by jeadstx » Sat Feb 04, 2017 6:27 am
On my Day Sailer II, I was using a "clam" cleat on the jiffy reef, not a "cam" cleat. Reason for change to the small horn cleat was that the line I had experienced a little swelling over time and the line was not holding in the clam cleat well. Also, originally I cleated the line to the cuddy cabin top, now it is cleated to the boom on the forward end. This line pulls down the clew of the sail. On the forward end I use a reefing hook eliminating the line along the luff and coming down to the cuddy cabin roof.
Original configuration (from information I researched) for the jiffy reef line was (prior to addition of reefing hook): the line ran from an eye loop through the reef point on the leach of the sail (reefed clew point) back own to the a cheek block on the aft end of the boom to a cheek block on the forward end of the boom, then up to the reef point on the luff (reefed tack point) and back down to a deck cheek block to the cleat. I would pull the line in to bring the clew point to the boom and bring the luff tack point to the boom (while releasing the main halyard) to cleat the reef line. With the reef line cleated to the cuddy cabin roof, I had problems adjusting things to get the boom to the height it had previously been. This required a long reef line with places to cause jamming.
Configuration as modified (after adding reefing hook): the line ran from the existing eye strap up to the reef point on the luff (clew point) and back down to the existing cheek block on the aft end of the boom, then forward to the existing cheek block on the forward end of the boom, then to a horn cleat on the forward end of the boom aft of the existing cheek block. The luff reef point (reef tack point) is then attached to the reefing hook. The reef line no longer causes problems getting the boom back in position as it is no longer restrained by cleating to cuddy cabin roof. Less line required. I have two sets of reef points in my cruising sails, two setups on the boom at one time when I sail the Texas 200.
Hope the configuration setups aren't too confusing, I can do it better than explain it.
On the Day Sailer I that I'm setting up, I will be replacing the cheek blocks with fair leads (current thought) and probably eliminate the forward block location as I don't think it is needed. I used the forward cheek block on the DS II modified setup since it was already there. The DS I will also have a reefing hook.
John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas