Hi MoneyPenny, been using single line reefing on the ocean for 2 decades. Mark your halyard for the position for each reef. 1) Release the vang and mainsheet 2) [most important] Use the topping lift to raise the boom to the leech reef cringle 3) pull in reefing line to tension leech [no pressure on the line as boom is at cringle] 4) lower main halyard to reef mark 5) Pull reef line again to tension luff to set halyard tension [pull sail down to set halyard tension, not up. It is way easier.] 4) Reset vang and mainsheet. Doing this any other way will create a lot of drag and pressure, making things a lot harder than they have to be. Also, if you tie the line to the leech cringle and then run it through the aft cheek block, you have less drag and less line to deal with and less line hanging off the back of your sail. One quick note about sailing conventions. Usually, all lines that have to do with the mainsail are run to the starboard side of the boat/cabintop. All lines dealing with sails forward of the mast are on Port Side. I even keep all mainsail lines (Halyard, Reefing, Mainsheet, Vang ,Topping lift) with a "Red" color basis and all Jib Lines with a "Blue" basis. Spinnaker or Satysail is "Green" color basis. Makes life simple and helps in storms. By the way, I got rid of the mainsheet and Vang years and years ago. I now have Preventers run from two places on the boom to the Port and Starboard toerail and then aft into the cockpit. Infinitely better, more control and incredibly safer.
this is the best explanation and example of single line reefing I have seen. Very timely for me too. I have been trying to figure out a simple reefing system for my Cal 20.
Our first boat was a Cal 25 (see season 1,2 and 3!!) knowing the loads on our own boat, I have no doubt something similar would work really well for you. Thanks so much for watching, stay tuned for updates as we get more practice with the system....I'm sure we will tweak it here and there....
I know it's been 2 years but I just found this while searching how to do this on my Catalina 30 out of Muskegon in Lake Michigan. Thanks for a clear description and video. I will be doing the same soon. Subbed.
Man! THAT is a tutorial!! And God knows (if he'd existed) I watched many. The fact you're filming litterally every bit of it, teaches my immense ignorance so much: lines, thickness, knots, blocks,... and much more: HOW you did it all. Your tutorial is perfect! 100%! I've been breaking my egg head on reefing too and you just showed what goes and what probably won't. The result was top btw. The bottom of yr MS was neatly folded. Maybe luck, but it was. My boat is smaller and racier. THEY say one line is not precise enough for the the luff, but you got me hesitating. 👍
Looks like an effective reefing system and certainly important when dealing with the changing weather conditions on Lake Michigan. Really appreciate your posts from the Great Lakes. Cheers.
MAN! this is exactly what i have been looking for , I'm looking into building a small boat for long term solo cruising , this reefing let me really visualize !
Great explanation and good shots. I'm thinking this method would work nicely on our Catalina 25 on SF Bay. Not a great deal of sail area to contend with, so resistance would be lessened. When you're 70, any way to avoid going forward in a blow is a good thing. Thanks for filming this!
Love the slo mo bouncing up and down. I put on my 3-D glasses and I ended up falling out of my office chair. I subscribed because I also like to learn things while drinking beers ! ! ! ; )
I sail a Tayana Vancouver 32 on Lake Superior. It has a Selden boom, and even with that there was significant friction. I added blocks at the leech and luff cringles which has made for a much happier lazy crew! Keep on keeping on! SV Northern Dancer
Nice to see you back. The upgrades look great. Seems to work quite well also. For singlehanding I like not having to go up on deck to reef. Great job . Want to see more Great Lakes sailing. Keep them coming.
Have had my boat four years(macgregor19, fantastic boat for small lakes) and had the blocks for single line reefing on the boom the whole time and never used them , set it up last week for the first time , worked well but was all backwards! We were trying to operate it from the end of the boom in a blow ! was going to give up on it for that reason , Now going to add the deck hardware you have and run it back to the cockpit from the mast, great video thanks
WOW, step one should read: tighten the topping lift, which controls the boom, and stops it crashing down to the deck ( as it is the sail shape (leach) which holds up the boom while sailing). removal of halyard tension causes the leach to slacken and hence not support the boom any more!
Nice Video!! I plan on doing the same thing to my boat this summer. I have been wanting to get my "continuous line" reefing working for years. This year I will do it! I really like the way you did it, installing jam cleats on your boom is a brilliant idea!! I had my main sail made with 'dog bones' to attach sheaves to. I think that will decrease friction. My boom is set up or one internal reefing line I will use your idea of a cheek block for the second line.
