That reefing gizmo thing!

[Frank Marafiote]

Hi, Everyone --

In many of the posts about sailing alone, mention had been made about reefing the mainsail. I do not have reefing grommets in my sail. There have been a few photos of something that you can use to manually roll the sail around the boom. Is that what I need? Where can I buy one? Anything else that I will need?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

-- Frank

PS We had two people drown on Lake Winnipesaukee this past weekend after diving overboard for a swim. Very sad news but a reminder that safety needs to be a concern for all of us day sailors -- especially when we are out on our own. Sometimes these "small" lakes make us complacent but under the right circumstances they can be as lethal as the ocean. Sail safe, everyone!

[Felix Graham-Jones]

Frank
Check in the archived forums on this site - under the Rigging thread you will see several discussions about reefing claws, their current availability and use - there's one really clear post by the folk at Blue Water Sailing School about how to use one of these gizmos.
Last but one post in a thread titled "Reefing claws - are there any out there?" is by me from a couple of years ago and describes a method of using the roller reefing capacity of my stock DS2, without buying more expensive gear.
This solution has worked just fine as a band-aid for me for the past two years. The down side to rolling up your main without a claw is that the leech gets a bit baggy - because you're rolling up the luff-rope at one end of the boom and each turn only pulls in sailcloth at the outer end.
None the less, as I've only needed to reef a couple of times in these past two years, this solution suits this wallet challenged day sailor. That, however, may simply indicate that neither I nor my boat are getting enough of the right kind of exercise.
Fair winds anfd following seas.
Felix

[gary l. britton]

Hi:

I purchased my reefing claws from Trident-UK. I purchased both the 126mm and 78mm size. Of course they charge in British Sterling, and your credit card company will change that to USD. The claws seem to work well and it is easy to place them around the boom. Their website is
www.trident-uk.com I was very pleased with their service and easy to work with. When you go to the site, do a search for "reefing claw" and that should take you to them.

Good luck

Gary
1966, DSI
"Dancing Girls II", #3235

[gary l. britton]

Hi again Frank:

Trident-UK has changed their website a little. First go to "shop online", then do a "quick search" and type "reefing claw". I noticed that they still have both sizes. I first ordered the 126mm size but realized the smaller 76mm would work just as well.

Good luck.

Gary
DSI, 1966
'Dancing Girls II', #3235

[gabond]

I use the smaller reefing claw, and it is fine for the DSII. As I mentioned in a post somewhere, it is actually 87mm, not 76mm, and thus fits well.

Also, I do not follow Step 1 of those detailed directions as written, I just disconnect the main block from the boom and connect it to the claw with some hardware.

Finally, recall that the Manual says 5-6 turns reduces the sail area by one-third, a level which works well for me.

[gary l. britton]

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

[vtrunner]

I spent a lot of time looking for a claw and then added reefing points for $100, plus a jiffy reefing kit from dwyer. I had the points added by Vermont sailing Partners

Work: 655-7245

150 west canal st
winooski, VT 05404

I had one set added but this winter will add a second-- works great