The student would fight the helm incessantly and the boat would constantly round up or turn to wind with gusts of heavier breeze. This is repeated with a blue and then red whipping for successive reefs, each having a corresponding white whipping ahead for re-tensioning. Slab reefing does require some practice and careful installation of the basic system. Once the line is rigged, it’s always ready for use and comes close to being foolproof. Exporting quality and performance from Norway to the U.S One of latest additions to the upffront.com sailing hardware line-up are the Polyform fenders from the original Norwegian manufacturer - Polyform AS. Established over 60 years ago, Polyform AS is renowned for inventing the modern plastic buoy. Posted on 18 Oct Electric Furler from Facnor

Reefing Your Mainsail: Are you onboard with reef hooks? Reefing Your Mainsail: Are you onboard with reef hooks?

Top five as rated by Upffront.com In this article we round up five of the best bottom up furlers on the market. Choosing the right furler is a question of boat size and SWL (safe working load), sail area, performance level and budget. Posted on 5 Oct Premium Ropes range - which rope to choose? Again, this will be different based on the sail inventory, experience, boat, and sailing conditions for each person. Ron, our Lead Sail Consultant regularly recommends that “one reef keeps you sailing, two gets you home safely”. Can Reefing Damage Your Sails? To some extent, mainsail reefing has turned full circle. First there were simple reef points – short rope pennants that could be used to gather up parts of a sail to reduce its area. Then there were rotating booms, around which a sail could be wound to achieve the same effect – roller reefing, in fact. It was slow, particularly when ‘shaking out’ the reef. But it was simple and reliable. Lower the main Halyard to the correct position for reefing, mark the Halyard at the position of the cleat with permanent marker (reef position 1 +2).Nothing beats the feeling when your boat wakes up and all the forces at play work together to make your sails sing and your hull hum. Works for us, but hadn't considered the complication of a NZ sail number. Perhaps you'll just have to grit your teeth and pretend to be British! Next, pull the reef clew down to the boom. If the sail is flogging heavily, this can be difficult and it may be easier to use the topping lift to raise the end of the boom up to the reef clew. It’s important to ensure you have plenty of tension along the foot of the reefed sail. Being prepared for heavier winds and identifying when to reef is key to maximizing the performance and safety of the boat. Here are several things every sailor can do to be prepared: Keep lines organized Ease the main-sheet. This will cause the mainsail to luff, stabilizing the boat by reducing heel and easing the tension on the mainsail making it easier to drop.

Adding Reefing Hooks | Sailboat Owners Forums Adding Reefing Hooks | Sailboat Owners Forums

With larger cruising sailboats, manufacturers are increasingly offering in-boom and in-mast reefing and furling systems for mainsails. Such systems essentially involve a roller inside the boom or mast with an electric motor that rolls up the sail to reduce its size (reefing) or to stow the sail away after sailing. While such systems certainly add convenience when they’re adjusted and everything is working well, many experienced sailors still prefer slab reefing, which doesn’t depend on an electrical system, multiple moving parts, and a fine-tuned rig.If your sail looks like a smooth airplane wing, rest assured you have done it correctly. It's the shape we are going for and there are no style points deducted for an ugly reef. No chafe - Reef lines will no longer chafe or break; lines are no longer permanently under tension in the jaws of jammers. When you lower your main and reef your sail, you are changing the application of force on the mast.

Reef Hooks - Rig-Rite Reef Hooks - Rig-Rite

Most often, when sailors think of reefing, they’re thinking of shortening the main first sail using a reefing system like Hook and Cringle. This is not the only option, but here are some considerations: Figure 1: With the headsail reefed by partially rolling it in, the deepest part of the sail’s draft is usually left unrolled. An ingenious addition to their portfolio, Karver's KHR Reef Hook offers an unconventional way to reef your mainsail. The classic sailor’s saying is that if you are asking whether it’s time to reef the main, it’s already past that time. This refers to sailors who are having difficulty controlling a wildly heeling boat because the wind has gotten up and is putting a lot of pressure on too much sail area.These corners have been designed to better distribute the load. Our unique radial corner design is stronger and more durable than the competition and prevents premature material failure. And Many More Make sure to have your lines organized beforehand and a reefing plan in place. This will assure that each time a crew member reefs the same actions are taken to re-organize the lines so no time is lost figuring out what the preceding person has done. Practice Makes Perfect

Reefing for the Mainsail - LiveAbout Traditional Slab Reefing for the Mainsail - LiveAbout

The design of your sail is a crucial step in preparing your it to perform well in heavier winds. Precision Sails prides ourselves on our leading design consultations to build the best sail possible for your boat. Our designers get to know you, your boat, the conditions your sailing in, long term plans, and experience level to select the best cloth, weight, and features for your sail. Here are some of the features your new sail can have: Foam Luff The illustration shows a single-line system. Larger boats often have a double-line system, in which a second reefing line is added on the other side of the boom to the second higher set of reef points. There are also variations in the use of a hook, or reefing horn, at the forward reefing point on the sail’s luff. Our Reefing Hook is specially designed and constructed for long service life, and ease and speed of operation. You can remove most of the caulking in a seam using this tool, leaving minimal material for final hand sanding. This reefing hook is made to be a fine quality tool with hand comfort in mind, and it can be re-sharpened as it becomes dull. Now that you have found your reef points take a reefing line or sail tie and feed it through the holes.Dual Reef Hooks are formed from 5/16" rod, Assembly is (maximum) 4 5/8" wide x 7" high, and includes Channel Islands; Inflatable dinghy price on request Channel Islands; Flares not available to ship at this time On one run I made up Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke, I had my wife blowing chunks for six of the seven hours we were out there. Whatever reefing system you have and whether you are a fair weather sailor or a crusty old salt, reefing is a great tool to make an unsafe voyage safe and an uncomfortable crew comfortable on a windy day. Bonus Uma Tip: Stow your main halyard and lines, in the same way, each time. Then no time is wasted figuring out what the previous person had done.