I have this "continuous reefing line" installed on my beauty but liked the ideas to better the project as I still have quite a lot of friction. Really liked your video! Cheers
New to your channel so this may already have happened but for a beer sponsorship you should obviously approach the good people at Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland. Best beer on the lake.
Excellent video, and an excellent job fabricating a set up to fit such needs/requirements. Excellent job. Good luck with Coors! If they ain't interested in being a wee sponsor for you, check out Molson Canadian. A bit north of you but, you may find an interest from that brewery/corporation. They got enough money to keep the pope awake most nights... Good luck with that, and safe, healthy, happy sailing!!!
looks great, but watch the position of the luff cringle...having it so low is putting some severe strain on the mainsail, and on the first sail slide below the reefing cringle.
This is great, thank you. We have actually adjusted, and put fairleads higher up the mast, to avoid cranking it so far down. Thank you, will film an update.
I've watched this video at least 20 times and I believe that this is the solution for my problems. I've got most of the parts either from a used chandlery here locally or on order. What I couldn't find was the unit at the base of the mast that holds the 4 blocks. Can you tell me who makes it? Where you purchased it? And approximately what it costs. I know there are other options, ie; spring loaded standing blocks and such but that arrangement looks so neat and clean I really want to dupelicate it if possible. I would greatly appreciate this info if you have the time. Thanks again! Bill s/v ODIN
spinnaker5514 Hi there. The doodad at the base of the mast was made by Barton Marine. I found it on-line, and it's a nice well made piece of hardware. Here is a link to the data sheet. www.bartonmarine.com/products-organisers-and-clutches.asp If you google "Barton Marine mast base organizer" you will find plenty of distributers. I hope this helps!!
I like your idea. I watched a video where the reefing lines were inside the boom. By the time he had finished explaining where all the lines went, I was really confused. His diagram looked like a plate of spaghetti
Seems like it would be a lot less work and faster to just have a hook at the mast. Don't you need to go on deck to tie the excess sail around the boom anyway ?
Hi MoneyPenny, been using single line reefing on the ocean for 2 decades. Mark your halyard for the position for each reef. 1) Release the vang and mainsheet 2) [most important] Use the topping lift to raise the boom to the leech reef cringle 3) pull in reefing line to tension leech [no pressure on the line as boom is at cringle] 4) lower main halyard to reef mark 5) Pull reef line again to tension luff to set halyard tension [pull sail down to set halyard tension, not up. It is way easier.] 4) Reset vang and mainsheet. Doing this any other way will create a lot of drag and pressure, making things a lot harder than they have to be. Also, if you tie the line to the leech cringle and then run it through the aft cheek block, you have less drag and less line to deal with and less line hanging off the back of your sail.
One quick note about sailing conventions. Usually, all lines that have to do with the mainsail are run to the starboard side of the boat/cabintop. All lines dealing with sails forward of the mast are on Port Side. I even keep all mainsail lines (Halyard, Reefing, Mainsheet, Vang ,Topping lift) with a "Red" color basis and all Jib Lines with a "Blue" basis. Spinnaker or Satysail is "Green" color basis. Makes life simple and helps in storms. By the way, I got rid of the mainsheet and Vang years and years ago. I now have Preventers run from two places on the boom to the Port and Starboard toerail and then aft into the cockpit. Infinitely better, more control and incredibly safer.
I would like to see a video of your setup or pictures.
this is the best explanation and example of single line reefing I have seen. Very timely for me too. I have been trying to figure out a simple reefing system for my Cal 20.
Our first boat was a Cal 25 (see season 1,2 and 3!!) knowing the loads on our own boat, I have no doubt something similar would work really well for you. Thanks so much for watching, stay tuned for updates as we get more practice with the system....I'm sure we will tweak it here and there....
I know it's been 2 years but I just found this while searching how to do this on my Catalina 30 out of Muskegon in Lake Michigan.
Thanks for a clear description and video. I will be doing the same soon. Subbed.
Good luck with it!!
One of the best/simplest descriptions of single line reefing. Many thanks! Gerard (Oz)
Thanks very much! Going to tweak it a little this season, but in general, it works great!!
