by gary l. britton » Sun Aug 13, 2006 9:30 pm
Frank:
Regarding the use of a reefing claw. If you do get one you will need to add a block to the claw then you will have mid-boom control as if you were not reefing the sail. I went to Lowe's and purchased a shackle and block for about $5.00, and it seems to work just fine. The problem with the roller reefing is that the sail will not have a very good shape like it does if not reefed. There are several posts on this website regarding this problem. I have used the claw several times and it worked well, but the aft of the boom is lower than the fore of the boom and you had better watch your head, plus getting the lines of the mainsheet tangled on either coming about or jibbing.
I decided to just go ahead and have reefing points added to my main sail. I had two reefing points installed instead of one set, since here in central Oklahoma the winds can be in the 15-25 mph range quite often and if they are that high they will be gusty also. Now since I have had my reefing points installed, the winds have been just about perfect for sailing. In the 5-15 mph range ( plus having temperatures in the 100+ range for days on end, and that has cut into my sailing ) and I do not need to reef in those winds. So maybe I calmed the winds by adding the reefing points. But I am sure that mother nature will start the winds blowing again in September and October and I will be able to try out the two reefing points to see how it works. But I will say that the cost was not bad at all. The sailmaker in Tulsa, OK, (Kerr Sails) charged me $65/reefing point, total $130 + $10 shipping for both reefing points. Looks to me that he did a very good job and they were easy to communicate and work with. I am sure that you can find a sailmaker you could deal with if you so desire. After you use the claw and roller reefing, you may want to have reefing points placed in your mainsail if you are not satisfied.
Hope this helps.
Take care and fair winds,
Gary
1966, DSI
"Dancing Girls II", #3235