Shagbark wrote:I replaced the V cleats (jam cleat?) on my boom with the horns. I could never get my lines (outhaul and reef) to stay cleated. I switched to the horn for the peace of mind that they were going to stay better in horn. GL, if you don't use a hook on the gooseneck for the reef and you don't use a jiffy system, how are you securing the tack of the reefed sail?
V cleats come in a number of different designs. I find that they are not all equal in how secure they are. There may be differences in which one is best for what rope and perhaps the preferred diameter isn't obvious w/o looking at the specs. I have an 8' dinghy that came with a tubular cleat w/ a V slit at the exit for the vang. That one ended up splitting lengthwise after not holding all that well before. I replaced it by a metal one that is literally a flat piece with a V shape in it. Needs more service life to be sure how it performs, but looks tons better.
My reef setup is a single line (both clew and tack). I'm not advertising it because it doesn't work as well as I'd like: it's difficult to get both clew and tack to be tight; to use it, I have to pull on the middle of it (between clew and tack) to first set the clew then pull on the tail to set the tack. With a hook, you'd first set the tack then pull tight the clew.
I do terminate the reefline in a cam cleat on the boom that has a fairlead (wire loop) but is also mounted at 90 degrees to the angle of pull. Not sure that's ideal, but it has served well (once I manage to set the reef it stays put). This picture shows the reef in action, but not the details of the setup. (I use really strong but thin line for the reefline, 3mm I think, with a very tight cover. Same as I use for the outhaul).
As you can see, I don't bother with tying up the reefed portion of the sail. Usually it just stays in folds above the boom, if not, it's easy to push it back up.