Brilliant. Best video explanation I have found. I’m going to do this. Thank you
Man! THAT is a tutorial!! And God knows (if he'd existed) I watched many. The fact you're filming litterally every bit of it, teaches my immense ignorance so much: lines, thickness, knots, blocks,... and much more: HOW you did it all. Your tutorial is perfect! 100%! I've been breaking my egg head on reefing too and you just showed what goes and what probably won't.
The result was top btw. The bottom of yr MS was neatly folded. Maybe luck, but it was.
My boat is smaller and racier. THEY say one line is not precise enough for the the luff, but you got me hesitating. 👍
A sailor who doesn't believe in God is known as a casualty.
Great video. I like your detailed presentation on actually reefing using a continuous line. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you and thanks for watching.
You have a clean method of explanation.
Good job
Looks like an effective reefing system and certainly important when dealing with the changing weather conditions on Lake Michigan. Really appreciate your posts from the Great Lakes. Cheers.
Thanks Mike, yes, as you say, it's always changing. I sailed today for 3 hours with 4 sail changes!!!! Thank you for watching.
Excellent clear explanation and instruction. Thanks for posting
Thank you very much! And thanks for watching!! Fair winds!
Yes those darn day jobs. Glad it all worked out. Nice sailing.
I didn't win the powerball, so I'll just have to keep working :( See you next time, and thanks for watching.
MAN! this is exactly what i have been looking for , I'm looking into building a small boat for long term solo cruising , this reefing let me really visualize !
Good luck with the project!
Great explanation and good shots. I'm thinking this method would work nicely on our Catalina 25 on SF Bay. Not a great deal of sail area to contend with, so resistance would be lessened. When you're 70, any way to avoid going forward in a blow is a good thing. Thanks for filming this!
Genius idea. That would be perfect for me.
Love the slo mo bouncing up and down. I put on my 3-D glasses and I ended up falling out of my office chair. I subscribed because I also like to learn things while drinking beers ! ! ! ; )
Thanks for joining us! Great to have you here... we do everything with beers!! Cheers!!
I sail a Tayana Vancouver 32 on Lake Superior. It has a Selden boom, and even with that there was significant friction. I added blocks at the leech and luff cringles which has made for a much happier lazy crew! Keep on keeping on! SV Northern Dancer
Great information, thanks. There will be some tweaks to our system as we get to know it for sure!! Thanks for watching!
Nice to see you back. The upgrades look great. Seems to work quite well also. For singlehanding I like not having to go up on deck to reef. Great job . Want to see more Great Lakes sailing. Keep them coming.
Thank you, yes, pretty excited about the system. Might have to make a few tweeks, but so far so good. More videos coming!
Thanks for sharing, looks like a good idea.
Thanks, Glad you enjoyed!
Great work showing how it all came together and how it all works!! And yay for sailing!! :-)
Thank you, and thanks for watching.... yes, great to be out there again!!
Finally somebody that explained it properly. Thank you so much.😊 I just subscribed to your channel. Cheers.😀
Thanks George! Welcome along. Thanks for joining us!!
Very good. That is exactly what I am doing on my boat.
Have had my boat four years(macgregor19, fantastic boat for small lakes) and had the blocks for single line reefing on the boom the whole time and never used them , set it up last week for the first time , worked well but was all backwards! We were trying to operate it from the end of the boom in a blow ! was going to give up on it for that reason , Now going to add the deck hardware you have and run it back to the cockpit from the mast, great video thanks
Love it! Great to hear. Hope it works well, and you're safe reefing!!
Nicely done! Always thinking of doing the same and the same way. Thanks for sharing!
Happy to share and thanks for watching. Best of luck with your project...
this is a great video, thank you for posting.
Thanks again for your videos. I just completed this same project and your videos were a great help.
Thanks. I’m about to install a single line reef system on my boat. This helps a lot.
WOW, step one should read: tighten the topping lift, which controls the boom, and stops it crashing down to the deck ( as it is the sail shape (leach) which holds up the boom while sailing). removal of halyard tension causes the leach to slacken and hence not support the boom any more!
Nice Video!! I plan on doing the same thing to my boat this summer. I have been wanting to get my "continuous line" reefing working for years. This year I will do it! I really like the way you did it, installing jam cleats on your boom is a brilliant idea!! I had my main sail made with 'dog bones' to attach sheaves to. I think that will decrease friction. My boom is set up or one internal reefing line I will use your idea of a cheek block for the second line.
