Making your own reef points

[marcusg]

So I finally took my boat out for a couple sails, the first being a mild 6-8mph one with my wife and toddler - everything pretty much smooth and worked. And then, after some slight adjustments/repairs, my first solo sail in 16...no wait...23...maybe 30? mph winds. Jesum crow that was scary. Of course I totally lost control the second I got out of the lee of our sailing club peninsula. No know in my mainsheet so it pulled through the traveler and boom swung out and into the water. Even under power, I could barely stay course back to the sailing club without going in a half dozen circles first. Lesson learned: reef or stay in my weight class, wind-wise.

So I went to look at my sails, and unfortunately they seem to have no reef points. There is a grommet on each side above the clew and tack, but they're definitely not the distance they should be to be a 1/4 of the sq. footage, and the one above the tack is about a foot higher than the one above the clew. See attached picture below.

I googled and found a page (https://www.bwsailing.com/adding-reef-points/) that shows how to add your own reef points, and I'm a bit intimidated by adding sailcloth reinforcements (don't even know if I have a sewing machine that can handle sail cloth and that thickness thread.) And I don't even know if I need to add grommets in the middle to lash to the boom, since I have one of those rotating booms that I can wrap the sail around. After checking the sail, it seems the luff is already reinforced with plenty of width to fit grommets, but the leech is only the sail fabric folded over itself (except for additional triangles on the clew and head) and this folded section is just wide enough for a grommet and change. I'll have to canvas my sailing club to see if those guys have any ideas or pre-reef-pointed sails for sale, but what do you think about just grommeting up my existing one (after careful measuring of course) or am I out of my league once again?

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[RaleighRancher]

Is the roller reefing on the boom not an option for your Daysailer? (Detach mainsheet, Pull aft on boom, roll sail onto boom, reattach mainsheet to end of boom or to reefing claw)

If roller reefing isn't an option, get the Jiffy Reefing kit from sailrite.com. $80 and includes every last thing you need reinforcing patches, grommets, reefing line, cleats, etc). And most home sewing machine can handle the sailcloth.

[marcusg]

Ah I guess I forgot to mention that I do have a roller boom. So roller booms don't require reef points? Awesome! Do I have to do any excess tieing, like for the excess sail around boom, or does the boom wrap just hold it all?

[Hesedguy]

Roller reefing is less than ideal, I would highly recommend getting the Jiffy Reefing kit or finding a local sailmaker who could add them. My reefing setup uses a slightly different setup, but is still quite easy to use. I think it's what was standard on later Daysailers. It uses a hook on the gooseneck to hold tack instead of a line pulling it down, but the clew is setup the same as the Jiffy Reefing kit.

[RaleighRancher]

The roller reefing is fine for my occasional use. For my DS2, it's simply unclip mainsheet from mid-boom, reclip to end of boom, release halyard, roll, cleat halyard. Much easier with two people. I've never done it while underway and I don't have experience with conventional reefing. I've heard people with more experience say it is less desirable than conventional reefing. It seems like conventional reefing would be easier for one person and it doesn't change your mainsheet handling. Those seem like legitimate advantages, so it's just a matter of which sort of trouble suits you better.

[GreenLake]

First, the grommet at the mast end might have been intended for a Cunningham, although it seems placed too high, if it's really a foot above the one near the clew. I can't come up with a potential use for the aft one.

Second, echoing what others have written, get your reef points installed, with reinforcements, above tack and clew. Whether you shell out for a sewing machine, hand-stitch or find a professional to do it for you, just get it done. (Most sailmakers will handle this job, even for sails that are not their own. If you don't have one in driving distance, see whether some will do it "mail order").

You do not need any grommets for sail ties, a reefed sail on a DS will stay in place if tucked in. More or less, but it's fine.



You should be able to tell from the batten position where the reef points are on my sail.

Once you have your reef points, there are two options (and no, roller reefing isn't one of them). One is to install a reef hook near the gooseneck and use a reef line at the back. The latter is used to pull the reef point down and back, so one end is positioned below the reef point and the other one is positioned a bit aft, so it ends up tightening the new "foot".

The other option is to use a reef line in the front as well, like a larger Cunningham. I set mine up to combine both into a single reefline. It works, as you can see, and needs only one cleat, but the downside is that friction prevents you from just pulling at the end. I need to reach under the boom, yank the line tight (pulling the aft reef point into position) then repeat that for the front part while not losing tension in the rear. Not too bad, if you know what to do.

Whether you use a single reef line or two, a possible advantage over a reef hook is that you don't need to use the halyard to tighten the luff of the reefed sail. Instead you use the reefline which, like a Cunningham, has an effective 2:1 purchase. (You simply drop the main halyard to a position you mark on the line, and then pull the sail tight with the reef line).

A reef hook is faster, but you need to let the halyard out a bit more, and then take that slack out again.

So there's options.

[Hesedguy]

RaleighRancher (I just figured out the play on words with that one!) perhaps your setup is better than mine was. I had an O'day Javelin, the Daysailer's little brother, with roller reefing and since I didn't have a reefing claw I had to end up simply taking the mid-boom block out and simply lost mechanical advantage and it was harder to manage even with reduced sail area, plus had to worry about the mid-boom flange chafing the sail.

[GreenLake]

Oh, and if you are wondering how to put a reef in while under way, look up the post about "heaving to". Works like a charm (in all conditions I've tried it).

