• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

Double line reefing

Steve Murray

Inactive Member
Has anyone set up a double line reefing system? I have a 35 III and would love to be able to reef the mainsail from the cockpit, especially when there are only two of us on board.

Any descriptions or warnings would be appreciated.

thanks,
Steve Murray
E35 III 222
Charlottetown PEI
 

u079721

Contributing Partner
When I bought a new main for my 38 in the fall of 2003, I asked my yard about this too. He said he would not recommend it for anything larger than a 27 footer due to the inability to adequately control the luff and leech tension independently. Seems like the price of this convenience is just too much in performance.
 

Steve Murray

Inactive Member
Thanks Steve. I'm talking about a double line system. I made a single line system for my previous 29' boat and would agree that the friction in a bigger boat would make a single line system unworkable. I was hoping that a separate line for tensioning the tack would work. Maybe it's another free lunch thing.

Steve Murray
E35 III 222
Charlottetown PEI
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Thanks Steve. I'm talking about a double line system. I made a single line system for my previous 29' boat and would agree that the friction in a bigger boat would make a single line system unworkable. I was hoping that a separate line for tensioning the tack would work.

Oops. I misread your terminology!
My boat came with a factory aft-lead first and second clew reef, and horns on the gooseneck for the two everyday tack-reef grommets. I had floppy rings inserted into both grommets, also.

So, for the few times we need to reef, we do indeed have to send someone up to the mast to pull the ring over the horn while someone else tensions the halyard at the back of the housetop. And, yes I do realize that a pair of bungy cords with loops above the gooseneck would enable me to put the ring on and hold it in place, and then let me return to the cockpit and retension the halyard and then do the final take-up on the reefed clew.
:)
Loren
 

Kim Schoedel

Member III
Steve,

Our boat came with the leach reefing line led aft to the cockpit. Handy. However, the luft reef is a bit if a hodge podge with an older cunningham set up to hook thru the reefing eye and then pull it down to the boom. I thought about running a line back to the cockpit and eliminating the tackle. But, the first thing I need to do is to modify the sail track on the mast below the stopper. Currently, I have to remove the stopper to let the main sail slugs drop far enough down so the sail can be at boom level at the reefing eye, and then put the stopper back in. Not handy.

Some on this site have built a couple of "plates" that they attached in the wide area under the stopper so the slugs can drop down far enough. I just haven't got around to doing this yet.
 

Steve Murray

Inactive Member
Kim, Loren,

We have the two leech clew lines running back to the cockpit and the ringed straps through the tack reef points. With the proper length straps, attaching to the horns at the gooseneck isn't a problem. Loren hit it on the head with the comment about getting the halyard tension on before going back to the cockpit. I hadn't thought about using bungy cords.

I may try a line for the first reef - the one we use 90% of the time. Run it from an eyestrap, up through the cringle and back down to a block at the base of the mast. I already have an extra sheave in the organizer on that side. If I mark the halyard and tension with the reef line, it might work.

Steve Murray E35 III 222
Charlottetown EPI
 

JohnK

Member II
I'd like to set up a single-line reef system too since when the wind picks up and I am singlehanded or shorthanded, I don't want to leave the cockpit. I saw this video on Garry Hoyt's Alerion 38 site. Granted, the Alerion's single line reefing system uses an electric winch and there is a block at the luff reef point to reduce friction, but the Alerion 38's mainsail is huge compared to an Ericson. It would probably be easy to duplicate this setup and give it a try...
 
Top