Reefing Question

[bm1981]

I have a 81 DS2. I have not tried to roll the main sail down to reef it but do have a question. In order to use the roller reefing feature you need a reefing claw to grab the boom.

At the aft end of my boom is a triangular fin that has 2 holes in it. Currently I'm using the first hole for a single block outhaul and the second for topping lift when i have it hooked up. If i roll the mast 1/2 turn the fin is facing down. Could I use attach the upper mainsheet block there and avoid using the claw?

[jeadstx]

I had a sailmaker add two sets of reefing points to my mainsail.

John

[navahoIII]

Ours is a 1961 DSI and it has end-boom sheeting. I was wondering about finding a reef claw recently when I read the DSI manual. It said that with roller reefing one simply detached the mid-boom block (leading to the aft block) and cotrolled the mainsail (boom) using only the aft block (the sheet still attached, of course, to the block on the centerboard trunk). It makes no mention of a claw.

Haven't tried it yet but maybe it works.

[Alan]

Before you buy a reefing claw, it's probably worth researching the idea (vs jiffy reefing) to see if you actually want to do it. Here's one of the threads on the topic. It's got a link to a reefing claw you can buy online, but it costs $259.

http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3147&start=0

[bm1981]

for $250 I'm not going to get a claw... I'm just trying to see if i can use the tab on the aft end of the boom as a mainsheet attachment or if i need to add grommets to the sail. I think that the tab in question may be a new addition to the 80's DS2's

I don't want to find out the hardway that it wasn't strong enough to hold

[GreenLake]

For those setups where the mainsheet is led along the boom to the back, the place the block for the mainsheet is fixed is not the "fin" as you call it, but a screw placed at the back face of the boom. That screw holds a strap which is free to swivel, not matter how much you turn the boom.

The screw needs to have locking nuts (inside the boom - so you may have to take your end cap casting off). It's a beefy one on my boat, 3/8th or perhaps even 1/2" (has been a while since I needed to look at it).

Having said all that, I've never felt like trying out the rolling reef (sail shape is probably going to be terrible). I bit the bullet and got a set of reef points added to my main.

I had to install a few bits of hardware items (cheekblocks, cleats, etc.) but now have single line reefing. The reef line pulls the new foot of the reefed sail very flat, so sail shape does not suffer dramaticall.

If you sail in a place where very high winds can catch you, you might get two sets of reef points.

[mistermoon]

Jiffy reefing is the way to go. One a recent cruise in my boat I put in and shook out a reef four or five times in the space of about an hour and half. This was all while underway and singlehanded.

I don't think you could easily put in or shake out a reef by yourself with roller furling without completely dropping sails to reconfigure the boat. A couple of cheek blocks, eye straps, and jam cleats are all you need to install jiffy reefing. Easy.