Single or double line reefing

[Hans Baart]

Hi,
I have a Hunter 34 with 2 reef points in my main.
I now have single line reefing for the leech and hook on for the luff. This requires me to go on deck to reef.
I want to lead all lines to the cockpit and want to know what you suggst single line for both the leach and the luff lead back or double?

 

[thinwater]

I've had single and double. I would go with double, since there will be less friction and each will be easier. Also one already exists and there is something to be said for independent adjustment.

One thing to watch out for, as you move from a hook to line reefing, is that there is now nothing to positively resist the outhaul tension from pulling out against the sliders. You have some options:

• Guide or turning block at about the same height as the hook. The reefing tack must always be hauled right to that point, which can be difficult. You can lower, and then re-tension with the halyard, but that can make the outhaul tension hard to get just right.
• Strap around the boom (done on some classes, but requires a trip to the boom and is impossible to tension once the outhaul is tight.

Not a huge fan of single line reefing, but I lived with it. When I added a third reef (PDQ 32/34, not the Corsair), I went with two lines and liked it better; lower, tighten the tack, then tighten the clew.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I had single-line reefing with hooks at the gooseneck on our Starwind 27 and now I have single line reefing on our Catalina 320. I definitely prefer the former and I'm not a fan of single line reefing. So far, I find the adjustment is not very good. However, I will admit that without a dodger on our Starwind, it was easy and a quick trip to get just a moment at the mast to hook the cringle before returning to the cockpit to tighten the halyard and reefing line. Our Catalina has a dodger and it might not be so easy to get to the mast.

Another drawback to double line reefing is the number of lines led back to the cockpit for reefing. Would you want 4 lines instead of 2? I don't think I would. When I change my system, I think I will use the hooks at the tack and have just single lines for the clews.

 

[Parsons]

I've had both, and as both Scott and Thinwater say, it's a tradeoff of adjustability vs. complexity - like having a manual shift or automatic. I personally prefer single-line for speed and convenience. I mount a light block (Harken Carbo Airblock is my favorite) at the tack to reduce friction, and make sure the tack is set first. I drop the halyard to just beyond the reef marked on it with Sharpie, crank down on the single-line, and re-tension the halyard to the reef mark. If I don't worry about the headsail, winds aren't too high yet, and am quick, I can even do it on a tack like a racer. Unfortunately, I'm not able to do my second reef that way as I need to pull out slugs from the track as I don't have a jack line that high up the luff

 

[Sailfanatic]

To implement single line reefing you need a forward boom end cap with two upper sheaves and two lower sheaves. If you have the boom end cap to support single line, I found single line to work like a charm on my P31-2. Otherwise you have the choice of changing your boom endcap, or your boom and caps for single line, or adding the additional turning blocks, line organizer and line clutches for the two additional reefing lines to do double line reefing.

Singleline reefing here

 

[Hayden Watson]

I have single line reefing for 1st and 2nd reef on my C30 and love it. When I first installed it I had all of the problems that Scott T Bird and TW mention but that was due to the friction of the line sliding through the cringles. I added bearing blocks to both and now love it. I can pull in a reef single handed from full trim to full trim in under 60 seconds.

 

[Ken13559]

I've single-line reefing for my H326. I love it 'cos I don't need to send anyone out to mast when reefing. Usually it's the dark and stormy night that I need to do reefing. In that kind of weather, sail shape is last on the list. Get boat under control is 1st, 2nd and 3rd on list.

Ken Y

 

[Hayden Watson]

Mine SLR works well enough that I pull in a reef on the beat and shake it out on the run JAM buoy races when the wind is over 20 knots.

 

[DougM]

I have single line reefing with the line for each reef led back to the cockpit. My main sail has blocks sewn in at the reef points and the lines led through the sheaves in the boom. I don’t have a reef hook forward. When the lines are positioned right at the leech end, the system works well.

 

[Tally Ho]

I reworked my reefing lines last year and got them working a lot better...I struggled with the single line and chose to use a reef hook on the tack (which I had to go to the mast to change) and the reef line to the clew cringle. That gave me a pretty good reef.

After I upgraded to a new main sail, a Tides Marine Strong Track and I reran the reefing lines (with a small block on the tack cringles, it all worked pretty well. The new sail set up has a lot less friction in it, and the blocks seemed to help the friction on the reef lines.

On my O’Day 322, there are no blocks in the boom. The reef lines just run through. Others have blocks in the boom that I assume provide more effort on the lines.

Here was a thread that discussed the issue...and some photos...

Adventures in reefing

Trying to establish a simple reefing setup and hoping to avoid adding any hardware, if possible. Pics of the existing hardware on the aft end of my boom are attached. There are reefing hooks at the gooseneck, so I'm good there; but, having some trouble figuring out the clew. Seems I can tie a...

forums.sailboatowners.com

Good luck,

Greg

 

[sailme88]

Double the trouble so single, mingle and sail... I use a single reef line in the second point. Line is made fast on the boom at a point just aft of where the cringle would meet the boom and goes through the cringle and descends to a cheeking block on the stbd side of the boom opposite the point that it's made fast. Then the line runs forward thru the bales to cheeking block that turns it up to pass the luff cringle. Then down to a mast foot block that directs the line to 3 sheave flat deck organizer. From here back to the cockpit. Reference marks on the main halyard and reefing line make allow for a quick single handed reef in under a minute..

 

[Hayden Watson]

Here is how I rigged the bearings on the cringles. It has now been upgraded from a D shackle to welded SS rings. The bearing blocks did a great job on reducing friction. I have them on both tack and clew cringles.