I can't come up with a reason why you would need to lead halyards to the cockpit. When hove to, you can stand in the forward end of the cockpit on the windward side and do everything you need from there, including reefing. I have one control that's lead to where a crew can reach it: the jib halyard tensioner. In variable winds you might find reason to adjust that one, but sailing by myself, I''ll either set and forget, or briefly heave to if the wind is starting to put "scallops" into the luff of the jib.

Racers might want to adjust the Cunningham and or vang more frequently might lead those back to the helm.

[marcusg]

So if the reef set you guys recommended, which looks great, isn’t in my budget for sailing stuff this month (just ordered a tiller tamer and some fixins for raising and lowering the rudder in our reef infested sailing club dock waters) what is the disadvantage of just roller refining? Hard on sail? Imprecise reef location?

I think long term though, I will just hand see in the reef points from that set you linked to. I’d like to practice roller feeding in moderate winds before then though.

[Hesedguy]

I just took another look at your picture and your first thread, looks like you have end-boom sheeting, that cuts out the problem I had with my mid-boom block getting in the way. And if the way the sheet attaches to the end of the boom swivels, then roller reefing may be quite easy. The primary disadvantage in that case is loss of outhaul control, but unless you're racing you can just put another roll in the reef to make up for that if need be. I imagine the sail would also wear out differently, but as for an imprecise reef location, I'm sure you could sort that out with some practice. If you are low on upgrade funds don't let the fact that you have roller reefing keep you from sailing, it still reduces sail area.

[RaleighRancher]

RaleighRancher (I just figured out the play on words with that one!) perhaps your setup is better than mine was. I had an O'day Javelin, the Daysailer's little brother, with roller reefing and since I didn't have a reefing claw I had to end up simply taking the mid-boom block out and simply lost mechanical advantage and it was harder to manage even with reduced sail area, plus had to worry about the mid-boom flange chafing the sail.

The same! My prior boat was a Javelin, with the same complication of the mid-boom block and Crosby rigging over the transom. Still, I used the roller reefing on a couple of occasions (didn't have a choice really) and it worked quite well for me.

With my DS2, the sheeting is mid-boom but with a 3:1 setup directly to the CB trunk (no Crosby triangle on the transom). The upper block clips to the boom so I simply unclip and re-attach it to the end of the boom. Kind of puts the mainsheet in your face, but it works.

[RaleighRancher]

So if the reef set you guys recommended, which looks great, isn’t in my budget for sailing stuff this month (just ordered a tiller tamer and some fixins for raising and lowering the rudder in our reef infested sailing club dock waters) what is the disadvantage of just roller refining? Hard on sail? Imprecise reef location?

I think long term though, I will just hand see in the reef points from that set you linked to. I’d like to practice roller feeding in moderate winds before then though.

Go with the roller reefing until your financial budget catches up. I actually have the Jiffy Reefing kit sitting in my workshop waiting for my time budget to catch up, but I am already starting to think I might never bother with it. Hit me up in six months - maybe I'll have decided I don't need it!

[GreenLake]

Unless Marcus has a reef claw, roller reefing isn't really feasible. "Just hooking the sheet to the end of the boom" is less than ideal.

[marcusg]

Greenlake, I'm guessing you mean a reef clew?

And my mainsheet is hooked up to the end of the boom by default, as per this picture. I can't remember if they joint that attaches to the traveler ropes pulleys turns with the mast or not, but it would be easy to detach from the traveler by way of one hand-removable bolt.

Or are you saying just having the mast spun on the traveler and not tied aft (as it is in this picture with the clew) isn't enough to keep it from bunching up and creeping forward?

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[GreenLake]

@marcusg: sorry forgot about your special traveler arrangement. (You do have true end-boom sheeting, not the kind of hybrid sheeting that is factory standard on some models of DS and is loosely and confusingly referred to as "end boom" in contrast to center-boom sheeting; @hesedguy's post should have set me straight, but for that confusion,) You are correct that your mainsheet configuration would make roller reefing possible (as long as the boom can rotate at the end). If your gooseneck rotates, but can be locked every quarter turn, then you are free to experiment to your hearts content with roller reefing. It would certainly be less of a pain than on boats that need a reef claw.

Who knows, it might be all you need to handle unexpected conditions, but there are inherent compromises that adversely affect sail shape. Whether those are theoretical or matter to you is something you are in a great position to find out by trying it.

As you point out, it's not possible to duplicate the function of the outhaul at the new "foot" of the sail, as nothing is attached at that point that can stretch the sailcloth. The expectation would be that the reefed sail is somewhat more baggy in shape, which is contrary to what you want in high winds: there you want a flat sail to minimize heeling. We might expect that for the same wind conditions, you'd need to reef a bit deeper with roller reefing, to get the same effect.

I don't have a hard traveler on my boat, so I'm relying on a vang to keep the boom level when responding to gusts (which keeps the sail flat, even if I let out mainsheet). I find that setup absolutely essential in being able to control the boat as I get closer to where I might need to reef, because it prevents the sail from powering up just as you let mainsheet out to depower the sailplan. I would not want to have to disconnect that as soon as I had to reef, because I would then be sailing in high winds and be even more interested in a flat sail. That's my reason for not giving roller reefing a second look - the other being the need for a reef claw.

But our boats are different and if you find roller reefing meets your needs, then you certainly should have no reason for spending money on other options. But they are there, if you find you need them.