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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Capri 25 Specific Forum

Outhaul, flat reef, reef

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katemac
Deckhand

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1 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/05/2007 : 12:25:41

I've just started teaching on a Capri 25 that our club has. I'm not super familiar with these boats and are more familiar with other keel boats. I've been looking at the rigging and the boom has three cleats on it. On the starboard side there is one labeled outhaul and one labelled flat reef, on the port side there is one labelled reef. I don't think these are currently rigged properly as the outhaul isn't working and the flat reef and reef lines are just hanging there not doing anything.

How would I go about rigging these properly so they can be used.

Thanks so much

Edited by - on

SailCO26
Captain

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USA
457 Posts

Response Posted - 07/05/2007 : 15:09:46

Outhaul: the outhaul exiting the boom near the mast should be connected to a block/tackle purchase system contained in the boom, controlling a line at the aft end of the boom connected to the mainsail clew. I think mine's 4 or 6x. In my case, the outhaul doesnt cleat to the boom, but rather thru a pivoting block/cam cleat below the gooseneck.

"lines are just hanging there not doing anything" - interesting! So are you saying there's a line at the cleat, but then doesnt route/connect anywhere else? Is the mainsail usually removed after every sail? If that's the case, then these lines probably need to be routed each time the main is bent on.

In my case (not necessarily representative of the fleet):
Flat Reef: line tied to boom S side, thru cunningham grommet, thru block on P side, back thru grommet, to cam cleat on S side. Probably overkill, but I like the fine-tuning allowed with a 2x-purchase. Could be done 1x without the block.

Reef: what's that? JK, there are no reef points on my race main, but there are on my practice main. Similar layout to the cunningham, but 1x purchase - tied to boom on P side, thru grommet, to block/cleat on the S side. One for the tack, one for the clew. YMMV, esp if it's rigged for single-line reefing. Not sure why you just have one "reef" cleat, unless it's 1x-line.

Hope that helps...

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shadleym
Deckhand

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USA
8 Posts

Response Posted - 07/05/2007 : 16:27:30

The outhauls on these boats often need to be reworked if they are still original or if yours is otherwise non-functional. Others will have better suggestions than I have on this. I hope they will post some good suggestions.

The Flatening reef is used just to flatten the foot of the sail more than you can do with the outhaul. The typical main will have a reefing grommet just up from the clew of the sail, I don't know, maybe 8 to 10 inches (just a guess), with no other grommets in line with it. The flattening reef line would exit the boom through one of the two sheaves built into the back end. The line would go up on the port side of the sail, through the flattening reef grommet, and down to perhaps a horn cleat on the starboard side of the boom. Hauling on this line will raise the boom ever so slightly and will pull the lower sections of the sail FLAT. This is of use if you want to depower but aren't quite to the point where you want to put in a full reef or change a headsail.

The other reefing line is for putting in a full reef. It would be rigged much like the flattening reef line, except that it would go through a reefing grommet farther up the leech of the main. And there would be a row of grommets in a line from the luff of the main to the leech. Reefing the main is a whole other topic (and it may be covered in this forum somewhere).

Originally, the boat would have both reefing lines run through the boom, and they could both be run through the mainsail grommets at the same time, ready to go when needed. On my boat, I just rig one reefing line and I typically put it through the lower flattening reef grommet so it's handy if I need it. And then, if I decide I need to put in a full reef, I just rerun that same line through the other grommet (and do all that other reefing stuff you have to do). The line does have to be long enough to go all the way up through the main reefing grommet and back down to the horn cleat on the starboard side of the boom, which leaves some extra line that has to be coiled up when I'm just using the flattening reef, but that doesn't bother me much.

I hope that makes sense. I'm not really sure about exactly when to use the flattening reef beyond what I said earlier, which was intentionally somewhat vague. I haven't used it much, mostly because I forget it's there. So if anyone has some input on flattening reef usage nuances, I'd be interested too.

Mike

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Andy_334
Navigator

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USA
206 Posts

Response Posted - 07/05/2007 : 21:28:19

We’re making more use of our reefing capabilities this year on Jalepeno. We’ve found way better control with a reefed main and a 140, as opposed to a full main and a 110.

