ADDING A 3RD MAIN SAIL REEF

[hstanley01]

Does anyone have a clever idea on how to add a third reef onto the main sail of a SO36i and how to run the rigging ?

[MalcolmP]

Sept 11, 2011 20:10:43 GMT hstanley01 said:

Does anyone have a clever idea on how to add a third reef onto the main sail of a SO36i and how to run the rigging ?

I had a third reef put in on our 39i last year by Doyles who matched the original Quantum reef shapes exactly so it look OEM. There was a spare sheave in the Selden boom for another outhaul - so I could rig a single line for the new leech pennant, but as there was not a third luff line I simply use a tape tyer to tie that to the gooseneck. However hopefully will seldom use the third reef...
On the downside if the 3rd pennant is rigged permanently it is a lot of line that drops around your head when lowering the sail - in fact I have tied the line now as a stopper knot and keep the rest of the line hauled fully through to the cabin-top and will only reeve it through the sail if it looks like it might be needed....

If you know that you will be going put in heavy weather your could tie in the first reef with fixed lines before hoisting the sail allowing the 2 remaining single line reefing pennants to be available for reefs 2 and 3

[hstanley01]

Thanks for the helpful reply .

[davideso37]

I have put a third reefing line in our SO37. It was a new boom and had pulleys for the outerhaul and three reef lines. The first two reef lines are single line reefing with internal purchases inside the boom but there is not enough length inside the boom to accommodate the amount of rope needed for the tallest reef. For this one I have used a continuous single line reefing. The rope goes from boom up to the reef eye back to the boom end pulley then through the boom down to the mast base and back up to the tack reef point then down to the mast base and back to the cabin top jammers. It sounds like a lot of rope but it works a treat. I have a guide eye at the gooseneck to stop the tack being hauled below the boom and keep the tack close into the boom. The front reef eye had to be carefully positioned so that when it is under tension the mainsail slider are free to move up and down the track.
As webcrew says it is a lot of rope and high up in the sail but it is comforting when wife and I are alone at sea.
BTW the expression single line reefing confused me for a long time as my first two reef are separate lines connected via pulleys so that the tack pulls done to the boom and locks off and then the clew is hauled in. It it only single line in the sense that you pull on a single line to reef it. The third reef is indeed a single line. The single line reefing has many variants.

Regards

David

[hstanley01]

I have a variant that involves pulleys and ropes on the outside of the boom . The inside is crammed already with just 2 reef lines.
I was just worried that drilling/rivetting to secure the pulleys mighy weeken the boom . I have a diagram to share - if only I can workout how to load it on here .

[corksailor]

My 35 has a tendency to round up at 17 knots apparent I fitted a half reef last year before the 1st reef and it has helped.I use the deep reef line for this reef and only re-rig the line for the 3rd reef when the weather looks bad.

[Full Circle]

The 3rd reef on my SO35 has a lot of friction, but it works.
All done single line.
The line is 36m long.