Rigging E25+ for sailing singlehanded

[gargrag]

Hi folks,
Wife and I have been restoring our 1971 E25+, Most of the time we gonna be sailing singlehanded or very short handed. we have a furling headsail, and the main sail is with the original setup, which requires someone operating the halyards directly next to the mast and tying them to horn cleats.

Would love to see what other owners have done to improve their setups for singlehanded operation.
Is there any furling main system that would be reasonable to install in our boat?

We also installed a tiller lock, that's been super helpful.

 

[Christian Williams]

Here's a recent thread on the topic.

Going to the mast to attach the reef tack by hand is greatly facilitated by "dog bones," short simple extensions of the cringle.

The reef outhaul requires a winch. If the winch is on the boom (old fashioned), you can do both jobs at the mast. But most lead the reef line back to a cabin-top winch, so you can grind the reef line tight even while it's luffing aggressively.

If the system has good line, blocks, cleat (or clutch) and mast track, slab reefing is in my opinion by far the best and most reliable.

But all the stuff has to work, and on boats that never reef, it usually doesn't. Which is why they never reef.

To really enjoy the process, get a tiller pilot. It steers while you reef. And while you motor. And while you make lunch....

 

[Epenn]

I single hand infrequently on my 30+. The main halyard comes through a clutch cleat to the cockpit, so I can and have fully raised from there. I don't have any sort of auto pilot. I actually prefer to go up to the mast because raising from there is so much faster, and the gain in time is well worth it because the boat inevitably starts to drift off course. Actually, the most annoying part is taking up the slack in the halyard because I have it in my hand at the mast, but I need to pull it all into the cockpit aft of the cleat. I usually wrap it around the winch on my way forward and hoist directly at the mast and then hold the halyard with one hand and pull the slack through the clear with the other, a manoeuver that is neither safe nor graceful. I've often thought that a winch on or near the mast would actually be way better.

 

[gabriel]

If not equipped, a real topping lift or some way to hold the boom.

 

[Kenneth K]

... the main sail is with the original setup, which requires someone operating the halyards directly next to the mast and tying them to horn cleats.

Would love to see what other owners have done to improve their setups for singlehanded operation.

Sounds like what you are referring to is "running your lines aft," which usually means all the way aft to the cockpit and typically includes both halyards and reefing controls.

Looks something like this:




Search for posts on "running rigging" and "running lines aft."