Michael Smalter
Webster, NY
Boat Name: Marrakesh
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13645
Hailing Port: Rochester, NY |
 07/10/2004 4:28 AM Pacific Time
Last Fall I installed single line reefing led back to the cockpit for both the first and second reef points. My friend and I had a chance to try it out yesterday. It worked slick. We were able to loose the main halyard and tighten the reef line simultaneously, and could put a reef in in about 10 seconds. The first reef goes down one side, and the second goes down the other.
The only change I needed to make to my old system was to drill a hole at each rear corner of the stainless mast step (a new "bullet-bit" drill bit in a portable drill worked great), attach a shackle with pulley, lead the reef line through the pulley to the deck organizer, and put a jam cleat on the cabin tiop between the winch and the sliding hatch.
I had previously used a tack hook at the gooseneck, and a line leading to the front of the boom, which required going on deck to reef. It also resulted in unintentional snags on the reef hook when raising the main. |
Chip Ford
Marblehead, MA
Boat Name: Chip Ahoy
Model/Year: 1974-Swing Keel
Hull No. CTY032820374
Hailing Port: Marblehead, Mass. |
07/11/2004 2:20 AM Pacific Time
Mike, recently I added a similar reefing line set-up to Chip Ahoy, with the line coming into and out of the luff reef points to blocks on each side of the mast then down to a block on the mast plate, out to a deck organizer, back to the cockpit to a cam cleat. Yesterday I thought I'd test it out (we were supposed to have winds NW at 10 gusting to 22), so I set it up at my breezy mooring. I ran into one glitch:
I have a knurled gate block knob that keeps my sail slugs from dropping into the wider mast track slot and falling out when I lower my main. I had to go forward and take the block out, remove one of the slugs to lower the main enough to reef.
When I got outside our anchorage area, the breeze almost completely died, so I decided to shake out the reef -- but again, first I had to go up to the mast, slide in the slug, reinsert the gate block, then hoist the main all the way up.
Other than that step which seems to defeat the whole purpose of the line leading aft, it worked great, if a little tight. (What size line do you use?)
How do you get around that extra step?
Chip Ford --
Marblehead, Mass.
1974 C22 Swing Keel #3282 - "Chip Ahoy"
Chip Ahoy website: www.chipford.com
|
david martin
hutchinson island fl
Boat Name: barefoot gourmet
Model/Year: cat 22 1977
Hull No. 7942 (?)
Hailing Port: Hutchinsom Island Fl |
07/11/2004 5:37 AM Pacific Time
The bottom slug(s) should be on a jack line which goes slack as you lower the sail and allows the bottom slugs to stay above the gate |
Michael Smalter
Webster, NY
Boat Name: Marrakesh
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13645
Hailing Port: Rochester, NY |
07/11/2004 6:29 AM Pacific Time
I have permanent mast gate, so the slugs move freely. I found yesterday when I raised the main that the reef lines have alot of friction, and I needed to pull them backwards mid-boom to allow the main to hoist full again.
I may try to attach small blocks at the forward reef grommets to reduce friction. Has anyone had success with this? How do you permanently attach them to the grommet?
I believe I used 3/16" line. I purposely bought a slippery line that was said to "run more smoothly through fairleads". I think it may have been the Portland Economy Braid. |
Austin Cooley
Honeoye Falls, NY
Boat Name: Wings of the Morning
Model/Year: Catalina 22, 1983
Hull No. 11602
Hailing Port: Keuka Lake, Branchport, NY |
07/11/2004 9:52 AM Pacific Time
I also have single line reefing and more-or-less permanent mast gates. I attached a small Harken block (I think a 150 mini block) to the sail reefing grommet using the shackle that came with block. I would eventually like to leave the mast gates on permanently - they are attached with machine screws - and cut a new slot 16 inches below the original one. In order to test this location for possible interferences and inconveniences I put a six inch piece of masking tape over the mast groove. It could be easily removed or torn through if necessary. So far it seems like the perfect place for a second slot, and for a new mast, the only place. I'm considering using a Dremel tool with appropriate attachments and guides to cut the slot. Does anyone have any ideas along this line? |
Gerry Sheehan
Olympia, WA
Boat Name: Windward
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13812
Hailing Port: Olympia, WA |
07/11/2004 9:59 AM Pacific Time
Any of you guys have pictures of what you are doing. I guess I can't visualize with words all that well. I could really use a slick cockpit reefing system for when I single hand.