 

[Parsons]

Here is how I rigged the bearings on the cringles. It has now been upgraded from a D shackle to welded SS rings. The bearing blocks did a great job on reducing friction. I have them on both tack and clew cringles.

I used to have the Carbo blocks at both the clew and tack, but a rigger told me to try it without the clew block, essentially increasing friction back there. His argument is that you want the tack to be seated first, and then the clew to make sure the foot is pulled taught (substituting for the outhaul. Also, twice the line goes through the tack block as it must pass both double the length of the tack and the clew, where the clew only passes double its own length. I tried it, and like the set better that way. Give it a try with only one tack block.

 

[Hayden Watson]

I can pull in my reef from fully trimmed main to fully trimmed reefed main in less than 60 seconds single handed. I tried to upload a video showing a 60-second reef but cannot get the upload to work.
The key is to drop the main down to a preset point and then pull the foot of the sail down to the boom. I have my main halyard marked with a permanent marker band. I let that out until it aligns with the aft edge of the halyard clutch and lock it off. This length of halyard will hold the reef tack cringle about 4" above the boom when the reef line is fully tensioned. Any lower and the reef line jambs up in the pile of cloth. at the clue the line comes out the aft end of the boom, up to the clew block and down under the boom to the old jiffy reef car. This gives a down and back pull which flattens the foot of the sail. Both cringles end up about 4"-6" above the boom with all three edges tight and good shape in the sail.
The biggest error I did when I started was trying to pull the foot too close to the boom. There is no need for the cringles to be hard against the boom. Think of it as a loose footed main.

 

[jssailem]

Sailing in the Gulf Islands or in the Puget Sound, I have not yet experienced a time I needed to reef in 60 seconds. Cruising not racing means you have time to understand the weather and set the boat up for the conditions to which you maybe exposed.

Getting out of the cockpit and going to the mast, reefing the sails, look around the boat, secure the boat for impending storm conditions are all part of my preparations.

That said single line reefing, properly designed to minimize friction on the lines and enable good sail trim when reefed would be my objective if I was to go that way.

 

[Hayden Watson]

Sailing in the Gulf Islands or in the Puget Sound, I have not yet experienced a time I needed to reef in 60 seconds. Cruising not racing means you have time to understand the weather and set the boat up for the conditions to which you maybe exposed.

Getting out of the cockpit and going to the mast, reefing the sails, look around the boat, secure the boat for impending storm conditions are all part of my preparations.

That said single line reefing, properly designed to minimize friction on the lines and enable good sail trim when reefed would be my objective if I was to go that way.

Well John, must I remind you of the 2019 RWR about dusk down on the west side of Gedney Is. Jim was at the helm and commented that he was getting a lot of weather helm. Then a couple of minutes later he told us that the helm was much better and I said "It must be the reef" and he replied "What reef?". Neither of you had noticed me drop in the first reef while racing after which we gained speed on better trim.
I think that we took in and let out the reef at least a half dozen times that night tacking up Saratoga.

 

[Hayden Watson]

The way that I have my boat set up, I do not need to leave the cockpit except to zip the stack pack or set the spinnaker.

 

[Sailfanatic]

....
That said single line reefing, properly designed to minimize friction on the lines and enable good sail trim when reefed would be my objective if I was to go that way.

The single line reefing on my P31-2 leads to a Lewmar 30ST winch, so whatever friction there is in the system is immaterial to quickly and easily putting in a reef, as winch power makes light work of the task. An operational issue, to the extent that there is any, is that the reefing line is quite long, as it needs to bring down both the leech and the luff, so setting a reef may take 10-20 turns of the winch, a lot of turns, however light each may be... Any effort to reduce fiction in the system would be of little purpose...

 

[Hayden Watson]

One other thing to consider in single line reefing. I have had my boat for 23 years. I installed the SLR 5 years ago and I have reefed as many times in the past 5 years as I did in the previous 17. My previous system was traditional slab jiffy reefing that was controlled from the mast. It worked well and I have always been a big fan of reefing and could do it well, quickly and safely but it took a trip to the mast. Now, I will reef and drop the reef during buoy races in the upper wind range without a monuments thought.

 

[Ward H]

I can pull in my reef from fully trimmed main to fully trimmed reefed main in less than 60 seconds single handed. I tried to upload a video showing a 60-second reef but cannot get the upload to work.
The key is to drop the main down to a preset point and then pull the foot of the sail down to the boom. I have my main halyard marked with a permanent marker band. I let that out until it aligns with the aft edge of the halyard clutch and lock it off. This length of halyard will hold the reef tack cringle about 4" above the boom when the reef line is fully tensioned. Any lower and the reef line jambs up in the pile of cloth. at the clue the line comes out the aft end of the boom, up to the clew block and down under the boom to the old jiffy reef car. This gives a down and back pull which flattens the foot of the sail. Both cringles end up about 4"-6" above the boom with all three edges tight and good shape in the sail.
The biggest error I did when I started was trying to pull the foot too close to the boom. There is no need for the cringles to be hard against the boom. Think of it as a loose footed main.

During the 2019 season @jssailem told me about the sweet line setup @Hayden Watson has on his C30. I chatted with Hayden and he shared with me how he set up his SLR and the above procedure for a 60 second reef. Huge improvement over what I had been doing for reefing. I find myself reefing more often as it's much easier. Hayden also guided me on setting up a very nice external multi purchase outhaul.

Now I'm a big fan of the SLF.