Awesome, sounds great! I definitely need to reduce friction on my second reef...
yes nice to see you back cheers from SV Outlandish
Kirk Bonnevie thank you! And thanks for watching!!
I like that idea, very well explained
I have this "continuous reefing line" installed on my beauty but liked the ideas to better the project as I still have quite a lot of friction. Really liked your video! Cheers
Tack så mycket, jag hade svårt att förstå när någon förklarade, men nu har fattat.
Thank you so much for this I needed to know how it was done
Good visuals and explanations for a beginning, wanna do it sailor in waiting!! Thx
I wonder if these things attached to the boom could be trusted to survive a storm, especially with loose sails fluttering while tacking.
Was just thinking yesterday "what happened to the chap from Chicago?" and voila! Thanks!
Sorry to keep you waiting for so long! That pesky day job has really gotten in the way this year! Thanks for sticking with us!!
Nice. Easy to follow
here are some useful tips for those that would like to try sailing one day - Thanks
Thank you!!
There are no videos out there showing how to actually attach the hardware to the boom! How does one do that?
Excellent how too.
Tomorrow is "Labor Day," so I know I will be checking how this rig would work on my Pacific Seacraft 25.
Hope it was a great time!!
Please remind folks to slack off the toping lift before Vang and Main Sheets are trimmed. Bad juju for the boom if you don't.
New to your channel so this may already have happened but for a beer sponsorship you should obviously approach the good people at Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland. Best beer on the lake.
Great video wondering would the lines sear the mainsail.?
Just came across this and wanted to say how clear your description of this system is. Nice job. Could you maybe be a bit more layed back? :-)
Life's too short to drink Lite Beer!
Hello! Is this boat in the video a Pearson. Coachtop looks a lot like my Pearson 30.
Excellent video, and an excellent job fabricating a set up to fit such needs/requirements. Excellent job. Good luck with Coors! If they ain't interested in being a wee sponsor for you, check out Molson Canadian. A bit north of you but, you may find an interest from that brewery/corporation. They got enough money to keep the pope awake most nights... Good luck with that, and safe, healthy, happy sailing!!!
Thank you!
Do you ever tie off the reef points between the luff and clew?
looks great, but watch the position of the luff cringle...having it so low is putting some severe strain on the mainsail, and on the first sail slide below the reefing cringle.
This is great, thank you. We have actually adjusted, and put fairleads higher up the mast, to avoid cranking it so far down. Thank you, will film an update.
I've watched this video at least 20 times and I believe that this is the solution for my problems. I've got most of the parts either from a used chandlery here locally or on order. What I couldn't find was the unit at the base of the mast that holds the 4 blocks. Can you tell me who makes it? Where you purchased it? And approximately what it costs. I know there are other options, ie; spring loaded standing blocks and such but that arrangement looks so neat and clean I really want to dupelicate it if possible. I would greatly appreciate this info if you have the time. Thanks again! Bill s/v ODIN
spinnaker5514 Hi there. The doodad at the base of the mast was made by Barton Marine. I found it on-line, and it's a nice well made piece of hardware. Here is a link to the data sheet. www.bartonmarine.com/products-organisers-and-clutches.asp
If you google "Barton Marine mast base organizer" you will find plenty of distributers. I hope this helps!!
what size were the turning blocks you used?
I can't recall the model number, but they were sized for the line and load.
I like your idea. I watched a video where the reefing lines were inside the boom. By the time he had finished explaining where all the lines went, I was really confused. His diagram looked like a plate of spaghetti
Cheers your video is helpful
Nicely done
Love your vids.
Used to sail out of Burnham
Saw your comment on Never Monday's blog.
Any hook ups yet?
Thanks for watching Carl. No reply from them yet.... I guess I'm not as charming and lovable as I thought!!!
Seems like it would be a lot less work and faster to just have a hook at the mast. Don't you need to go on deck to tie the excess sail around the boom anyway ?
Valid note. Maybe he can wait for the proper moment however?
May want to learn the difference between Luff and Leach, 4:06
Thanks Jim, always fun gettin my words in a muddle.
Fuckin sweet !!!
thats a standard single line reefing the world ovet
Good job,never believe the nay sayers.
Thank you!!
You never did answer “why single line reefing”
Drinking and sailing is just the same as drinking and driving. And just as stupid. Drink when the day is done.