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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Flattening Reef and Bimini

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Tom Potter
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1913 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/01/2005 : 18:40:48

I just left the marina where I met with the local sail loft guy who was measuring up the 250 for a custom built bimini. During our measurements he explained to me that if he installed a "Flattening Reef" in the main, that it would give me more head room under the bimini.(almost standing room). Said that I would only need to use the Flattening Reef when the bimini was open. The Flattening Reef is a new term to me, but made perfect sense. Anyone done this before? Would like to hear any comments on Flattening Reef in general, pro's and con's.

1997 250 TR WK (sold)
1984 O'Day 28 (sold)
1979 SISU 22
Bath, NC.

Edited by - Tom Potter on 04/01/2005 21:00:59

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5904 Posts

Response Posted - 04/01/2005 : 18:54:23

A flattening reef is an excellent idea. The mainsail on my tall rig C25 has one, and it raises the boom a foot, which makes the tall rig's low boom more comfortable when cruising. Most mainsails already have a cunningham cringle. If so, that's half of a flattening reef. All your sailmaker would need to add is a cringle on the leech of the sail, about a foot above the boom.

A flattening reef is also useful as a short reef that takes the draft out of the mainsail when the windspeed increases. You use it when the boat is a little overpowered, but not so much that you want to tuck in a full reef.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 04/01/2005 : 19:52:10

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Steve Milby
 A flattening reef is an excellent idea. The mainsail on my tall rig C25 has one, and it raises the boom a foot, which makes the tall rig's low boom more comfortable when cruising. Most mainsails already have a cunningham cringle. If so, that's half of a flattening reef. All your sailmaker would need to add is a cringle on the leech of the sail, about a foot above the boom.

A flattening reef is also useful as a short reef that takes the draft out of the mainsail when the windspeed increases. You use it when the boat is a little overpowered, but not so much that you want to tuck in a full reef.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Steve, that confused me. My understanding through the years that I used a flattening reef has it a little different. I believe the flattening reef is designed to take the shelf foot out of a mainsail with a a bolt rope shelf foot main. Setting the flattening reef pulls the flattening cringle making it the clew. It flattens the main by taking the shelf foot out of the picture. A proper flattening reef is built into the lower panel as a radial panel from the tack and is set leaving the tack as designed. When it is set there is a seam from the tack to the Flattening cringle that becomes parallel to the boom. Since it is about a foot above the boom it raises the boom as you said but has nothing to do with the cunningham. It would be very handy for the bimini effect that the sail guy suggested it for. As for using it in conjunction with the cunningham cringle and letting the halyard go so the cunningham could be set down at the boom and thereby creating a short reef; I suppose so but the lower panel of the sail would not be cut so that it would set well.
As I said this is my recollection from the late eighties/ early nineties. Have things changed?

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5904 Posts

Response Posted - 04/01/2005 : 20:20:06

I use my flattening reef both ways. Your way is faster to tuck in and shake out, but using the cunningham cringle takes out a little more sail area. I never thought about it before, but technically, I probably shouldn't refer to it as a flattening reef when I use it in connection with the cunningham. It's really a short reef. I figure, since the hardware is there, I might as well put it to its best use.

A flattening reef isn't seen very often on a sail without a shelf foot, but I think it's a good, inexpensive suggestion for raising the boom to get more clearance for the bimini, it does in fact flatten the mainsail, and it's also useful as a short reef.

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