I tried the movable line at cringle a couple years back for just my first reef, which in my current main (M17) is not a full first reef but what someone here identified as a "flattening reef" - it takes a relatively small bite of sail area but flattens the belly quite a bit vs. full sail. It works in terms of angle because the flattening reef cringle is not much at all forward of the full sail cringle. For full first reef the angle would be all wrong - mostly aft, not enough down. The immediate problem I had is that it's out of reach over the rail in most actual reefing situations, to move the line from one cringle to another. So that was a no-go right away. I've got standard outhaul and first and second reef hardware set up on my starboard side without issues of space. Placement of the blocks for the clew reef lines gives a correct angle of tension (enough aft and enough down). This article has line drawings and pictures as well as narrative on setting up main reefing gear. https://www.cruisingworld.com/seamanship-101-reefing-main/#page-13 Blocks aft in the right location for tension, cleats forward where they can easily be reached from cockpit even with boom far out to the side. Also some good stuff at the start about why the right reef for the right conditions is both faster and safer than not reefing - even when racing. There was a great youtube video also about how to set up your regular outhaul - the part before any blocks - but it's gone now... :-( cheers, John On 9/17/21 6:06 PM, Alex Conley wrote:
Photos please! I’ve been noodling the same in my minds eye as I procrastinate drilling holes and getting a stainless worthy riveter… only issue that makes me hesitate is sail control in sketchy conditions when changing the outhaul from cringle to cringle (eg sail flapping loose in moment outhaul is on neither). Has that been an issue?
On Fri, Sep 17, 2021 at 5:53 PM Jon Barber <brbrbarber@gmail.com> wrote:
I changed my outhaul set up to provide a simplified reefing system that allows me to remove all the reefing hardware, including those reef lines that are always getting tangled. The outhaul terminates at a snap shackle. It operates like a standard outthaul, but the snap shackle allows me to move it to the reef cringle (either one) and use it to tension the sail in reefing situations. A soft shackle is also worked thru the reef cringes and are made up around the boom. I use a dinghy sheet tackle to tension the sail at the mast. This system greatly simplifies reefing and eliminates most of the reefing hardware. This is all new to my boat and I am still practicing reefing this way.
This idea I found on the Video Ramblers YouTube channel. The subject boat is a Goat Island Skiff.
Jon Barber Monty 17 Ol'44
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