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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Single Line Reefing to Cockpit

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ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/09/2005 : 08:52:05

We are slowly bringing the lines back to the cockpit. The boat came with deck organizers but only the single horn cleat next to each winch, so I am not sure how they used the organizers before. Anyway, I have two questions:

1. I have seen most people use line clutches (the levered type). Is there a strong argument against using clam cleats (the kind with fairleads) in front of the winches? They seem to be lower and narrower profile, 1/10th the BUs

and low (non-)maintenance.

2. For the single-line reefing (excluding versions that run inside the boom) I have seen two main versions:
<ul><li>One that is turned at the mast for the fwd reefpoint</li><li>One that is turned at the fwd end of th boom</li></ul>
We have a fixed gooseneck and from the diagrams I have seen (and the college statics I remember) it looks like the mast version has better angles for keeping the sail flat and keeping the load off of the lower slugs. Does anybody have any experience or advice?

Nadi ex-C25
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/enka
http://building-spindrift11s.blogspot.com/

Edited by - on

ronrryan
Admiral

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USA
561 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2005 : 10:40:36

If my understanding is correct, single line reefing lines run from a fixed point at the boom end, up through the reefing clew cringle and back down the other side of the sail to a turning block (these two together provide about a 45 degree angle to the clew cringle when tensioned. Then the single line runs forward (outside or in) to the front end of the boom. There the reefing line is turned upward by a block (a cheek block if outside)and goes up to the luff reef cringle, through and down the mast to a turning block at the mast base, thence to the cockpit. Your question seems to relate to how tension is provided at the front end of the boom to be sure the reef foot is taut. In conventional reefing the gooseneck horn (or a cleat on the mast) serves this function. On single line rigs I have see, the down going line from the reef luff cringle is led through a fairlead (either dumb, or a block) on the mast at the correct location to provide a forward tension, so when reefed the forward part of the reef (the luff) is drawn forward against the rearward tension of the clew outhaul block. Hope this helps, not hurts, ron srsk Orion SW FL

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2005 : 11:24:38

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ilnadi
 We are slowly bringing the lines back to the cockpit. The boat came with deck organizers but only the single horn cleat next to each winch, so I am not sure how they used the organizers before. Anyway, I have two questions:

1. I have seen most people use line clutches (the levered type). Is there a strong argument against using clam cleats (the kind with fairleads) in front of the winches? They seem to be lower and narrower profile, 1/10th the BUs

and low (non-)maintenance.

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

I do not think there is a way to improve on the XAS
[url="http://www.sailnet.com/store/item.cfm?pid=22205"]Spinlock XAS[/url]

It is no more expensive than three proper cams.

I also like my Harken Deck organizers for their small footprint and multiple sheeves, always plan for the future. (I threw the stock doubles away.)
[url="http://www.sailnet.com/store/item.cfm?pid=17672"]Harken stacked organizer[/url]

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 03/12/2005 : 08:00:29

I'll have to agree with Frank about the Spinlock XAS clutches. I took mine off my C22 before I sold her and remounted them on my 25. I also use them when I single hand the mast raising. If some line or cable gets hung up, and one usually does, I can clutch off the raising line and go untangle it.

By the way Frank, is the padeye on your mast for a whisker pole, or a spinnaker pole? I have to mount mine without seeing exactly how high my clew is as my boat is derigged and in the driveway. Yours looks pretty high up, higher than I thought I would have to mount one for my new Forespar 7-17 whisker pole.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 03/12/2005 : 08:44:42

Whisker and it is right for both my 110 and my 150. It was there when I got the boat. I would have put a track on, now that I have sailed with this I see it would have been a waste of money.

Edited by - on

ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 03/12/2005 : 19:34:59

would someone who has their reefing line led to the cockit have a picture of the setup at the mast?

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 03/12/2005 : 21:30:38

I put some picts up for you here.
[url="http://homepage.mac.com/fhopper/PhotoAlbum86.html"]reef picts[/url]

There are more pictures of the routing along the starboard deck on other pages of the site.

There are many ways to do this. My first effort at single line used a hook which put too much distance between the block on the hook, the reef cringle, and the gooseneck, so the cringle did not haul all the way to the boom. One of the Harken methods is to have a sailmaker use webbing and sew a loop above the reef cringle so a block hangs at just the right height. I am going to try something else next month and use a bullring on the port side of the cringle and pass the block shackle through the cringle to the ring. I hope that will raise the block enough. I will also skip the little cheek and use the big Garhauer cheek as my turning lead up and go straight from the block down to my halyard plate to get the cringle more forward.

The two line system I went to last summer is very fast and gives me very clean lines on my sail while reefed. I have both reef lines and the main halyard through the three clutches on starboard. My 6x cunningham goes to a clam cleat.

Any of that make sense?

Edited by - Frank Hopper on 03/12/2005 21:34:47

ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2005 : 16:33:38

Thanks Frank and others who replied, it does make sense. Long and short of it, I think we will stay with the hook and the horn cleat on the boom until we are ready to tackle this as a proper project, as either way is a project. My original idea of furning the existing line at the mast base seems not very useful.

I can see how single-line is hard to set in place and even 1-line seems to require blocks and fairleads. 2-line does sound intuitively less friction but it would require new organizers and clutches (would be our first bedding project).

Question, though, related to my "bad repair day": is there a special trick to tapping holes in the mast and boom? I have used taps before and I never saw one break in Aluminium, alloy or not.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
Any of that make sense?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

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