...Gerry Sheehan |
Al Gearing
Burleson, Texas
Boat Name: Torch of Freedom
Model/Year: C-22 '76
Hull No. 6448
Hailing Port: Arlington YC |
07/11/2004 10:52 AM Pacific Time
Austin, that sounds like a good idea, I wish I had thought of it. I had a single line reef on#11660 and thought it took too long to pull that much line through, when I bought #501 it had a two line system, much the same and you pulled both lines at the same time, then a little more on the one on the boom end because it is longer. It requires an extra sheet stoppper of course. On #6448 I want to use the bolt rope rather than slugs, this poses a problem because you need to re-lead the bolt rope through a pre-feeder before shaking the reef. The lower slot idea might be easier to get at and do the re-leading, at least sitting on the cabin top rather than standing at the mast. The pre-feeder can be made easily detachable, I think. |
R. C. Luiken
Milford, DE
Boat Name: Ricochet
Model/Year: C-22 Swing Keel/1986
Hull No. 13560
Hailing Port: Milford, DE/St. Michaels, MD |
07/14/2004 4:24 AM Pacific Time
I too have mast gates to prevent the slugs from falling out of the wide slot.
I have a downhaul, led back to the cockpit, attached to the gooseneck on the mast which is set so the boom is in the proper location when the sail is not reefed.
The reefing system consists of a padeye on the port side of the mast directly below the leech reef grommet and a block at the same point on the starboard side. Another block is located on the starboard side at the luff. A vertical turning block is placed on the cabin top just to the port of centerline. A horizontal turning block is located on the starboard side of the cabin top just forward and inboard of the hand hold, and a cam cleat is located on the cabin top at the bulkhead.
To set up the reefing system I start at the padeye and thread from there to the leech luff grommet, to the aft block, to the forward block, to the luff grommet, to the vertical turning block, to the horizontal turning block and then to the cam cleat.
I checked it out yeterday, and I can reef the sail in 10 seconds. and shake it out in 15 seconds while single handing. It took longer to shake it out because there is a little friction from the reefing lines and I had to pull some slack.
The downhaul places the boom at the proper height when the halyard is tightened after reefing or shaking it out.
|
Dick Reynolds
Lebanon, Oregon
Boat Name: Catnip
Model/Year: Swing Keel / 1974
Hull No. 4570
Hailing Port: Newport, Oregon |
07/15/2004 9:05 PM Pacific Time
It seems to me that you should have a stop in the sail slot that prevents the mast from pulling the main below the black band. The downhaul then just prevents the boom from rising. You then have a cunningham grommet a short distance above that which allows you to tension the luff. |
Dan Graczyk
Port Townsend, WA
Boat Name: Cheers
Model/Year: 1989
Hull No. 14994
Hailing Port: Discovery Bay |
07/06/2005 6:37 PM Pacific Time
I too have tried to get everything running to the cockpit, and I just bought a quad deck organizer. Does anyone know the best way to remove the deck organizer on a 1989 22? The bolts do not go all the way through the deck and it appears as though there is some kind of super adhesive holding it in place. Does anyone have any advice on any trick to remove the old deck organizer without ripping the deck off??
Thanks |
paul osborne
Lima NY
Boat Name: Emy Lyn II
Model/Year: 1984
Hull No.
Hailing Port: Rochester |
07/19/2005 8:17 AM Pacific Time
Looking for Austin Cooley of Honeoye Falls NY .
still out there??
[email protected] |
