TyphOon reefing!

[Graziella]

Helloooooo,
It's me again! Soooo... the San Francisco bay is getting quite windy and I am trying to set up the reefing...and I am not sure I am doing it right!
Does anyone have any photos of their system set up?? I am trying to keep the boat as close as possible to the original so I would prefer not to add blocks everywhere...

THHHHHANNK YOU!!!

[Ben Miller]

I'm interested in this too! I got a new main this year with reef points (unlike the old roller-reefing main) but I haven't rigged it yet. I'd love to see how some other Ty owners have set up their reefing lines.

[Brimag]

Hello, set up my Typhoon with a reef system and it works fine.Google single line reef system.You will have to add blocks on boom mast and deck or mast coller. It's worth it when it gets too breezy for full main, the boat is much easier to handle

[Brimag]

This is what I have

[Paul D.]

When we had our Typhoon I added slab reefing which was like the previous post but simpler with less friction. It had the aft reef line as drawn terminate at a cleat on the boom about a foot aft the mast. I added a reefing hook to the gooseneck on the forward spot of the boom. (connection of boom to the mast.) This system is very easy to reef and un-reef underway as you can just squat in the companionway hatch and reach everything. Procedure to reef, which is the same on our CD33 since I've kept my halyards at the mast, is as follows:

• -ease off mainsail
  -lower halyard
  -hook reef tack cringle on reef hook at gooseneck
  -tighten halyard
  -haul in reefing line

One thing a lot of people miss with this system is the proper run of the reefing line. Start by tying a bowline to the becket of the cheek block on the aft of the boom, run the line under the boom and through a pad eye on the other side of the boom, up through the aft reef cringle on leech of the sail, down to the cheek block sheave then forward to the cleat.

I agree, having a good slab reef system allows you to sail comfortably in up to about 30knots with a smallish jib. Once we had an absolutely legendary sail on our Typhoon on northern Lake Superior. 30 knots, and while it was rather wet, the boat just put her rail down to the groove spot and leaped over those cold-ass waves.

[Ben Miller]

Thanks for the helpful replies! I've been pondering the different systems and I'm starting to think about implementation--which hardware to use, and where to put it. I haven't settled on a firm plan yet, but I've found a few links that have been helpful:

https://www.cruisingworld.com/seamanshi ... efing-main
http://www.wayfarer-international.org/W ... fTJ.DH.pdf
http://www.wayfarer-international.org/W ... yReef.html

I'm thinking a cheek block and clam cleat on the clew reefing line, and a tack line on the tack, utilizing some cleats I already have on the mast. I'll update this topic once I have it figured out.

[wikakaru]

If your goal is, as you say, "to keep the boat as close as possible to the original," you may want to consider the system I have implemented on our Typhoon:

IMG_6093.JPG

The mainsail is loose-footed, so I can tie one end of the aft reefing line around the boom, run it up through the reefing grommet and back to a single cleat on the boom positioned slightly aft of where the reefed clew will be along the boom to provide the correct amount of outhaul tension. The reefed tack is a pair of stainless O-rings, one on each side of the sail, sewn into webbing that runs through the reef tack grommet. I simply connect one of the O-rings to the existing tack fitting at the forward end of the boom.

The only required modification to the boat (apart from the reef points added to the sail) is drilling and tapping 2 holes in the boom for the new cleat. It is simple, inexpensive, and works just fine. Here is what the sail looks like reefed down in 18-20 knots of breeze:

IMG_6410.JPG

Good luck on your project!

Jim

[Steve Laume]

"One thing a lot of people miss with this system is the proper run of the reefing line. Start by tying a bowline to the becket of the cheek block on the aft of the boom, run the line under the boom and through a pad eye on the other side of the boom, up through the aft reef cringle on leech of the sail, down to the cheek block sheave then forward to the cleat."

I think I am missing something. Why not just tie the bitter end to the pad eye on the far side and not make the run, under the boom?

I just rigged a new boom section and angled the pad eyes to take the load. There are two tapped machine screws securing it to the boom. The turning block on the other side has four. If you are concerned about the loading on the pad eye then it seems like putting all the load on four screws instead of splitting it up between seven is false security.

What part of this do I not understand, Steve.

[Ben Miller]

Why not just tie the bitter end to the pad eye on the far side and not make the run, under the boom?

I was also pondering this, since I've seen the same instructions elsewhere. My theory is that the intention might be to balance the load on the fitting. The reefing line will pull up on the cheek block, but also down on the becket, thus countering its own force to some extent. Does that make sense, or am I blowing smoke?

The Cruising World article I linked to (by Cape Dory owner Bruce Bingham) doesn't mention this rigging detail and the image 3 of 12 seems to indicate that his line is made fast to a pad eye, not brought under the boom. I suspect that both systems work pretty well most of the time, even if there might be a marginal advantage to one.

[Paul D.]

Love rigging topics!

I think you can do it both ways too, but tying to the becket evens the load and will not pull the boom up on the port side when you are cranking the leech reef line it. I've seen it in authoritative rigging references. I think Brian Toss spells it out in "The Rigger's Apprentice" but I am not positive. I remember it making a difference when I tied it to the port side padeye accidentally after installing slab reefing on our old Typhoon years ago. Then I remembered to tie to the becket and it seemed easier to reef under load.

I just know it works well aboard Femme. And when I need to reef on Lake Superior, I generally need to do it quickly with no hang ups! This shot of a single line reefing setup shows the bitter end tied to the becket of the cheek block on the starboard side of the boom. On the far, port side, of the boom the line runs through the payee to hold the proper angle for the line (about 45 degrees) aft from the cringle when fully reefed. That gives a tight foot to the sail, which when reefed should be generally flatter.

[Steve Laume]

Okay, I get it now. The under boom arrangement is to reduce twisting the boom.

I saw a very interesting set up on a Shannon that would do the same thing with some other advantages. Instead of having a pad eye on one side of the boom, he had cheek blocks on both sides that were lead forward to set the reef. This would put equal pull on both sides of the boom. It also allowed him to reef from the high side on either tack. I kind of forgot about it when I was re rigging my new boom but it definitely has some merit. You have one continuous line that you can adjust from both sides. It does add a few lines running to the forward end of the boom but was a pretty slick system, Steve.

[Ben Miller]

Here's the catch: It seems strangely hard to find a cheek block with a functional becket. The Schaefer 3 Series has one and it would fit well with the other Schaefer gear on a Typhoon, but it seems odd that there wouldn't be more options.

Could you get similar results by simply tying the reefing line to the boom? My main is loose-footed, so it wouldn't interfere with any slides (until I removed the main). Here's an example.

[Ben Miller]

It seems strangely hard to find a cheek block with a functional becket.

The Ronstan RF285 looks almost as nice, and is half the price. Lower working load too (660 lbs vs. 1000 for the Schaefer), but I think it should be plenty for this application.