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So I'm ready to go and it's been pretty windy. I'll get the furled jib on and stash the genoa.

I'm going to run 3/8" line through the main grommets, leaving about a foot and a half out each side, and knot it, or figure eight it on each side, so they won't slip out. I'll whip the lines with a Zippo and electrical tape. Then when I reef, I'll square knot (or fisherman's bend) the line under the boom to tuck the reefed sail in.

What do you do?

Same here, but I think mine are only quarter inch lines at best. Second option is just drop the cloth and go drink beer...
Dik...

When I do sail slugs, I install 5' pieces of 3/16" line for reef lines. They can also be used to tie the mains'l to the boom.
Take the lines on the starboard side under the boom, up the port side to the top of the lowered sail; the lines on the port side under the boom, up the starboard side to the top of the lowered sail, and tie them together. This can also be done with a reef in it.

Ya, what Bill said John. He did my slugs and reef lines for me last summer. Works great...
Dik...

I'm sending my mainsail off to Bill this week for the slugs and lines.

--
Moe

Bill,

Do the 5' loose lines just flap around? Do they chafe the sail? Would "lacing" a longer, one piece line through the grommets and under the boom (kinda' zig-zag like ) work? Thanks.

When I do sail slugs, I install 5' pieces of 3/16" line for reef lines. They can also be used to tie the mains'l to the boom.


Tom
'98X
Annie's Song
Denver

Moe, while your sail is out I'd deifinitely have them do an intermediate reef point. Most of the time the single factory reef is far too deep, though I guess if you're only going to do one it's where it belongs.

Awolfe, you could loop a single line through all the reef points, but I don't think it's something you want to attempt. Most of the time when I'm trying to reef, the sail and boom are flailing and trying to knock my teeth out, while the boat is pitching and rolling and trying to dump me into the water. Threading the clew reef line twice through its reef point can be quite difficult in this situation and that's enough for me.

A reefed sail is essentially loose footed; all the tension on the sail is supposed to come from the tack and clew points. So, the smaller reefing ties in the middle of the sail are intended only to to keep the excess sail from hanging under the boom like a bag and flapping in the wind. These points are only lightly reinforced and the lines should be tied snugly only, not tightly; they definitely should not be used to pull the sail tight. Excess tension can rip the grommets right out of the sail and means you've done something wrong. In this situation neatness is not that important.

My reefing ties are 1/4", maybe two feet total length. I agree the extra long ones would be great for tieing the whole sail to the boom, but that's what ball bungees are for. What do you do with the excess when you use them for their primary intended purpose? I guess you can tuck them into the rolled sail. Having excess line flailing around in high winds could be painful if not dangerous.

I hear you, Chip, on that losing teeth business.

Its necessary to get up top to the mast to reef in order to hook the luff grommet in the hook (I want to avoid single/double line reefing complications). I think Id only reef pier side on a windy day and at worst, motor to wind with the main luffing like mad.

Getting surprised with overpowering gusts while out, I think Id just douse (I have the sail caddy to collect it for the most part). All through the distant threads theres the reef early caution, but sometimes you just dont know that that would have been a good idea.

Getting corrected down to 3/16 is good. Ill have to contemplate length. For securing the doused main, BWYs pull and cinch bungies work real well. I dont want to lose my salt glazed eye glasses by a stray little whip.

I use 5' of 3/16" line, centered thru the sail, stopper knot on both sides, 30" of line on both sides. Easier to find the line when you have to reef. Never been a problem. Try it, if you think they're too long, cut some off.
I really don't think the one piece reef line would work.

I wouldnt leave my ties in the sail.

By the end of the season you might have hlf moon wear marks on your sail.

We keep ours hung on a hook on the head door for ease of retreival.

Scott wrote:I wouldnt leave my ties in the sail.

By the end of the season you might have hlf moon wear marks on your sail.

Four years and you can't even see a slight discoloration, let alone a "wear mark".

Are you saying you're able to thread the reefing ties through the grommets in a stiff wind? What's the secret?

Whenever I see any sign of a wear mark on a sail I put a piece of sail repair tape over it. When that starts to show signs of wear, I replace the tape with a new piece.

yikes... just got my mainsail back from BWY, fit slugs/jackline, and internediate reef grommets/reinforcements.....
The new reef grommets are huge, much larger than the original Mac ones... the lines i use to reef the original points will just pull their stopper fig.8 knots right thru.... i would have to tie a monkey fist there to keep the lines in.... what were they thinking, not matching the originals.... ??
anyway its a done deed, and i need to use either much larger lines, or figure a way to hold the regular lines in, or just leave them out until it's time to reef.... dammit....
any ideas that would be best. ??

ALX357
I am guessing the BWY grommets are compatible with their single line reefing system:

Single Line Reefing

I think you could do it yourself for a lot less, but their system does work. Instead of using sail ties to hold the reefed sail try BWY's "Cinch Its" Goes together very quickly.

My boat has a single line reefing system for the tack and clew, but regular tie off lines for the other grommets (reef points). As mentioned by Chip the reef point lines should not be tight. They should be done last.

My single line (again not going through the reef point tie down grommets) starts at a cleat about mid boom on the starboard side, goes through a pulley at the end of the boom near the mast, up through the tack grommet, down to another pulley on the opposite side of the boom, back to yet another pulley on the boom below and aft of where the reefed clew will end up, up through the clew grommet, and finally tied off on a strap on the opposite side of the boom from the clew pulley. Pulling and cleating this one line is supposed to allow for easy reefing.

Having said all that I'm not sure it's much easier than having separate lines for the tack and clew. Someone has to release the sail slugs anyway which requires going to the mast. I've found that as long as I'm up there anyway I usually just hook the tack grommet securely on the hook instead of relying on the single line. I like to see the tack not get pulled back because it puts extra strain on the bottom sail slide. Relying on just the single reefing line and the pulleys puts the tack back an inch or 2 from where it would be if the hook is used.

I wish I had sent my sail in to have another intermediate reef point put in but I don't know if I can get a quick turnaround on that and I don't want to be without a main during the short summer here.

I had to reef the other day and it's no fun getting spanked by the boom and sail while trying to secure things. I think next time I'll try completely lowering the main and have the crew sail on just the headsail so I can reef in comfort and quite!