Reefing tack help needed

[bwindrope]

I'm in the process of setting up a reefing system on my Gulf 32 and have settled most everything to my satisfaction except for the tack. I have a standard reefing hook that also serves as the bolt that holds the boom onto the gooseneck. It is about 5 inches tall.

I thought it would be straightforward to use it, but when I set everything up today, I discovered that my new North mainsail, which has the nice Orings pre-installed, does not fit the hook well. What happens is that the reefing Oring is further astern than the hook, so when you hook it on, it puts a crease in the main all the way up the sail. Looks bad, and can't be good for sail shape. Also, when I tension my clew, it pulls back on the reef hook slightly bending it. This cannot be good either, as that force is trying to bend the hook and that is just at the dock without pressure on the sail.

So that is my problem.

I released the tack from the reefing hook and used a sail tie to tie the reef tack into a more natural position so the sail shape was good. This puts that reef tack further back from the mast about 2 inches or more. Then I thought, shoot, is there some way to hook a shackle to the existing tack pin at the gooseneck and disregard the reef hook altogether?

I'm really stuck, and would greatly appreciate advice. Thanks.

[bwindrope]

After posting my question above, I've been rooting around online and found maybe I need to go away from the reefing hook system I've got, the gooseneck bolt/hook combination. I've seen that it is possible to replace my reef hook bolt with a standard bolt, thus not risking bending or breaking my gooseneck connection bolt, and to use a separate U shaped S hook attached with line to the normal tack pin.

I suppose this means I'd have a hook and line flopping around my gooseneck all the time, but if it gives me the right sail shape and is strong, then maybe that is my answer. I still welcome advice, I just wanted to toss this idea out for rejection:-)

Thanks

[Brian Duff]

I have a preference over the standard reefing hook. ( of course I do !)

What I like to do for slab reefing and tack control at mast is to install a cleat on each side of the spar forward and slightly lower than the gooseneck, then lead a line deadending from one cleat, up through your reef tack with a stopper knot to keep it falling out, and then haul that line down to the opposites side cleat when ready to reef. This provides a bit of purchase for hauling the sail down, and keeps your fingers out of the area. Sometimes the tack hooks can be difficult to get the tack ring on , and so I started with this system - this tack line will also be easy to lead to the cockpit (along with toppinglift, vang, mainhalyard, and reef outhaul control) for 'remote' reefing of the mainsail.

have fun with your heavy weather sailing

[Ian McColgin]

I am with Mr Duff on this, in the main. Reefing hooks are a huge pain since you need the luff a bit slack when hooking on and then you need to hold the cringle in place since the sail is flogging and the boat is hopping - unless you only reef in calm weather - while tensioning the halyard which takes two more hands to tail while cranking so there you are three hands and teeth all fully engaged while all the water coursing down the sail is funneled to the tack and past the wrist gauntlet on your oilies . . .

Reefing hooks should be removed.

I like a simple pendent permanently spliced to the reefing tack cringle. If you handle the halyard from the mast, the pendent need be no longer than reachable - i.e. first reef to full, second reef reachs to first, etc. If you handle the halyards from the cockpit, as I do with Marmalade's massive gaff main, then the reefing lines need to be within reach there.

Either way, I've not bothered with the tack lines going side to side as I get a better set if I can bring the cringle down a bit lower, albeit a tad to one side, than where it would end up stacked up on the sail slides or hoops. The clew lines, on the other hand, should be 2:1, boom through cringle through cheekblock and then forward.

It helps to have the topping lift reachable from where ever you control the halyard. That way you can top the boom up a little, drop the sail enough to secure the tack and retension the luff, haul out the clew as hard as possible, and then ease the lift to sail. On all but the largest boats, this should be a one person job requiring a little skill but no great strength.

G'luck

[bwindrope]

Thanks so much Brian and Ian,
I like both your ideas. Your shared opinion that reefing hooks are best removed coincides with my own at this point. It is too hard to use (impossible for my wife), bad for sail shape, and jeopardizes the only gooseneck attachment bolt. Good to have confirmation from more experienced folks like you.

So now it is just a question of what to do instead. I like the line idea, and see it would work well as described. Everything has pros and cons. Cons could be that you have permanent lines dangling and flailing, may have chafe problems where the line goes through the eye, and I have to install two more cleats on the mast.

For Ian's idea, I am not clear on how you are anchoring the pendant you describe? When you say pendant, do you mean a length of normal line? In that case, are you just bringing it straight down to a cleat on the mast? Also, if you have a loose line attached to each reef tack, what keeps those lines from not just blowing all over in the breeze when not being used? I can't quite picture it, sorry for my lack of imagination.

My main does already have Orings sewn with webbing into both luff cringle eyes. So it is easier to hook it onto something like the loose hook on line I was asking about before these other good ideas.

I should have also said that I am installing a two line system and my halyards and winches are at the mast so I already go forward. Also, my topping lift is controllable at the gooseneck too, so that is good.

For my leech cringles, I got a good idea from Bill Seifert's book "Offshore Sailing" about permanently installing small blocks with webbing and Orings and then bringing that down to the boom and through the usual cheek block and stuff. He said running a line through the leech eye will chafe through in short order in really stormy conditions and that having the line go through the block prevents this. Makes sense to me.

Thanks again for your valued advice.

[Ian McColgin]

I don't see any way that adding a little dangle block will reduce chafe at the reefed clew. It just makes it harder to set the clew up firmly enough.

There is a paradoxical trick that not only reduces possible chafe but also makes for a cleaner set at the clew: Have both parts of the reefing clew lines start from the same side of the boom. The standing part should be a little ahead of the boom's cheekblock to reduce fouling when the sail is struck. The net of the two leads should be about 45 degree down angle. The line goes up, through the cringle, and flops loosely over the leach when not in use. The sail can be reefed on either tack but (assuming normal rig working from the mast) it's best to have the strap and block on the starboard side and to usually reef hove-to on the starboard tack. But even on port tack, the bunt of the sail abaft the reef clew will flop aside as you tighten up for a clean set. Much nicer than having the two parts of the reef clew line embrace the sail's bunt.

On my old schooners where I handled setting, striking and reefing from the starboard side of the masts, I ran the clew lines along the booms to within reach of my stance by the mast. The topping lift's fall came readily to hand cleated to the mast just above the halyard's cleat. I led the reefing tack pendents down on the starboard side and never found the dangling line a problem. Up against the mast there puts them in relativly still air anyway. I just belayed them to a cleat below the gooseneck off-set a little to starboard. I made that cleat large enough to take all three reefs in order.

On my catboat, all the lines lead to the cockpit. I have two quarter lifts rather than one topping lift, and to manage the 300# boom I have 4:1 on each lift. But the principle is the same that one person can heave-to and reef in safety and security.

Lazy jacks (I actually combine lifts with jacks but that's another matter) help much.

G'luck