard sheave and therough the boom etc etc to the S/B clutches on the cabin top. At the gooseneck I have a double rams horn. I reef in this manner after heading up into the wind and electing which reef I am going t use: 1 tension the topping lift 2 release the halyard tension to the right point to allow the forward reefing cringle to be hooked over the rams head on the easiest side 3 tension the reefing line 'clew' to the boom using gthe line at the clutcha nd ecure the clutch 4 tension the main halyard and gather in the loose sail and tie accordingly. 5 release the topping lift SAIL ON!!!!! Let me know if you need the diagram from the Hunter manual and I will go to the boat and get it and scan it / mail it. Hope this helps. neil you should never need to use the winch
reefing a 29.5
Wow! mine is nothing like that.It is tied to a loop on the bottom of the boom, aft. goes up trough the clew, enters the aft end of the boom runs forward exits, runs down through a block, then goes up through the cringle that hooks to the rams horn and the goes back down to a different block and then runs to the cabintop.When you pull the line it pulls the sail down tight at the mast but does nothing at the aft end of the sail. Thankyou for your responce Neil if you could send me the diagram it would be greatly appreciated. My e-mail address is johnhowitt@shaw.ca
Wow! mine is nothing like that.It is tied to a loop on the bottom of the boom, aft. goes up trough the clew, enters the aft end of the boom runs forward exits, runs down through a block, then goes up through the cringle that hooks to the rams horn and the goes back down to a different block and then runs to the cabintop.When you pull the line it pulls the sail down tight at the mast but does nothing at the aft end of the sail. Thankyou for your responce Neil if you could send me the diagram it would be greatly appreciated. My e-mail address is johnhowitt@shaw.ca
John
I've included a link to the harken site that was posted in another forum not long ago. It should display how Neil's system is set up. Mine, on my H33.5, is a little different. It's set up as a single line system. I don't have the rams horns at the gooseneck but I only have 1 line to pull that reefs both the tack and the clew and it can all be done from the cockpit. My lines run as follows: A line encircles the boom with a bowline, goes up through the reefing cringle (new clew), back over a sheave at the aft end of the boom, inside the boom to a free floating, head-to-head double block, back out to the aft end of the boom and ties on securely there. A second line secures to an eye at the gooseneck, up through the reefing cringle at the new tack (actually, mine has a block there), around a sheave at the gooseneck and into the boom. It then goes around the other sheave on the head-to-head block in the boom, back out the gooseneck and through some blocks on the mast and cabintop through a clutch and into the cockpit. The key here is that head-to-head block. It allows you to pull two lines at once and gives you 4 to 1 purchase. As you pull the cockpit line it starts to draw the tack down and the head-to-head block forward. Drawing that block forward pulls the clew down. Unfortunately, I do not have a drawing of this set-up but search here and elsewhere and I'm sure you can find one. It's called "single line reefing". Essentially, the lines form 2 horizontal V's inside the boom, connected at their apexes by the head-to-head block. Pull 1 end and it all comes down. Very easy, very simple. Tom s/v Orion's Child P.S. I see that the link isn't working. There is a fairly recent discussion on reefing in the "Ask all sailors" forum. Check there for the link. TCB
I've included a link to the harken site that was posted in another forum not long ago. It should display how Neil's system is set up. Mine, on my H33.5, is a little different. It's set up as a single line system. I don't have the rams horns at the gooseneck but I only have 1 line to pull that reefs both the tack and the clew and it can all be done from the cockpit. My lines run as follows: A line encircles the boom with a bowline, goes up through the reefing cringle (new clew), back over a sheave at the aft end of the boom, inside the boom to a free floating, head-to-head double block, back out to the aft end of the boom and ties on securely there. A second line secures to an eye at the gooseneck, up through the reefing cringle at the new tack (actually, mine has a block there), around a sheave at the gooseneck and into the boom. It then goes around the other sheave on the head-to-head block in the boom, back out the gooseneck and through some blocks on the mast and cabintop through a clutch and into the cockpit. The key here is that head-to-head block. It allows you to pull two lines at once and gives you 4 to 1 purchase. As you pull the cockpit line it starts to draw the tack down and the head-to-head block forward. Drawing that block forward pulls the clew down. Unfortunately, I do not have a drawing of this set-up but search here and elsewhere and I'm sure you can find one. It's called "single line reefing". Essentially, the lines form 2 horizontal V's inside the boom, connected at their apexes by the head-to-head block. Pull 1 end and it all comes down. Very easy, very simple. Tom s/v Orion's Child P.S. I see that the link isn't working. There is a fairly recent discussion on reefing in the "Ask all sailors" forum. Check there for the link. TCB
Thanks guy's I think that I've got it figured out.The only thing I'm not clear on is, do both reefing lines lead back to the cockpit? I don't have any extra clutches. It seems that the problem started with the fact that there are two lines and the new mainsail only has one reefing point.It is a straight cut sail without the high roach so it is smaller than the original.
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