I’m not sure about this flat reef that you mentioned. However, as Mike mentioned, many boats have reworked their outhaul. We have a wire connected via a shackle to the clew of the main. The wire runs through the boom to a Harken magic box. The line from the magic box runs aft along the stbd side the boom to a cleat.

The reef on the main is a new addition this year; and is only available on the old main with the appropriate grommets. The line enters the boom, through a cleat, 2/3 of the way aft from the mast. It is led forward to a sheave in about the middle of the boom, and is then led aft to the sheave at the end of the boom. When setting up for the reef, the line is taken from the end of the boom, up through the grommet at the leach, and then straight down and tied around the boom with a bowline. The luff of the sail is secured using the hook from the Cunningham, although we’re looking into reefing horns on the gooseneck. We then have old sail ties through the other grommets in the sail to gather up the remainder around the boom. It may look ugly, but it is sure as hell effective!

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existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 07/07/2007 : 19:40:56

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Andy_334
 We’re making more use of our reefing capabilities this year on Jalepeno. We’ve found way better control with a reefed main and a 140, as opposed to a full main and a 110.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

BINGO!

Got to get Harry on board with this.

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Andy_334
Navigator

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USA
206 Posts

Response Posted - 07/07/2007 : 21:28:20

Rick - are you suggesting Harry does not approve? Or am I missing something?

We also have a club/fleet restriction of four jibs. So, we're happy trading the 110 for the 140 + reefed main. If it's really honking, we still have competitive power downwind with the 140 and no spin.

Edited by - Andy_334 on 07/07/2007 21:32:18

existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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1180 Posts

Response Posted - 07/08/2007 : 08:32:38

No, just that Harry once told me they no longer put reef points in the mains because racers don't want them, I paid extra for mine. If the thinking is changing on that, Harry should know.

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Ericson33
Admiral

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892 Posts

Response Posted - 07/08/2007 : 11:18:28

I think the reef points really depend on where you sail and the wind conditions.
our main sail has no reeding points,and my thoughts are that two need to be added.
we use our flat reef when the wind is about 15 and we have to flatten the main to
Keep the boat flat.

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Andy_334
Navigator

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USA
206 Posts

Response Posted - 07/08/2007 : 19:56:33

we have the benefit of two mains. One with reefs and one without. If we think it is going to pipe-up, we use the old flat main with the reefs.

[hijack]
However that did not prepare us for today. 3 legs in less the 5 knots, then a front moved through. Huge wind shift. Winds picked up to 20+. No spins, just a blazing reach to the downwind mark. Ugly upwind to finish, and then a tremendous storm on the way back to the dock. Hail like I have never seen it. thunder and lightning so close, zero visibility, several knock-downs among the fleet. One boat arrived back at the dock with milfoil from the windex and BOTH spreaders! Our instruments measured a gust at 52 knots!
[/hijack]

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Stew_334
Deckhand

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USA
2 Posts

Response Posted - 07/08/2007 : 23:12:07

Andy,

This deserves its own thread, or perhaps to be put in the "Capri 25 Sinks" thread, as yet another Capri (Ellie Jay #196) went down today during that storm! Not much you can do when a 60 MPH gust takes your sail-less boat and puts its mast in the milfoil! Unbelievable stuff!

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Ericson33
Admiral

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USA
892 Posts

Response Posted - 07/10/2007 : 22:53:43

This sucks 2 in the last two months.

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Andy_334
Navigator

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USA
206 Posts

Response Posted - 07/10/2007 : 23:46:47

I just heard it is now afloat, and drying out.

The PRO for the event posted an account of the day's events.

http://web.mac.com/blakesail/iWeb/Site/My%20Journal%20%28aka%20Blog%29/D51B76A7-B20E-4213-B9BC-E5679309FEE1.html

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Andy_334
Navigator

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USA
206 Posts

Response Posted - 07/11/2007 : 20:34:14

[url="http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15813"]More coverage...........[/url]

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